Specialist Solicitor in Scotland

[numbtothecore]

Anyone have the names of specialist solicitors in Scotland please?

[fighter]

Hi,

I dont know any specialist in Scotland, but maybe you could be more specific as to which area or county, so that some members can give you a specialist in your area. Please be patient to wait for some senior members. If you are privately funded, Chris Saltrese works nationally and you can look at their website. He is highly recommended by the forum members.


http://www.chrissaltrese.co.uk/

[Faith]

I believe members Lawlessone, Izzy and maybe Felix are from Scotland. I'll Pm them and see if they can help you out.

[numbtothecore]

Thank you

We are in the Stirling area. Thanks for your replies, its nice to know we're not alone.

[fighter]

yes, numbtothecore, you are not alone in this. the only thing is scotland has a different process to English and Wales area in terms of this situation. However, it is good that we have few members from Scotland as Faith has mentioned and you can read their thread to get a more specific understanding of the process in Scotland and how they deal with it, or else you will be a bit confused with most threads saying they are waiting for a decision being charged and waiting a long time for court :-). Hope you are having a better day. Take care.

[Izzy]

Hi, you are certainly not alone in this and the forum has been a god send to me.

In the aftermath of my Son's FA, I felt we had no option but to seek legal advice.
The Solicitor we saw said that in the current political climate cases that a few years ago would have gone in the bin were treated ' like a hot potato '
A report has been sent to the PF and now we are playing the waiting game, which is hard.
We were advised there was nothing we could do until we hear back.
If it does go any further I wouldn't use the Solicitor we saw, so I wouldn't recommend him to you.
I haven't contacted this organisation but I think I might to get some advice if things go further http://www.false-allegations.org.uk/faso-help.html

If any of the mods don't think thats a good link please feel free to edit.
I'd hate to give anyone bad advice.

Take care,
Izzy x

[numbtothecore]

Thanks

Hi Izzy

Thanks for the support. I tried that link but it mainly for people who been accused of abuse. There is a link to Uk mens aid, but it is a very angry site, very anti feminism. Not going there I don't think! Isn't it shocking how there is no support out there? When all this is over I am going to do something, not sure what yet... campaign, petition don't know.. something!

Thanks again, give your son a hug from me

Sx

[Izzy]

Hi, I'm sorry you didn't find it any good. I read ( somewhere else ) that the help line might offer advice on finding a specialist Solicitor for this kind of cases.

Your right though there is no support, advice, I would also like to change that.

I'm pretty new here so hopefully someone with more experience will come along and be able to offer some better advice.

Izzy x

[lawlessone2009]

I received a PM from Faith...

Okay, solicitors in Stirling... I have Ayrshire, Glasgow & Edinburgh which might be too far although Stirling isn't that far out. Seems that Stirling is full of estate agents rather than criminals...

I'm listing a couple however:

http://www.stirlingsolicitors.com/browse.php?role_id=2

I can't recommend any of them! They dip their hands into criminal law but seem more interested in flogging houses. Would you consider a solicitor from outside the area?

You will ultimately end up in High Court so will be appointed an Advocate. Take a note of their name when your solicitor mentions it and then check them out:

http://www.blackchambers.co.uk/index.php/advocates/

The legal aid works in strange ways (if you're using it!). You will be granted legal aid for a solicitor without too much issue. You will need to ensure that they keep track of the case and let you know when, and IF, the legal aid board free up the budget to allow for the instruction of an Advocate. This gives you a clear indication of whether the prosecution are preparing to go ahead with the case. This generally happens within the first few months (3-4). This is where I am at. My solicitor indicates that it's good practice to introduce you to your Advocate early and this is my general belief regardless.

It will generally be a junior Advocate. They have areas of specialism and most list a few cases they've been involved in. If you can't find what you're looking for then Google their name and you'll find out more info on them and some results from trials. I suppose this info will not really be of use until there is to be a trial but it is here for reference in case I 'disappear'. You could always enquire as to which Advocate your solicitor is likely to use and if they seem vague then it's a hint in the right direction (out the door to a different solicitor).

PS: Paying an Advocate will bankrupt you! Talking around a min of £150 an hour rising to around £250 an hour... A solicitor will not represent you in High Court without one so if you combine the fees.......... You also can't simply instruct an Advocate................

Argh........

[Faith]

Great stuff from both lawlessone and Izzy there.
FASO and PAFAA are fantastic links for general support.
As for solicitors, you may have to 'shop' around your local area.
I personally am using one who is 2 and a half hour train journey away. Sometimes it's worth exploring elsewhere to get the best representation

Take care. You are right that the system is very unbalanced. There is very little support out there for the falsely accused.

[numbtothecore]

stirling

Yes it is a fairly wealthy city, lots of nice houses for sale, nobody buying any of course!

We have a solicitor who was at the court when he was released, and who told us that he had been, his dad and I were sitting like lemons in the court/Jeremy Kyle waiting room. No one told us he had been released.

I will go anywhere and do anything to get this sorted. I will try and speak to someone I know locally and ask his advice.

Thanks

[Rights Fighter]

I've known Chris Saltrese assist people in Scotland but he only takes on privately paid trial cases. With the Legal Aid contract he has he can do appeals on public funding if the client is eligible.

[Izzy]

Probably silly questions..

Just wondered how it would all work with the difference in Scotland/England law.
Also would the distance be a problem for meetings etc.
As I said probably silly questions but I'm not sure how it all works.

[Rights Fighter]

I know that Chris has helped people in Scotland and NI as sometimes I have rung the office I've been told that he's gone there for a meeting .............

.

[RFLH]

have you had personal experience of these solicitors?