Hiring A Solicitor

Dumb Juan

Hi,

My wife & I are separating and will end up getting solicitors. Are we better getting two different solicitors from two different parts of the country say one in the Eastern circuit & one in South eastern circuit?

I ask just to minimise the risk of collusion between both solicitors?

Thanks.

Peregrinus

Why would you expect the solicitors to collude? And for what purpose? Serious question.

Dumb Juan

It is more a fear, in the past I have seen opposing legal sides chatting away and friendly with each other before and after cases, it gives the impression that they know each other well & for many years. This makes the pessimistic cynic in me
worry.

So would you recommend getting solicitors from different parts of the country?

Peregrinus

No, I would not. The solicitors knowing one another and having a friendly working relationship is a plus, not a minus. And it's not "collusion".

Dumb Juan

Dumb Juan wrote: »

It is more a fear, in the past I have seen opposing legal sides chatting away and friendly with each other before and after cases, it gives the impression that they know each other well & for many years. This makes the pessimistic cynic in me
worry.

So would you recommend getting solicitors from different parts of the country?

Have you thought about the logistics of hiring a solicitor in a different part of the country? In terms of travelling for appointments and court dates. Just seems to be adding complications and expenses.

copeyhagen

the nature of the profession is that they all know each other and work for each other at different times etc.

I just went through a personal injuries claim, the solicitor and senior council advised me that one day, they would be working for myself, the enxt day they could be working for the insurance company against another individual.

that's the nature of the system, you just have to trust them!

Mr. Incognito

You hire a solicitor to facilitate the process not make it adversarial.

If you want an adversarial process why hire a solicitor.

A solicitors job is to come to arrangements as smoothly as possible. In any reasonable settlement both sides must compromise. Solicitors being friendly facilitates this. That friendly relationship is called respect as the solicitors who get on the best are the ones who have had a proper ding dong in the past and respect each other's abilities.