Thursday, September 27, 2007

Looking for free legal advice?


When people are going through separation and divorce they can react in panic and seek advice from where ever they can get it. A lot of people consider that they need professional advice but want to receive it for free. Why? Does getting free advice mean that you can rely on it?

We outline a lot of the procedure for obtaining a divorce on our website but people frequently ring and are keen to tell us the facts of their case and seek an immediate answer. Our receptionist took a call recently and there was no solicitor available. The caller asked the receptionist to give her opinion on the caller's situation!!!!! The receptionist refused saying that she was not qualified to do so and the caller insisted, stating that the receptionist must have picked up some idea of divorce law given where she worked. This sums up the ethos of free advice. If it is free it is potentially worthless.

Most people I meet at one time or other ask me for free advice on some aspect of their personal situation. The people I know least well are the cheekiest. I now carry a stack of cards and hand them out. I do help people I know, my gardener, my plumber, my mortgage broker - but I draw the line at a photographer who took my picture once, calling me at 8.30pm on my mobile to ask for a full analysis of his brother in law's case! Wonder what he would say if I got my sister to ring him and ask for a free photo session?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Lynne,

Not all free advice is worthless. I have relied for some time on the free expert services provided here:

http://www.4degreez.com/misc/advice_index.html

Apart from one minor hiccup in 1995, it's been great.

Are you still wearing those sexy Miss Jones glasses?

Regards
Nick Leeson

Anonymous said...

Thank you Anonymous,

You are quite right - not all free advice is useless. Here is some for you:
1. Stop pretending to be someone you are not.
2. Stop smoking.
3. Stop biting your nails.
4. Stop living off your girlfriend.
5. Go on a diet.
6. Do some exercise.
7. Get a job.
8. Stop reading my blog.
Only if you do all of the above will you start to feel better about yourself!!

marty said...

I've been divorced for 18 years, 3 years ago I decided to go back to my maiden name. I went to the Social Security office, DMV and changed it, I also changed my employment records, bank records everything. I now am trying to refinance on my home and wanted to change the deed to my maiden name, but they are telling me that I have to go thru the courts to do so as my divorce decree does not state that I could revert to my maiden name. Do I really need to do this? I've already done all the leg work and don't see a need, but will if I must. By the way I live in Texas.

Anonymous said...

Hi Marty,

The rules in the States may be different, in England your Decree Absolute and birth certificate should suffice and changing your name on your passport should solve it. Some banks are particularly awkward and demand a name change deed - but that is their internal procedure not the law!!!