the official solicitor - plymouth highbury trust · 2017. 4. 28. · solicitor help? the official...
TRANSCRIPT
The Official Solicitor
And how he can help you...
Who is the Official
Solicitor?
Alastair Pitblado is the Official
Solicitor to the Senior Courts.
His job is to make decisions
for people who do not have
the mental capacity to
represent themselves or
instruct a solicitor in civil and
family court cases. He will
usually ask a firm of Solicitors
to help him with the case. He
will arrange Solicitors to
attend court for you where
necessary.
What is mental capacity?
Having mental capacity
means being able to make
your own decision about
something.
Why the Official Solicitor
becomes involved in a case.
The Official Solicitor agrees to
act either because you are
under the age of 18...
...or because the court does
not think that you can make
decisions about your court
case. Legal matters can be
difficult to understand and
very stressful. The Official
Solicitor is here to look after
your interests and he will
usually ask a Solicitor to help
you.
How will the Official
Solicitor help?
The Official Solicitor makes
decisions such as whether to
start a court case or fight it, or
agree what to do next.
The Official Solicitor also has
assistants who help him to
deal with every case. These
assistants are called Case
Managers. The Case
Manager looking after your
case will let you know the
details of the Solicitors they
have asked to help them with
the court case.
The Official Solicitor can only
make decisions about what is
happening in the court case.
The Official Solicitor cannot
make any other decisions for
you.
Case
Manager
Who can I speak to about
this case?
If a Solicitor is appointed your
Solicitor should be the first
person you contact.
You can also speak directly to
your Case Manager.
Your Case Manager is:
.......................................................
.......................................................
They can be contacted on:
: ..........................................
Solicitor
Will I be asked my views?
Shortly after he agrees to
help, the Official Solicitor will
usually ask a firm of Solicitors
to be his Solicitors and help
him with the case. These will
be either the Solicitors you
have already met...
...or new Solicitors arranged
by the Case manager. The
Solicitors, or a senior Solicitor
within the firm, should be very
experienced in dealing with
court cases like yours.
Solicitor
The Solicitor may visit you
and will also either write to
you or telephone you and
attend court hearings.
They will report what is
happening to your Case
Manager.
The Solicitor involved in
your case is:
.......................................................
Of: ...............................................
.......................................................
They can be contacted on:
: .........................................
Fees and Charges
In most cases, when the
Official Solicitor acts for
someone, he asks outside
Solicitors to help and so he
does not charge you any
money.
However, when the Official
Solicitor does all the legal
work himself, or if he cannot
get legal aid but still asks
Solicitors to help, he or those
Solicitors will expect to be
paid for the work they have
done. We will write to you
separately with further details
if this applies in your case.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with the
way your case is managed
you should first speak to the
external Solicitor, or to your
Case Manager.
X
If you are still unhappy you
can write to the:
Complaints Officer
Official Solicitor’s Office
Victory House
30-34 Kingsway
London WC2B 6EX
For Further Information Please Contact:
Official Solicitor
Victory House
30-34 Kingsway
London WC2B 6EX
DX 141423
Bloomsbury 7
Your Case Manager’s name is: ................................................................
Their direct line number is: ..............................................................
Fax: 0203 681 2762
Web: www.justice.gov.uk
All pictures copyright CHANGE 2008 www.changepeople.org