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Judge for yourself
(a.k.a. "More Reasons to Avoid FDC Liar (oops!) Law at all costs")
Name: Elaine Pitman, legal executive
Description: FILEX Grade 2
Rate: £145 / hr (£170.38 inc. VAT)
From "Replies" - i.e. a statement made by FDC Law - "The Legal Executive, Mrs Pitman, records her time meticulously. None of her time spent, and listed in Schedule 1, has been increased by any precious lack of record keeping by another fee earner" (click here)
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."
These are certainly NOT Statistics so... one of the others...
Is it perjury, contempt of court or both?
If a law firm claims for work they didn't do and knew they hadn't done, then surely the attempt to extort money they are not entitled to, is Criminal Fraud?
Their bill was SHORT on detail (23 items, one of which is the VAT, plus a single page Schedule)... but LONG on cost (£13,902.36).
So, try THIS item from the schedule....
"13.05.05 Preparing Chronology 42m" (£119.26) - click here
A lot of time for writing down 7 dates on piece of paper? In their "replies" (incurring further costs) they wrote "Whereas the chronology may be one page it's preparation involved reference to a hefty file of papers" Whatever your views the FACT is that the "Meticulous" Pitman claimed this for work when she hadn't even done it AT ALL. She revisited it a number times and always failed to spot her "mistake". The proof...
... The chronology was missing and I was forced to write and ask them for it (incurring additional costs on both sides). In a letter dated 31st May 2005 Pitman wrote in reply "We have asked Counsel to prepare the chronology and as soon as we receive it here we will forward a copy to you". which they did (according to yet another letter written by Pitman) on 6th June. Secondary proof - Counsel claimed he prepared it too. So, Pitman has at least two documents (including letters she wrote) that suggest her "meticulous" records are in fact a pile of crap. Fraud for £120? Well, by the time we add in her routine correspondence, accounting for the made-up item at least TWICE and then again in "replies" etc etc. ... this fabricated "record" probably cost £300 - £400, maybe more.
Some more examples of the "meticulous" Pitman's so-called record-keeping...
Bill - "18.05.05" Considering draft letter from Counsel 12m"
Replies - "Either the letter or the attendance note is wrongly dated" click here
Another ...
Bill - "08.04.05" Form Ex 107 (transcript request) 12m" click here
The hearing at which transcripts were ordered was not until 13th April. So.... did the "meticulous" Pitman cast a horoscope or somehow predict what was going to happen or did she in fact fabricate this so-called "record" at a later date? Actually, the saga of Pitman's handling of the "transcript issue" is a LONG one of seeming incompetence and ineptitude (is it perhaps "something else"? Is it coincidence that delays increase their costs?). I may write it up soon as it really highlights another major reason why FDC Law should be avoided... in which case click here. Suffice to say, for now, that they delayed almost two weeks after 13/04/05 and THEN re-ordered two sets of folios that had already been transcribed at public expense and THEN went on to ask the court to query the Judges Orders regarding approval. Delays, incompetence and stupidity seem to rule within FDC Liar. The delays wasted many £100's, possibly £1,000's. Pitman's incompetent double re-ordering despite the following claims...
Bill - "15.02.05 ... collection of transcripts 18m. Plus travel 2hr" (3 MONTHS earlier)
- "16.02.05 Reading transcripts 42m"
So, 2hr 18m (£391.86) acting as Britain's highest paid courier and 42m (£119.26) which she seemed to "forget" when actually placing an inept order almost 20 days after her "meticulous records" claim she did it. Delays adding greatly to the costs ultimately claimed. Wankers or Sharks? There is MORE but I'm out of time on this point.
So, what of the claim "None of her time spent, and listed in Schedule 1, has been increased by any precious lack of record keeping by another fee earner" ?
Complete and utter Bollocks! Damned AND Contemptable LIES? (It's untrue and that at least is CERTAIN)
Bill - "09.06.05" Work on file including appeal bundle 6h" £1022.25
Replies - "... Much of this time involved searching for a missing bundle: 3hr conceded..."
The "missing bundle" was in fact (once more) a matter that had been handled by the INCOMPETENT PATRICIA WAYMAN.
It appears she was happy to take up to £5,000 of the LSC's money for an appeal she LOST due to her OWN litigation misconduct (breach of the CPR) and professional misconduct (breach of Principles 17.01 and 17.03 of the Law Society Rules) and then COULDN'T BE ARSED TO FILE THE DOCUMENTS IN AN ONGOING CASE. And the "meticulous" Pitman has the Gaul to try and charge for the "incompetent" Wayman's costly failure. A LAW FIRM THAT LOOSES VITAL COURT DOCUMENTS? Who needs such GROSS incompetence or the lies and the deceit which goes with it?
Can you guess who's signature is on the certificate of accuracy for THAT bill? Yep! Patricia Wayman, Senior Partner who's conduct was described by His Honour Judge Cardinal, in Birmingham on 1st August 2005, as "Complete Incompetence". A mal-practicing woman, verifiably guilty of professional misconduct and litigation misconduct, who failed to keep proper records, failed, to provide a Rule 15 Letter, any notification her hourly rate or indication of likely costs. She had charged her client at a rate of £80/hr and then, when challenged, claimed her rates were in fact £155 and £165 hr and that her previous "estimates" (for work already done) were out by over 500%. She KNEW all along that she was not entitled to charge this and yet she LIED to the Courts. Senior Partner and so-called family specialist or the worst kind of liar you are likely to meet?
Worst of all... How could Pitman FAIL to have noticed that Wayman had not given her Client a Rule 15 letter EVER, had failed to provide notification of her hourly rate and had failed to provide any indication of costs? How could she fail to notice that the ONLY bill they had EVER issued in this case showed a rate of £80 / hr, was issued more than a year late but only scant months before Wayman's was to claim for £165/hr? There was no notification of rate, let alone change of rate and EVERYTHING in this smacked of deceit or gross incompetence. The evidence suggests deliberate fraud by Wayman with Pitman as a later accessory. It suggests that BOTH Pitman and Wayman are guilty of the common law offence of perverting the course of justice. The burden of proof of criminal matters is extremely tough and solicitors are surprisingly well protected.... but judge for yourself... do YOU really NEED to take the risk? Do you NEED to use FDC Law? Do they have to be convicted of fraud before you warn your friends about FDC Law?
Of course, solicitors delay deliberately and all of the above have knock-on costs consequences for both parties. FDC Law's favourite line is to blame the courts for everything. I have evidence to show that it is THEM and NOT the courts that are to blame for most of the delays. I suggest that either Wayward and Pitbull are so incompetent as to begger belief, or we must conclude that at £193.88 and £170.38 / hr they are "poor value for money"... unless, of course, you are convinced that they are fraudsters? Is there perhaps another explanation? The reader is judge.
Finally... how about this one... £170.38/hr for operating a photocopier? ... and a great many of the copies supplied were illegible. FOUR hours claimed for this at a total cost of £681.50.
In the end, of course, they HAD to concede this charge because it is not generally allowed under the CPR and it was clearly unreasonable. So WHY include it? Well, this and a LOT of other items they WEREN'T entitled to claim found it's way into 2 schedules and the final bill increasing costs and routine correspondence with their costs draughtsman. They then had additional "costs" in conceding it in "replies. Point is... ALL of this bumped up their final "schedule" up to £13,616.32 - and they asked for costs in this amount. The judge was flabbergasted and critical but clearly COULDN'T do this via (free) summary assessment.... So... then they have to draft and check a bill (>£550) plus routine correspondence etc... so that after dropping SOME of the unreasonable crap they have then got the total BACK up to £13,902.56 - then they have to concede some of the crap they have still left in - eg
Bill - "11/12.03.05 - Copying correspondence file - 4hr" (£681.50)
Replies - "Conceded"
Add a directions appointment and a detailed assessment (claimed £4,553.51) .... do YOU get the picture?
Ok, so now we SEE just how, and WHY... so...
IS it just myself and my ex they do this to or are FDC Law's OTHER clients happy?
A slightly modified quote from the postbag of May 2005...
Subject: Hello
"My name is Mr. Alias Undercover. I am Managing Director of Local Firm One Ltd and Local Firm Two Limited and we have 4 matters which they are currently handling for us. We are a major customer of FDC Law, but we try not to use them when we can because they are so slow. ( we reckon they still write everything with a quill !) we are considering moving our business elsewhere anyway, but ...."
I
have a MUCH longer list of local firms who visit and folks who have written and
I haven't done any real promotion ..... YET...
Legalbullies is WORKING... Let's take it a step further...
...this page the new updates (coming soon) and the whole site will (now) be promoted to local businesses... if more Clients leave FDC Law then those Clients will be better off and I will be well pleased - a Win/Win situation for all but FDC - suits me.... Ok, where do these Clients GO?
Let's take the whole thing a LOT further ...
Country Wide in fact... because other items from the postbag and other sites (check out the links page) show that this is NOT confined to FDC Law... and why stop at solicitors? ...
More than a decade ago Lord Wolf described "costs" as the biggest single problem to beset the litigation system. A decade on and still costs judges are ignoring the rules, turning ever-blind eyes to misconduct and fraud and rewarding their former friends and buddies with HUGE returns - often for work they didn't even DO! What can WE DO ABOUT IT?
... lets include JUDGES, barristers, costs draughtsman... the Law Society and the Bar Council who are supposed to regulate... in fact EVERYONE who makes a living from the law.
Check out www.legalxchange.co.uk
Find the TRUTH and share your views about Legal Professionals everywhere by private and confidential email for FREE and with almost no effort. Who's GOOD? Let's promote them. Who's BAD? Let's boycott them. Simple, safe and you can remain completely anonymous if you want to. Has "Mr Alias Undercover" found someone BETTER than FDC Law? Let's hear about it Can anyone help him in that quest? Let's at least TRY..
Endnote: I need to sort out a new scanner. When I have, each of the above points about Pitman will be backed up with REAL documents (at least, parts of real documents as I'm not allowed to show certain details). Until then, (or if you want me to send you an electronic copy of the WHOLE thing) drop me a line and I'll send you an email attachment mailto:spenser@legalbullies.co.uk
For your own peace of mind... Do NOT use this Firm...
FDC Law, Norton House, High Street, Midsomer Norton, BA3 2DF - this Firm also has offices in Frome and Paulton.
Warning...
Choosing a solicitor may be one of the most critical decisions you will make. A solicitor's greed, negligence or incompetence can leave you severely out of pocket. You may find that there is almost NO regulation and little you can do. When any other type of business "misbehaves" you can go to Trading Standards or a number of other independent Bodies... with a solicitor things are much more difficult...
For your own peace of mind... Do NOT use this Firm...
If you find it difficult to believe that a solicitor could behave like this, try the links page.
Would you like to leave feedback? Express an opinion? Send me hate mail? e-mail me spenser@legalbullies.co.uk