Sara is unfortunately right about this. Your situation is highly fact- and document-specific. But I would say from 50 years of advising on similar situations that to obtain a specialist opinion now on “where you stand and what you might have to do when”, which I understand is your immediate concern, is not only a vital starting point but may alleviate your concerns for the time being. And you are right not to put that off. Of course you like everyone may see cost as a deterrent but to put that into perspective I doubt it will cost more than a new sofa. Naturally you will want to be confident that you end up thinking it as equally worthwhile investment.
This private client area of the law is advised on by competent practitioners who will be local and better value for money than in the big cities and personal chemistry is an important ingredient, though not critical. They will be used to dealing with real human beings and not corporate executives. Many of my clients valued my advice despite my [entirely deliberate] lack of a bedside manner. I believed in providing the right answers to the right questions without being cuddly. Other lawyers were available. The good news these days is that starting with your local area you can get to third base very quickly by researching firms locally via their websites, often plus mugshots and CVs. All decent organisations have them and will discuss their likely suitability for you and their costs, ahead of your committing to them and so you can compare with alternatives. I did not have a website as I am an analogue dinosaur but even I would have had to capitulate if I were in practice now, if only to discourage potential clients for whom, given my sense of humour and regarding a spade as a shovel, I would not be suitable. Don’t worry; they will all b nicer than I.
The following will give you the gist! I would have toned it down (a bit) for my website!
Jack Harper & Co# Rules of Engagement
Dedicated to the pursuit of the impossible on behalf of the unreasonable within the timescale of the ludicrous.
1 We do not do:
a) Deadlines;
b) Response Time (you need to call the Fire Brigade);
c) User-friendly;
d) Targets or Milestones;
e) “Do you know who I am?” (No. If you don’t know who you are, how can we? You should ask the Duty Psychiatric Registrar or Matron); and
f) “Have you done it yet? . (No matter how indirectly or politely you frame ths question).The answer is always “No” (unless you have received it, whatever “it” is)
2 We do offer a fixed fee service but the fee is always £1 million. We can provide a time “breakdown” (suspected code for “can’t pay won’t pay”) but not a video from CCTV of the work actually being done.The relationship works best if we just send bills and you pay; and we do not negotiate with terrorists.
3 We are rarely if ever immediately available. If you telephone, you stop us doing our work. It might even be yours that’s being done.
4 We do not go on courses, so we do not appreciate or practise the management psychobabble, wokery and paranoia that is taught on them.
5 We do not operate a clear desk policy, simply waiting for your call, and we do not pretend that we do (see rules 4 and 6)
6 You are not our only client; we have lots of clients, which is why we are so good. We can do anything next but we cannot do everything next.
7 Clients with poor fiscal hygiene must be in a 12-step programme and in recovery.
8 Our profoundly favoured method of dispute resolution is physical violence.
9 You may need to do what people did BT (Before Thatcher) as set out in detail in capitals below.
10 We just love Australians (“G’day, mate. Issues, runs on the board, winning your Guernsey, ducks in a row”). But they must not be shonky and no Dogbreath Valley Bin 666 Shiraz, thank you (we prefer wine).
11 We regard Queue-Jumping (together with Copyright, Data Protection, Health and Safety, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Risk Assessment, and “But I’m a [insert your chosen minority status]”) as the last refuge of scoundrels. Similarly Anti Money Laundering, but we do collect copy passports and old gas bills to avoid prison (and offer used toilet paper for DNA to those wanting our own ID confirmation)
12 We respect the rule of law and the burden of regulation but we hold the Law Society and especially the SRA in contempt because not fit for purpose.
13 We deal cordially with HMRC, because it is in your interests to do so, but we will explain to you that they suffer from myriad forms of psychopathology, so you must realise that your opponent is not rational and does not have your interests at heart but solely its own, and those of HMG that coincide. You must realise that the very first letter from them is preliminary litigation and that they have an insatiable appetite for that activity and a blank cheque with which to finance it.
12 Unlike the big boys we do accept personal responsibility for the advice we give you; we don’t try to disclaim it and weasel out after taking your money.
WAIT
Jack Harper