mufc1959 wrote:I can understand people turning to McKenzie Friends for help - there's virtually no legal aid any more and there's a general perception that solicitors are outrageously expensive and do nothing for you anyway - so why not use the equivalent of a bloke down the pub who only charges half of what you'd pay for proper, regulated legal advice?
Not disagreeing with your general point, but I think you present a false dichotomy above. The recent proposals to outlaw fee-charging have slightly torpedoed this, but I had for a while been pondering taking early retirement and doing a bit of MF work.
I am an experienced, senior and qualified professional. Let's say I am the Principal Planning Officer for the Smethwick National Park, or a Senior HR Manager with the East Dorset NHS Trust. I've been in this field for 30yrs, my reputation and abilities are well-established. Obviously I am neither, but they will do for general comparison. I am organised and effective in representation before hearings, tribunals and courts. I understand documents, bundles, indices etc. I am smart, punctual and precise, but pleasant and personable too.
My feeling is that someone like this could be a great help to many forced LiP's (people who would previously have gratefully used legal aid, but must now pay for their legal representation). Not by pretending to be a lawyer, but by supporting them to marshal their arguments in a coherent way, and by accompanying them through the terrifying, alien environment of the courtroom.
For example, the unfortunate victims of Helen Gardiner (
http://www.expertinalllegalmatters.com/possession-order). We might hope that they can afford a real lawyer to defend this application, or perhaps that their mortgage lender will assist them. Their defence is strong and straightforward, it only needs preparation and presentation. But in reality they may not have two crusts to rub together, and they may be very anxious about representing themselves. I concede absolutely that representation by a proper lawyer is the best solution, but if they cannot afford this then support from a responsible, capable MF must surely be better than nothing at all.
Finally, as a general point - I know that the legal profession is increasingly trying to offer pocket-friendly options via Paralegal, ILEX & Litigator roles. This seems to me to be the best option for the profession - if the market segment for fee-charging MF's is contested by auxiliary representatives of real, regulated firms, most buyers will opt for the latter. Police have their PCSO's, Teachers have their classroom assistants and Doctors have their specialist prescribing nurses. UK solicitors need to mark out a credible 'Value Range' paralegal product, regulated and registered to provide basic advocacy under supervision.
(Sorry mods and members, gone waaay off topic there. But access to justice is a sincere passion for me, I find it utterly shocking that parents who face losing their children are now expected to LiP, for example. If I was in charge, the Legal Aid budget would be reinstated and proper lawyers could again earn a proper living).