Friday, September 09, 2011

The Law Society from Hell : Scots face decade of closed shop, low quality & high cost crooked lawyers as solicitors demand access to justice monopoly

law-in-scotlandAs predicted, Law Society of Scotland’s ‘one profession’ conference result : More client rip-offs on the way. ANOTHER DECADE OF LEGAL RIP-OFFS via poor regulation, consistently poor quality legal services, the worst levels of access to justice in the entire UK & the lowest possible form of consumer protection when things go wrong between clients & solicitors, is on the way for unsuspecting & unwary consumers of legal services in Scotland, according to the Law Society of Scotland ‘new strategy’ for the next decade up to 2020, published earlier this week as a result of the society’s annual conference : “Law in Scotland- One Profession”.

According to the Law Society’s Press Release following its annual conference, the society stated its new strategic aim as 'to lead and support a successful and respected Scottish legal profession' in its 'Towards 2020' strategy document and has set out five principal objectives against which it will assess and measure its performance over the coming years.

The latest ‘key objectives’ announced, which remain unachievable even after SIXTY YEARS of the Law Society of Scotland’s existence, are :

Excellent solicitor professionalism and reputation (Ignoring huge levels of fraud & theft involving clients funds, legal aid fraud, involvement in organised crime, tax fraud, criminality, etc is on the rise within the profession)

Law Society of Scotland members are trusted advisers of choice (Trust a member of the Law Society of Scotland, kiss goodbye to your life as you knew it before legal difficulties, home repossession, faltering finances, personal bankruptcy & family break up all set in as a result of clients misplaced trust)

Law Society of Scotland members are economically active and sustainable (Economically active enough to inflate fee notes & play clients along for years, charging for work which in most cases never leads to a solution to the client’s legal problems)

The Law Society of Scotland is the professional body and regulator of choice (Another decade of corrupt regulation of complaints against crooked lawyers where solicitors cover up for their colleagues)

The Law Society of Scotland is a high performing organisation (High performing for solicitors, non performing for clients)

The 4m Crooked Lawyer - Daily Record 1991The Law Society of Scotland’s vision for next 10 years - we should expect more multi-million pound crooked lawyers. The now familiar annual claims from the Law Society of Scotland cut little truth in terms of reality, as the levels of frauds committed by crooked lawyers against their clients are significantly on the rise in Scotland, doubtless due to the recession & general downturn in business which has brought about many new creative ways by law firms to rip off clients, including use of Scotland’s Sheriff Courts to pursue clients for alleged fees due for non existent work on court cases which commonly never see a court room or a legal remedy.

Cameron RitchieLaw Society President Cameron Ritchie. Commenting on the Law Society’s desire to remain in charge of exactly who in Scotland it decides should have access to justice, the Society's current president, Cameron Ritchie, said: "The pace of change for the legal profession, like others, has been tremendous in recent years and of course there has been the additional challenge of the economic downturn. It's vital for any successful organisation to take time to step back from the day to day operations and look at where we are headed. We must plan what our key priorities should be and how we can best anticipate future opportunities and challenges in order to properly support the profession, which in turn helps our members better serve their own clients, now and into the future."

The Law Society further stated that a review of its work was initiated by its Council and the final strategy, approved by Council members last month, has had input from groups of members, faculties and firms, as well as senior management and staff at the Society. The Council has considered economic, social and political change which is likely to impact the legal sector and the opportunities these change could bring in addition to any challenges for members.

The statement did not make any mention the Council of the Law Society of Scotland was branded “fundamentally dishonest at its core” by a now former Council Member, John McGovern who, it is claimed “has been critical of the Society's policy on ABS, and has campaigned against the dual functions of representation and regulation being vested in the Society, amongst other issues.”.

Law Society President Cameron Ritchie again : "The outlook for the next few years remains challenging and we know that solicitors will continue to feel the effects of a tough economic climate. Social change will also impact on our members as consumers of legal services become increasingly well informed and will seek the best and most cost effective services available to them. This makes reputation and quality assurance for solicitors and their firms even more important. As a professional body, it will be our role to promote a deeper understanding of the solicitor brand to the public.

Mr Ritchie said the Law Society was now looking to bring in more female solicitors into the profession. he continued : "The legal sector itself is changing and we are seeing a younger profession with the gender balance swinging towards females. There are also pressures on some specific areas of legal practice, such as the criminal bar, and a growing number of 'employed status' solicitors."

Fergus Ewing Scottish ParliamentFergus Ewing, Communities Minister in 2010 was made a laughing stock after Law Society forced him to announce major pro-lawyer changes to a wider-consumer-choice-in-legal-services law. The Law Society also praised the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010, (a much watered down out version of the UK Legal Services Act 2007) which took the SNP Scottish Government three years longer than Westminster MPs to consider, and was only passed after the Law Society heavily amended its intentions, at one point turning Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing into a shrivelled-up laughing stock after Mr Ewing was forced by the Law Society to withdraw major parts of the reforming legislation which had intended to put consumers in charge of their own access to justice although not to the same degree as consumers in England & Wales enjoy. Such were the amendments ordered by the Law Society to the Scottish Government’s legal services bill, the latest timetable from the Scottish Government has indicated that alternative business structures are unlikely to become a reality until at least summer 2012.

An earlier article reporting on how the Legal Services (Scotland) Act was passed, is here : 'Choice' but not as we know it : Legal Services Bill passed, Scots access to justice remains mostly under Law Society's control and the chequered history of the Legal Services Bill at the Scottish Parliament can be read here : Legal Services Bill for Scotland, giving consumers no access to justice.

More examples of how the then Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing danced to the tune of the Law Society of Scotland & its members, can be found HERE, HERE, & HERE.

Law Society President Cameron Ritchie added: "In addition to this we also have to be aware of the political context in which we work and the changes coming down the track which will affect the profession. Given the cross party support for the Scotland bill we can predict further devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament and we know there is strong political will to see reforms proposed by Lord Gill introduced. We await the outcomes of the ongoing reviews by Lord Carloway and Lord McCluskey. Within such a period of change, we want everyone, whether they are a solicitor or member of the public, to be able to understand our organisation's purpose and vision for the next five to 10 years."

The Scots public do not need to wait to understand the Law Society of Scotland’s purpose & vision for the next ten years, as the last two decades of record levels of client fraud & corruption within the Scottish legal profession, held together by the Law Society and its persistent crop of leaders who ensure the legal profession’s vested interests come before consumers, serve as warning from the past the same will continue until fully independent regulation of legal services is a reality, and anti-consumer closed shop institutions such as the Law Society of Scotland are consigned to the dustbin if history.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like the headline!
Law Society from Hell!
This is exactly where it comes from!

Anonymous said...

Back on Planet Earth the Scottish Public are acquainted with the harsh realities imposed by the Law Society's monopoly and the conspicuous conflict of interest which exists when it claims to represent the best interests of both the Profession..........(and the punters).

Anonymous said...

even as a solicitor I always felt the LSoS was the work of the devil...

Anonymous said...

Disturbing.Ritchie sounds like he actually believes what he is saying.
Maybe they should start doing their PR's with a video so we can have a laugh.

Anonymous said...

So,nothing changes then!

As you said before the best way to avoid getting ripped off by a lawyer is to stay the hell away from them!

Anonymous said...

All this background information you have on how these laws were written and messed about with to give lawyers the advantage is a gold mine Peter.
Carry on!

Anonymous said...

and I'm willing to bet MacAskill will be the Justice Secretary for the next 10 years courtesy of Mr Salmond et all

Anonymous said...

Within such a period of change, we want everyone, whether they are a solicitor or member of the public, to be able to understand our organisation's purpose and vision for the next five to 10 years.

We know exactly what the purpose of the Law Society of Scotland is

TO ALLOW CROOKED LAWYERS TO ESCAPE CRIMINAL PUNISHMENT FOR THEIR CRIMES AGAINST THE REST OF US

Anonymous said...

Well they sure made an arse of Fergus didnt they?

When is it MacAskill's turn?

Anonymous said...

A network of evil.

Anonymous said...

Testimonials Solicitors From Hell

Rick Kordowski would like to thank everyone who has contacted him with their kind comments. A small selection:

"We suffered from very incompetent solicitors. The Solicitors Complaints Bureau, like all such bodies, was useless. I just want to congratulate you on your site and hope it continues".
Dr W

"Just would like to say I thank you for your website. The solicitor who has caused me all the problems now knows he is on your website. We are now in discussions with a new solicitor to reclaim the monies which he took/lost me. The solicitors have called a meeting which proves SFH is working. With great thanks".
Ms C.

"With past experiences I realised that once a solicitor had you over, there was not really much you could do about it, but you and your website have changed that.
Keep up the good work - the public need you".
Mr B.

"After seeing my complaint on this website. My solicitor decided to make the refund I was waiting ages for. Therefore please remove my posting with immediate effect and thank you I am so grateful".
Mrs H.

"I just wanted to say what a great website this is. It's amazing how powerless we feel when we're on the receiving end of poor service from the legal profession, it's refreshing to see the opportunity to strike back with people-power".
Mr C.

"I hope your website gets as well known and widely used as it deserves to be. I have to say that after my two years in a legal tussel with my solicitor I've realised we are powerless and there is no justice. I am ashamed to be a lawyer myself. Your site should give comfort to many - as it did to me. Keep it up".
Mrs E.

"I believe that you perform a very valuable service to the ordinary bloke and woman who have no other hope of publicising their distress.
The consolation of having others aware of one's mistreatment with the solicitor being publicly exposed is probably more than can be expressed.
I wish you a fair wind and all the best for the future".
Mr H.

WHERE NO LAWYERS ARE CORRUPT ALL ARE CORRUPT. END SELF REGULATION AND FIGHT THE CLOSURE OF DISSIDENT WEBSITES, THIS IS THE UNITED KINGDOM NOT NAZI GERMANY.

Anonymous said...

Just the usual rubbish from the Law Society so nothing really to worry about.Anyway if they cant do it in 60 years they are never going to achieve it now.

Anonymous said...

When did the public ever vote for a gang of lawyers in their own lobby group to represent the "public interest"?

Clearly whatever law allowed this hasnt caught up with the 21st century..

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

even as a solicitor I always felt the LSoS was the work of the devil...

I agree evil incarnate. A union of the same minds evil.

Anonymous said...

I believe the Law Societies are as evil as the Nazi's. It is a good job they do not have an army of Brownshirts. Never trust them or the SLCC.

LAW SOCIETY LIARS said...

The Law Societies must really believe all clients are liars because they want web sites closed down. Why because people will avoid firms named on these sites.

Where none are guilty, by default all are guilty. And when all are guilty it is impossible to identify culprits.

Treat lawyers like rattlesnakes and stay well clear.

The Law Society from Hell, brilliant name Peter for a new web site. We owe you a great debt.

Anonymous said...

Another 10 years of this?
Where is that supposed Scots courage to overthrow these crooks?

Anonymous said...

"The first lesson of civilisation is that of obedience," and he speaks of "the two states of the inclinations... one the desire to exercise power over others; the other...disinclination to have power exercised over themselves" John Stuart Mill from Hannah Arendt's book On Violence ISBN 978-0-15-669500-8, p39.

A summary of the Law Societies, SLCC, SRA who are against that fundamental principle of freedom, freedom of expression and speech. This is why they want web sites closed because they are so anti client they are not fit to be a judiciary.

CRUST LAW SOCIETY POWER said...

Lawyers go visit your psychiatrists to adjust your closed minds to the fact clients are not going to keep taking S++t from you.

Closing web sites, never, close the Law Society. You hate your incomes at risk but this is because of the way you treat clients, (the causal link is there all over the internet,) and not just in the UK.

Clients are not here to be abused, the sooner you swallow this medicine (which no doubt revolts you) the better for the whole profession. The peasants you look down your noses at are revolting against lawyer tyranny. The web sites are our mechanism for fighting you. If you fought so hard for ruined clients by kicking crooked lawyers permantly out of the profession you would not be getting the backlash you have now.

Only the public through the net can regulate lawyers, and we will. You have a private space for judging (and mostly exonerating your own) we have a public space for exposing the truth. The day is coming when Lawyer X's clients will form networks against individual lawyers and firms and drive them to the Job Centre where they can get jobs as van drivers or in supermarked checkouts. The crooks will be driven out, lose their power and money.

You want to shut web-sites because they are stopping people going through law firms doors. Wonderful, what I would call Poetic Justice.

The web sites are creating cracks in your power structure by bypassing the Law society. Clients regulating you is destroying your foundation called self regulation. Not nice being at the sharp end of your ruthless ways. SHUT THE LAW SOCIETY, ONLY CLIENTS CAN CLEAN UP LAWYER CONDUCT.

Anonymous said...

To Rick, Peter, bentJudges.com and all of the others

"We believe that you perform a very valuable service to the ordinary bloke and woman who have no other hope of publicising their distress.

"No other hope of publicising their distress". YES EXACTLY NO HOPE BECAUSE THE LAW SOCIETY HATE CLIENTS, THE WEB SITES ARE MANIFESTATIONS OF THAT FACT. THE WHOLE SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN WHEN ONE OF THESE LAWYER GODS IS CORRUPT, THAT IS WHY THEY ARE CORRUPT.

LAW SOCIETY AUTOCRACY MUST BE CRUSHED BY CLIENTS DOING THE REGULATING. NEGATIVE FEEDBACK WILL PUT LAWYERS OUT OF BUSINESS AND THEY CANNOT STAND IT, HENCE THEIR STANCE AGAINST FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. SEND CORRUPT LAWYERS TO THE JOB CENTRE PERMANENTLY.

THEY HAVE NO COMPUNCTION ABOUT CLIENTS LIVES BEING RUINED, HAVE A SPOONFUL OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE LAWYERS. WE WILL FIGHT LAWYER CORRUPTION TILL OUR LAST BREATHS.

Anonymous said...

Doubtless we will be treated to another onslaught of "lawyers are really a great bunch of people" in Monday's law society propaganda section of the rags..