Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Alternatives to a Solicitor That Could Save You ££££
Reading Time: 4 minutesWe’re all about bringing you expert information about all things money. That’s why we invited Amanda Hamilton, Chief Executive of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals, to tell us how you can save money when you’ve got a legal issue to sort out by using alternatives to a solicitor.
- How Much Do Solicitors Charge?
- Do You Have to Use a Solicitor?
- Who Are Mediators?
- What Is a McKenzie Friend?
- What Do Paralegals Do?
- Are McKenzie Friends and Paralegals Regulated?
- More Ways to Save Money with Legal Issues
How Much Do Solicitors Charge?
If you have a legal problem, the first and instinctive thing that enters your head is ‘I need help’ and the first person that springs to mind for such help, is a solicitor. However, the cost of using a solicitor can be financially prohibitive and not within the reach of most pockets.
Solicitors charge fees of anywhere between £150 per hour to £600 + per hour. They can even charge you £500 for writing a letter on your behalf. But don’t despair! A large percentage of legal matters can be dealt with by non-solicitors. These days there are alternatives to consider such as employing the services of a mediator, a McKenzie Friend or a paralegal.
Do You Have to Use a Solicitor?
The Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation by Professor Stephen Mayson, recently stated that a survey of statutorily regulated lawyers (solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives) confirmed that only 20% of the work they do falls within the remit of reserved legal activities. That means 80% of the work they do isn’t the type of stuff that’s reserved for solicitors, barristers and legal executives.
So, if you need a legal helping hand, but the work doesn’t have to be done by a solicitor, you could save yourself a lot of money by using the alternatives to a solicitor.
What are Mediators?
Of course, it does depend on the legal issue. But, in many cases, finding a mediator will help you and your opponent to resolve the issues you have, and is far less costly than instructing a solicitor. Mediators are trained to help and guide the parties to understand and focus on the main issues in order to find a satisfactory solution acceptable to both parties.
Even if your legal issue means taking someone to court, or defending a claim against you, you can do this yourself if it is a relatively small civil claim. To assist you, you can use the services of either a paralegal practitioner or McKenzie friend.
What Is a McKenzie Friend?
A McKenzie friend is usually a person who will accompany you to court if you are attending as a litigant in person (LIP). Because you are not represented by a solicitor or barrister, a McKenzie friend can give advice and support. More often than not, they have no legal qualifications but will have experience of court matters. They can be either family members or friends accompanying you to court for moral support, or volunteers from charitable organisations. Quite often, McKenzie Friends do not charge fees, but it is currently a growing trend for them to charge a small amount to assist you in this way.
Apart from offering you moral support, McKenzie Friends can also take notes during any court proceedings, and give advice and help on completing court forms and the court process.
What Do Paralegals Do?
A paralegal practitioner is distinguished from a McKenzie friend since they usually will have a legal or paralegal qualification and may have a Licence to Practise. Therefore, there is often a fee to pay but not as excessive as that of a solicitor. On the whole, the fees that paralegals charge are anywhere between £40 – £80 per hour. Or sometimes it’s a fixed fee for carrying out a specific task.
The kind of cases that you can call upon a paralegal to assist you with are varied and cover a broad spectrum. In fact, a paralegal practitioner can assist with most cases that a solicitor can as long as they do not perform any ‘Reserved Activities’. These activities are solely for solicitors, and in some cases barristers, to perform, and include having an automatic ‘right of audience’.
This means that solicitors and barristers have an automatic right to represent clients in court and speak on their behalf. This right is not granted to paralegals or McKenzie friends. However, in some instances, the Judge in a particular court case can grant such a right, at their discretion. The Judge does this only if they are satisfied in the competency of the paralegal/McKenzie friend and believe it in the best interests of justice to grant the right.
Paralegals are not able to act on your behalf to sell or purchase property or land unless they are Licensed through the CLC (Council for Licensed Conveyancers). They also can’t offer immigration advice unless they are registered with the OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner).
Are McKenzie Friends and Paralegals Regulated?
Paralegals and McKenzie Friends are not regulated in the same way as solicitors and barristers. This means that anyone can refer to themselves as one. However, there are organisations that are voluntary regulators such as NALP (National Association of Licensed Paralegals) or The Society of Professional McKenzie Friends, that have strict codes of conduct that members must follow. If choosing to use a paralegal or McKenzie friend it is always advisable to ensure they are members of such a body.
For further information on alternatives to using a solicitor please go to the Legal Choices website: https://www.legalchoices.org.uk
More Ways to Save Money on Legal Issues
Finding alternatives to a solicitor is just one way you can handle legal issues without spending a lot of money. Taking steps to do the legwork yourself also reduces your legal bills, such as in Child Maintenance disputes. These articles will show you how:
- Is a DIY Divorce for You?
- 10 Tips for Saving Money in a Divorce
- How to Handle Unpaid Child Maintenance
- Eviction Rights for Tenants and Landlords
My one experience of using a solicitor was quite bad, so some good advice here.