Rate Your Solicitor.com

hilltop

Just wondering has anyone ever tried posting on this website? How long does it take for a posting to appear on the website?
Just find it a little strange that a positive posting I made was never put up on the site but many negative ones have gone on since.
Has anyone else noticed this or is it just me being suspicious?

Dante09

Yes, I've noticed this too.:cool:

nuac

General experience with this RYS is that positive posting fall thru the cracks or otherwise disappear.

legal eagle 1

If you look at the Hall of Shame you'll see the bad ratings go into several hundreds but in the Hall of Fame the good solicitors only have between 10/15 positive ratings!:rolleyes:

partyguinness

I take no notice of 80% of the crap written there.

There is obviously someone who writes negative posts regardless.

For example, I personally know a firm in my home town called "Joe Bloggs & Co.". Now Joe Bloggs set up the firm in 1849 and is obvously dead as disco and no relations still around. It hasn't been a family fim in about 100 years.

Now one of the typical posts, says..."Joe Bloggs is incompetent with no regard for his clients etc etc blah blah. Avoid."

A lot of the posts are written by the same person and the fact he slags off a dead solicitor clearly shows that it is utter BS. The poster never used the firm but still posts negative posts. For the record, it is the only negative post.

I imagine that is going on for most of the other firms.

Tom Young

We possibly shouldn't discuss this site too much. I have heard it is subject to investigation at the moment along with crookedlawyers.com

Dante09

Sorry last comment Tom, If anybody is bothered, read the posts re McCann Fitz....somebody must seriously be ripping the p***! funny though:D

Tom Young

I'm not closing the thread. I believe in Freedom of Expression but those sites are borderline offensive in my view.

legal eagle 1

In fairness having looked at that sight many times, its quite comical. If you were to believe everything that was said on it than all lawyers are evil corrupt money grabbers with no ethics or morals!:rolleyes:

Tom Young

Yes, it's extreme but there are clear defamations on the site.

Sangre

"This firm tried to interfere with my satirical treatise of Martin Cullen & Monica Leech on my web site www.soldiersofdestiny.org I was threatened with legal proceedings which are also proceeding in the High Court against most of Dublin's newspapers and R.T.E. I believe they are lackeys for Fianna Fail. Part of the "Golden Circle" of "Friends of Fianna Fail"."

rofl

Victor

legal eagle 1 wrote: »

In fairness having looked at that sight many times, its quite comical. If you were to believe everything that was said on it than all lawyers are evil corrupt money grabbers with no ethics or morals!:rolleyes:

You didn't get the memo? :eek:

legal eagle 1

Well Victor there not all bad........but i do see a niche in the market for a nice solicitor i.e me hehe

Thirdfox

A very small niche indeed

siobhanx

Tom Young wrote: »

Yes, it's extreme but there are clear defamations on the site.

Tom, could you give me some details about the investigation into RYS and their sister site? I am very curious about what is currently under investigation and by whom. Thanx.

Barnaby

legal eagle 1 wrote: »

In fairness having looked at that sight many times, its quite comical. If you were to believe everything that was said on it than all lawyers are evil corrupt money grabbers with no ethics or morals!:rolleyes:

And they're not? LOL!

lougem

Here is an extract from an essay on the site: "Another group you have to watch is the Freemasons. They are a big group in western Canada and I have heard a lot of stories of secret hand signals and special words in lawyer's submissions that tell the judge "I am a Freemason and I want you to help your brother". The lawyer or the client is that Freemason brother and, as you probably know, the Freemasons have taken an Oath to help each other. There was some very bad stuff in England a few years back involving Freemasons."

Seriously...I would laugh, but the idea that some people actually believe this is a sobering thought.

_JOE_

lougem wrote: »

Here is an extract from an essay on the site: "Another group you have to watch is the Freemasons. They are a big group in western Canada and I have heard a lot of stories of secret hand signals and special words in lawyer's submissions that tell the judge "I am a Freemason and I want you to help your brother". The lawyer or the client is that Freemason brother and, as you probably know, the Freemasons have taken an Oath to help each other. There was some very bad stuff in England a few years back involving Freemasons."

Seriously...I would laugh, but the idea that some people actually believe this is a sobering thought.

Haha, somebody read Dan Brown's the lost symbol and their imagination's going wild...

Sleipnir

I'd say the majority of posters are solicitors who write negative comments about their rivals.

_JOE_

Sleipnir wrote: »

I'd say the majority of posters are solicitors who write negative comments about their rivals.

I'd doubt that really...

maidhc

Sleipnir wrote: »

I'd say the majority of posters are solicitors who write negative comments about their rivals.

I don't think so... even with the downturn they are hardly that bored.

happpycamper

I have looked at it on a couple of occasions, alot of it you could take with a grain of truth and i am sure some of it is comppeting firms taking the mick out of each other. Kilroys have received a fair bashing in recent times. they used to be good i thought but they seem to be getting some negative feedback especially against one solicitor, as far as i know that solicitor deserves that commentbut it shouldnt be dealt with like that. if someone makes an alllegations of inpropriate behaviour towards a client then it should be an internal issue for the comp to deal with that employee. it is amusing though but i also presume a good indication of peoples views on solicitors!

Cróga

lougem wrote: »

Here is an extract from an essay on the site: "Another group you have to watch is the Freemasons. They are a big group in western Canada and I have heard a lot of stories of secret hand signals and special words in lawyer's submissions that tell the judge "I am a Freemason and I want you to help your brother". The lawyer or the client is that Freemason brother and, as you probably know, the Freemasons have taken an Oath to help each other. There was some very bad stuff in England a few years back involving Freemasons."

Seriously...I would laugh, but the idea that some people actually believe this is a sobering thought.

The Freemasons are a real society and have had an influence in Ireland going back 100's of years. The 3rd biggest lodge in the world is in Dublin across from the Dail. They also have lodges in a lot of towns and villages over the country. Here is their website http://www.irish-freemasons.org/ . It isnt a conspiracy. There are plenty of them, i wouldnt be surprised if they work in the legal profession just as much as any other profession.

Read Article 65 below of the Constitution of Ireland Act 1920


They have symbology all over Dublin and their famous 'All Seeing Eye' is on top of the Four Courts. Notice the Fasci underneath it too

maidhc

Croga wrote: »

The Freemasons are a real society and have had an influence in Ireland going back 100's of years. The 3rd biggest lodge in the world is in Dublin across from the Dail. They also have lodges in a lot of towns and villages over the country. Here is their website

Of course the freemasons exist, and no doubt many influential people throughout the centuries were freemasons. The bit about secret hand signals in the district court though is pushing it.

I'm not sure what point you are making about the four courts. It was started in 1786. Since then we have had Wolfe Tone, the quakers feed us soup in the 1840s, 1916, independence, a civil war and two world wars have come and gone. In the same time there has been a French Revolution and the United States came into existence.

Likewise there may well have been a few legislative nods in the direction of the Freemasons, but compare it to what other organisations have got and it becomes very irrelevant... I refer especially to the Catholic Chruch, an organisation not exactly known for its openness and democratic intentions and far more powerful throughout the ages than most states.

Cróga

maidhc wrote: »

Of course the freemasons exist, and no doubt many influential people throughout the centuries were freemasons. The bit about secret hand signals in the district court though is pushing it.

I'm not sure what point you are making about the four courts. It was started in 1786. Since then we have had Wolfe Tone, the quakers feed us soup in the 1840s, 1916, independence, a civil war and two world wars have come and gone. In the same time there has been a French Revolution and the United States came into existence.

Likewise there may well have been a few legislative nods in the direction of the Freemasons, but compare it to what other organisations have got and it becomes very irrelevant... I refer especially to the Catholic Chruch, an organisation not exactly known for its openness and democratic intentions and far more powerful throughout the ages than most states.

I've never seen the hand signals in court and im not a member of the Freemasons so i dont know either. Dont know if the image came up for you on the thread but the point I was making about the Four Courts is that the Freemasons famous 'All Seeing Eye' is on top of the gates of the Four Courts. Here is the image

r14

Croga wrote: »

The Freemasons are a real society and have had an influence in Ireland going back 100's of years. The 3rd biggest lodge in the world is in Dublin across from the Dail. They also have lodges in a lot of towns and villages over the country. Here is their website http://www.irish-freemasons.org/ . It isnt a conspiracy. There are plenty of them, i wouldnt be surprised if they work in the legal profession just as much as any other profession.

Read Article 65 below of the Constitution of Ireland Act 1920


They have symbology all over Dublin and their famous 'All Seeing Eye' is on top of the Four Courts. Notice the Fasci underneath it too

The Government of Ireland Act, 1920 (not Constitution of Ireland Act) was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 2007, Schedule 2 so the section you quoted above no longer gives any protection to Freemasons. Methinks someone is reading a bit too much into some of the symbols at the Four Courts.

I certainly wouldn't worry about a grand conspiracy of freemasons taking over the legal system and trying to shaft their clients. And even if they do I'm sure reputable sources like rateyoursolicitor will expose them before its all too late.

siobhanx

after numerous emails to admin of the site they have removed all comments about me. I told them that I did not know who the people were that had left comments and this included positive comments also. it's not very pleaseant to see commtns about you on a website left by someone whom you have never met..... at least I can breathe a sigh of relief until somebody decides to launch another attack on me...

Reloc8

I don't know about you folk but it strikes me as preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetty strrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrange that a large piece of masonry constructed and designed rather a long time ago by a mason should have on it old and obscure (eh hang on...) traditional masonic symbols. I mean, where did he learn those ??!??? He hardly picked them up off the street now did he this mason fellow.

If only we could track the Freemasons down somehow or at least prove that they exist, perhaps by way of some kind of 'interweb' type system (www.irish-freemasons.org). Or if we could find out where they meet secretly in full public sight across the road from the Dail for instance. Then we could do something about their strange meetings, wierd rituals and commitment to a sect type organisation (ooer...*closes can of worms on his way out door*)

caramolly

hilltop wrote: »

Just wondering has anyone ever tried posting on this website? How long does it take for a posting to appear on the website?
Just find it a little strange that a positive posting I made was never put up on the site but many negative ones have gone on since.
Has anyone else noticed this or is it just me being suspicious?

Yeah that's pretty well known. I know a one man practice and something rotten (and untrue) posted about him. A few clients told him they posted positive comments about him but they never showed up! In fairness there are dodgy and fraudulent solicitors out there just like there are dodgy people in every profession but the site is extremely unfair and damaging to the business of genuine people trying to make a living. The sooner it's shut down the better imo.

J Madone

caramolly wrote: »

hilltop wrote: »

Just wondering has anyone ever tried posting on this website? How long does it take for a posting to appear on the website?
Just find it a little strange that a positive posting I made was never put up on the site but many negative ones have gone on since.
Has anyone else noticed this or is it just me being suspicious?

Yeah that's pretty well known. I know a one man practice and something rotten (and untrue) posted about him. A few clients told him they posted positive comments about him but they never showed up! In fairness there are dodgy and fraudulent solicitors out there just like there are dodgy people in every profession but the site is extremely unfair and damaging to the business of genuine people trying to make a living. The sooner it's shut down the better imo.

In my opinion it's the 95% of them that gives the 5% of them a bad name

johnnyskeleton

J Madone wrote: »

In my opinion it's the 95% of them that gives the 5% of them a bad name

so you dragged up this old thread to share your Bon mot with us?

BrianD

Solution for any ratemywhatever.com sites is to move to real name environment. You register with your full name and address and these are verified. You can then post your honest positive or negative views. Done and dusted.

gigino

Generally rate my solicitor is quite an accurate reflection of different solicitors. I looked up a dozen different law firms I knew , a dozen different solicitors, and the comments were pretty accurate. Of course some solicitors try to boost their ratings by posting positive comments about themselves ; these are usually easily spotted.

Delancey

gigino wrote: »

Generally rate my solicitor is quite an accurate reflection of different solicitors. I looked up a dozen different law firms I knew , a dozen different solicitors, and the comments were pretty accurate. Of course some solicitors try to boost their ratings by posting positive comments about themselves ; these are usually easily spotted.

I struggle to understand how you could personally determine that comments about a dozen different law firms were accurate.
Only a Cretin would attach any value to what that site says.

dats_right

Interestingly, the UK equivalent site has been shut down by the Courts. http://www.thelawyer.com/solicitors-from-hell-website-forced-offline/1010264.article

gigino

Delancey wrote: »

I struggle to understand how you could personally determine that comments about a dozen different law firms were accurate.

based on personal experiences I had with a number of the firms, and the experiences of family and friends....and the general reputation of the firms in the community.

The solicitors who want it closed down are usually the ones with the most to hide.

Victor

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1121/1224307907794.html

irishh_bob

Delancey wrote: »

I struggle to understand how you could personally determine that comments about a dozen different law firms were accurate.
Only a Cretin would attach any value to what that site says.

always amazes me how hostile some people are to the idea of allowing the plain people of ireland have thier say

ive dealt with several legal firms down the years ( for various property transactions etc ) and have posted both possitve and negative comments on that site , ive only read the comments which refer to firms i am familiar with but the vast majority of them were reflective of my own experience

madmilo

Unfortunately we the citizens of Ireland have little recourse when we employ a Solicitor, they like with our Politicians there is nothing you can do when you are unfortunate enough to place your trust in a bad one.

Through lack of regulation and the arrogance that they are a necessity, drives the believe that any action or inaction on their part in par for the course.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::eek::eek:

shaneybaby

madmilo wrote: »

Unfortunately we the citizens of Ireland have little recourse when we employ a Solicitor, they like with our Politicians there is nothing you can do when you are unfortunate enough to place your trust in a bad one.

Through lack of regulation and the arrogance that they are a necessity, drives the believe that any action or inaction on their part in par for the course.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::eek::eek:

??
Are they? you can represent yourself anywhere you like!

eveya

I cannot believe the site has been shut down! I used it to find my solicitor and the majority of the comments were bang on, and I am delighted with him and very grateful to the site.

I think you're right gigino, its the crap solicitors who want it shut down. I looked up a few cowboys that I know of and the comments and ratings were totally accurate. Tripadvisor keeps the hospitality sector in line, I think it's only right there's one for Solicitors too.

RandolphEsq

Delancey wrote: »

I struggle to understand how you could personally determine that comments about a dozen different law firms were accurate.
Only a Cretin would attach any value to what that site says.

+1 to this.

The guy who set it up clearly had a personal grudge against the profession based on his own experience, that is why such slanderous comments were allowed up on the site. It wasn't 'informative' as some people might like to say, or indicative of the actual performance of solicitors. It was justifiably shut down.

blueythebear

eveya wrote: »

I cannot believe the site has been shut down! I used it to find my solicitor and the majority of the comments were bang on, and I am delighted with him and very grateful to the site.

I think you're right gigino, its the crap solicitors who want it shut down. I looked up a few cowboys that I know of and the comments and ratings were totally accurate. Tripadvisor keeps the hospitality sector in line, I think it's only right there's one for Solicitors too.

The site is ridiculous. It's not run with any sense of impartiality whatsoever. Most of the people who write comments there are very often cranks who want to discuss their own particular case and how it was incorrectly handled, based on their extremely limited understanding of how the law works in Ireland.

People get extremely involved and anxious about court cases, and rightly so as there can be significant personal and financial issues at play. However, they tend to get extremely worked up and can't see reason or sense. When that happens and they don't get the particular result they want, they will vent on a site like Rate Your Solicitor.

The solicitor themselves can't possibly defend these allegations as it would be unprofessional to deal with complaints on a public forum and privacy issues would be at play too.

So, you hear from one side of the story only, which is a layman's view of the law which is very often, incorrect.

Blackrockcomet

eveya wrote: »

I cannot believe the site has been shut down! I used it to find my solicitor and the majority of the comments were bang on, and I am delighted with him and very grateful to the site.

I think you're right gigino, its the crap solicitors who want it shut down. I looked up a few cowboys that I know of and the comments and ratings were totally accurate. Tripadvisor keeps the hospitality sector in line, I think it's only right there's one for Solicitors too.

A tripadvisor style system would be a good idea. On tripadvisor, you can get obviously fake reviews both overly negative(written by a competitor) and clearly written by an employee removed. After that, the people who would give 5 stars for crap and the outright loonies generally cancel each other out.
Rateyoursolicitor was far removed from tripadvisor. Firstly, posters with an axe to grind posted multiple times often without having been the client of the firm. Secondly, these posts weren't removed.
Tripadvisor has caused difficulty for hotels in the past but as long as you know how to read it, it is a useful tool. I'd welcome something similar

rusty999

gigino wrote: »

based on personal experiences I had with a number of the firms, and the experiences of family and friends....and the general reputation of the firms in the community.

The solicitors who want it closed down are usually the ones with the most to hide.

That's a true statement. Apparently the very ones who took the case against ratemysolicstor have a lot to be nervous about

rusty999

RandolphEsq wrote: »

+1 to this.

The guy who set it up clearly had a personal grudge against the profession based on his own experience, that is why such slanderous comments were allowed up on the site. It wasn't 'informative' as some people might like to say, or indicative of the actual performance of solicitors. It was justifiably shut down.

Not an accurate statement above your honour !!

Dozens of the complaints were true and accurate and its a travesty for the freedom of speech in Ireland that this site is not allowed continue. The only ones who had anything to worry about on that site were solicitors who were not honest and yes there are plenty of them. Thankfully,Not all of them are that way inclined, but as in other professions there are rotten eggs and that is why they should be exposed in the interest of fairness to people who get ripped off by dishonest solicitors.
I have no doubt there will be similar alternative sites coming on stream, as people will no longer take this lying down and good luck to them.
About time !! In my opinion, if a solicitor has a clear conscience then he or she has nothing to worry abou, but its seems to be a certain few who have gotten very nervous recently. Wonder why ??

snor

Is this site gone? Can't seem to find it

Delancey

snor wrote: »

Is this site gone? Can't seem to find it

I understand it has been shut down now.

dats_right

Delancey wrote: »

I understand it has been shut down now.

Why? Was this as a result of a Court Order? If it was, I haven't heard anything about it.

RandolphEsq

rusty999 wrote: »

Not an accurate statement above your honour !!

Dozens of the complaints were true and accurate and its a travesty for the freedom of speech in Ireland that this site is not allowed continue. The only ones who had anything to worry about on that site were solicitors who were not honest and yes there are plenty of them. Thankfully,Not all of them are that way inclined, but as in other professions there are rotten eggs and that is why they should be exposed in the interest of fairness to people who get ripped off by dishonest solicitors.
I have no doubt there will be similar alternative sites coming on stream, as people will no longer take this lying down and good luck to them.
About time !! In my opinion, if a solicitor has a clear conscience then he or she has nothing to worry abou, but its seems to be a certain few who have gotten very nervous recently. Wonder why ??

I don't disagree with that, it was just that on that site there was, for the most part, negative comments. It was anonymous but in the public domain which meant it could very well be defamatory.

And from reading the host's own personal stories the impression I got from him was that he was a crank and a busybody, with a personal vendetta. Certainly not somebody who should be running a site that supposedly has fair and honest ratings of solicitors.

benway

Glad it's gone - my feeling is that the Victims of the Legal Profession Society and co. are dangerous - not to the professions, but to people who may have genuine grievances.

I certainly would never claim that there aren't some lawyers doing dirt, but the grand tin foil hat conspiracy between the legal professions, the Land Registry, the judiciary and the Courts Service has no basis whatsoever in fact.

The problem is that these guys tend to latch on to people and hype them up with their waffle, accompanying them to court, drafting pleadings and affidavits full of wild conspiracy allegations and very little of substance. Of course, this does their cause no favours - there's a large degree of ego at play within that organisation, if you ask me.