Solicitor ignoring me

I spoke with a solicitor about 2 weeks ago and followed her initial advice. Regrettably there was no response from ex so I have phoned and emailed her asking her to proceed and put things in writing to him but after 7 emails and two calls, all are being ignored. My issue is time sensitive and I am at a loss why she cannot even respond to confirm that she does not want the case. So unprofessional it beggars belief. Questions were asked about funding her fees. This is not a problem and I offered a deposit upfront.

If you aren''t impressed, and time is of the essence, then perhaps you will need to consider looking for a more efficient solicitor.

There could be any number of reasons why you haven''t had any reply - you could always ask to speak with the practice manager or senior partner to try to resolve the issue.

Just after I made contact with another firm I received an email from the secretary of the solicitor I had initially consulted saying she had some dictation covering my case and it would be forthcoming today. It did. Not too encouraging but a response at last which is progress.

Good solicitors are usually busy but a failure to acknowledge - particularly if you have been chasing - is not a great sign.

One thing that is worthy of mention in relation to emails. They often get printed out and are dealt with as is the post. Do not expect it to be answered straight away. A solicitor might have 150 clients and it would be overwhelming to respond instantly to every email not just to clients but to the opposition on each case, the courts, experts, third parties etc.

The solicitor should have told you when to expect a reply but next time you will know to ask. When they say, expect a response within a week or so, you should say that you will put it in your diary for a week and contact their secretary to confirm the status on that day.

Charles