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Rate Your Solicitor.com

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    #32
    BrianD
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,221 ✭✭✭BrianD


    Solution for any ratemywhatever.com sites is to move to real name environment. You register with your full name and address and these are verified. You can then post your honest positive or negative views. Done and dusted.


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    #33
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    Generally rate my solicitor is quite an accurate reflection of different solicitors. I looked up a dozen different law firms I knew , a dozen different solicitors, and the comments were pretty accurate. Of course some solicitors try to boost their ratings by posting positive comments about themselves ; these are usually easily spotted.


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    #34
    Delancey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,451 ✭✭✭Delancey


    gigino wrote: »
    Generally rate my solicitor is quite an accurate reflection of different solicitors. I looked up a dozen different law firms I knew , a dozen different solicitors, and the comments were pretty accurate. Of course some solicitors try to boost their ratings by posting positive comments about themselves ; these are usually easily spotted.

    I struggle to understand how you could personally determine that comments about a dozen different law firms were accurate.
    Only a Cretin would attach any value to what that site says.


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    #35
    dats_right
    Registered Users Posts: 1,168 ✭✭✭dats_right


    Interestingly, the UK equivalent site has been shut down by the Courts. http://www.thelawyer.com/solicitors-from-hell-website-forced-offline/1010264.article


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    #36
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    Delancey wrote: »
    I struggle to understand how you could personally determine that comments about a dozen different law firms were accurate.
    based on personal experiences I had with a number of the firms, and the experiences of family and friends....and the general reputation of the firms in the community.

    The solicitors who want it closed down are usually the ones with the most to hide.


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    #37
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,415 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1121/1224307907794.html


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    #38
    irishh_bob
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,700 ✭✭✭irishh_bob


    Delancey wrote: »
    I struggle to understand how you could personally determine that comments about a dozen different law firms were accurate.
    Only a Cretin would attach any value to what that site says.

    always amazes me how hostile some people are to the idea of allowing the plain people of ireland have thier say

    ive dealt with several legal firms down the years ( for various property transactions etc ) and have posted both possitve and negative comments on that site , ive only read the comments which refer to firms i am familiar with but the vast majority of them were reflective of my own experience


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    #39
    madmilo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭madmilo


    Unfortunately we the citizens of Ireland have little recourse when we employ a Solicitor, they like with our Politicians there is nothing you can do when you are unfortunate enough to place your trust in a bad one.

    Through lack of regulation and the arrogance that they are a necessity, drives the believe that any action or inaction on their part in par for the course.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::eek::eek:


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    #40
    shaneybaby
    Registered Users Posts: 415 ✭✭shaneybaby


    madmilo wrote: »
    Unfortunately we the citizens of Ireland have little recourse when we employ a Solicitor, they like with our Politicians there is nothing you can do when you are unfortunate enough to place your trust in a bad one.

    Through lack of regulation and the arrogance that they are a necessity, drives the believe that any action or inaction on their part in par for the course.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::eek::eek:
    ??
    Are they? you can represent yourself anywhere you like!


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    #41
    eveya
    Registered Users Posts: 34 ✭eveya


    I cannot believe the site has been shut down! I used it to find my solicitor and the majority of the comments were bang on, and I am delighted with him and very grateful to the site.

    I think you're right gigino, its the crap solicitors who want it shut down. I looked up a few cowboys that I know of and the comments and ratings were totally accurate. Tripadvisor keeps the hospitality sector in line, I think it's only right there's one for Solicitors too.


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    #42
    RandolphEsq
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,296 ✭✭✭RandolphEsq


    Delancey wrote: »
    I struggle to understand how you could personally determine that comments about a dozen different law firms were accurate.
    Only a Cretin would attach any value to what that site says.

    +1 to this.

    The guy who set it up clearly had a personal grudge against the profession based on his own experience, that is why such slanderous comments were allowed up on the site. It wasn't 'informative' as some people might like to say, or indicative of the actual performance of solicitors. It was justifiably shut down.


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    #43
    blueythebear
    Registered Users Posts: 1,074 ✭✭✭blueythebear


    eveya wrote: »
    I cannot believe the site has been shut down! I used it to find my solicitor and the majority of the comments were bang on, and I am delighted with him and very grateful to the site.

    I think you're right gigino, its the crap solicitors who want it shut down. I looked up a few cowboys that I know of and the comments and ratings were totally accurate. Tripadvisor keeps the hospitality sector in line, I think it's only right there's one for Solicitors too.

    The site is ridiculous. It's not run with any sense of impartiality whatsoever. Most of the people who write comments there are very often cranks who want to discuss their own particular case and how it was incorrectly handled, based on their extremely limited understanding of how the law works in Ireland.

    People get extremely involved and anxious about court cases, and rightly so as there can be significant personal and financial issues at play. However, they tend to get extremely worked up and can't see reason or sense. When that happens and they don't get the particular result they want, they will vent on a site like Rate Your Solicitor.

    The solicitor themselves can't possibly defend these allegations as it would be unprofessional to deal with complaints on a public forum and privacy issues would be at play too.

    So, you hear from one side of the story only, which is a layman's view of the law which is very often, incorrect.


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    #44
    Blackrockcomet
    Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭Blackrockcomet


    eveya wrote: »
    I cannot believe the site has been shut down! I used it to find my solicitor and the majority of the comments were bang on, and I am delighted with him and very grateful to the site.

    I think you're right gigino, its the crap solicitors who want it shut down. I looked up a few cowboys that I know of and the comments and ratings were totally accurate. Tripadvisor keeps the hospitality sector in line, I think it's only right there's one for Solicitors too.
    A tripadvisor style system would be a good idea. On tripadvisor, you can get obviously fake reviews both overly negative(written by a competitor) and clearly written by an employee removed. After that, the people who would give 5 stars for crap and the outright loonies generally cancel each other out.
    Rateyoursolicitor was far removed from tripadvisor. Firstly, posters with an axe to grind posted multiple times often without having been the client of the firm. Secondly, these posts weren't removed.
    Tripadvisor has caused difficulty for hotels in the past but as long as you know how to read it, it is a useful tool. I'd welcome something similar


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    #45
    rusty999
    Registered Users Posts: 252 ✭✭rusty999


    gigino wrote: »
    based on personal experiences I had with a number of the firms, and the experiences of family and friends....and the general reputation of the firms in the community.

    The solicitors who want it closed down are usually the ones with the most to hide.


    That's a true statement. Apparently the very ones who took the case against ratemysolicstor have a lot to be nervous about


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    #46
    rusty999
    Registered Users Posts: 252 ✭✭rusty999


    RandolphEsq wrote: »
    +1 to this.

    The guy who set it up clearly had a personal grudge against the profession based on his own experience, that is why such slanderous comments were allowed up on the site. It wasn't 'informative' as some people might like to say, or indicative of the actual performance of solicitors. It was justifiably shut down.


    Not an accurate statement above your honour !!

    Dozens of the complaints were true and accurate and its a travesty for the freedom of speech in Ireland that this site is not allowed continue. The only ones who had anything to worry about on that site were solicitors who were not honest and yes there are plenty of them. Thankfully,Not all of them are that way inclined, but as in other professions there are rotten eggs and that is why they should be exposed in the interest of fairness to people who get ripped off by dishonest solicitors.
    I have no doubt there will be similar alternative sites coming on stream, as people will no longer take this lying down and good luck to them.
    About time !! In my opinion, if a solicitor has a clear conscience then he or she has nothing to worry abou, but its seems to be a certain few who have gotten very nervous recently. Wonder why ??


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    #47
    snor
    Registered Users Posts: 528 ✭✭✭snor


    Is this site gone? Can't seem to find it


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    #48
    Delancey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,451 ✭✭✭Delancey


    snor wrote: »
    Is this site gone? Can't seem to find it

    I understand it has been shut down now.


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    #49
    dats_right
    Registered Users Posts: 1,168 ✭✭✭dats_right


    Delancey wrote: »
    I understand it has been shut down now.

    Why? Was this as a result of a Court Order? If it was, I haven't heard anything about it.


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    #50
    RandolphEsq
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,296 ✭✭✭RandolphEsq


    rusty999 wrote: »
    Not an accurate statement above your honour !!

    Dozens of the complaints were true and accurate and its a travesty for the freedom of speech in Ireland that this site is not allowed continue. The only ones who had anything to worry about on that site were solicitors who were not honest and yes there are plenty of them. Thankfully,Not all of them are that way inclined, but as in other professions there are rotten eggs and that is why they should be exposed in the interest of fairness to people who get ripped off by dishonest solicitors.
    I have no doubt there will be similar alternative sites coming on stream, as people will no longer take this lying down and good luck to them.
    About time !! In my opinion, if a solicitor has a clear conscience then he or she has nothing to worry abou, but its seems to be a certain few who have gotten very nervous recently. Wonder why ??

    I don't disagree with that, it was just that on that site there was, for the most part, negative comments. It was anonymous but in the public domain which meant it could very well be defamatory.

    And from reading the host's own personal stories the impression I got from him was that he was a crank and a busybody, with a personal vendetta. Certainly not somebody who should be running a site that supposedly has fair and honest ratings of solicitors.


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    #51
    benway
    Registered Users Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭benway


    Glad it's gone - my feeling is that the Victims of the Legal Profession Society and co. are dangerous - not to the professions, but to people who may have genuine grievances.

    I certainly would never claim that there aren't some lawyers doing dirt, but the grand tin foil hat conspiracy between the legal professions, the Land Registry, the judiciary and the Courts Service has no basis whatsoever in fact.

    The problem is that these guys tend to latch on to people and hype them up with their waffle, accompanying them to court, drafting pleadings and affidavits full of wild conspiracy allegations and very little of substance. Of course, this does their cause no favours - there's a large degree of ego at play within that organisation, if you ask me.


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    #52
    Corruptable
    Registered Users Posts: 317 ✭✭Corruptable


    Just to put a definitive conclusion on this:
    1st Feb 2012

    A JUDGE yesterday ordered a website to be shut down and said lawmakers should think about making it illegal to post "patently untrue" allegations about people on the internet.

    Mr Justice Michael Peart was speaking after he granted Damien Tansey various orders, effectively ending the operation of the website www.rate-your-solicitor.com.

    The Sligo-based solicitor brought defamation proceedings to the High Court arising out of comments on the website.

    The action was against site operators John Gill, of Drumline, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare; and Ann Vogelaar, of Parklands, Westport, Co Mayo.

    It is also against the US-based internet services provider, Dostster Inc, which hosts the site. Both Mr Gill and Ms Vogelaar denied the claims against them.


    http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/website-accused-of-defamation-is-closed-by-judge-3005716.html


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    #53
    Thoushaltnot
    Registered Users Posts: 582 ✭✭✭Thoushaltnot


    I actually found that the rate-your-solicitor site tallied with my own and my mother's/family experiences - 5 in total. A dodgy solicitor I had the misfortune to encounter was also credited with being quick to take client's money and do nothing, as well as being not terribly good with facts (my experience). However, the solicitor my mother had just engaged was checked and seemed ok - I did see good reviews and mixed reviews up there as well as a lack of reviews, which I take it to indicate that those solicitors hadn't earned many enemies.

    I am an ordinary citizen, I do not have a legal background or family in that profession - this was the nearest I had to a consumers advice site for this expensive type of service and yes, I would have expected a few false reviews, just like TripAdvisor and Yelp but some are quite obvious and speak to a 'guilty and trying to cover it up' reaction. In fact, with my own dodgy solicitor, the one glowing review was quickly exposed by a subsequent poster as having the same spelling mistakes as could be found on a section of that dodgy solicitor's own website.

    The obvious fly in the ointment of a site where everyone must register to review is that those best placed to sue if they get a bad review (and more importantly, win) are members of the legal profession. Not the clients, who may have a genuine grievance but may not have the proficiency in legalese, to express their complaint safely.

    FWIW, I think this is a loss and a bad move for consumers.


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    #54
    irishh_bob
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,700 ✭✭✭irishh_bob


    Thoushaltnot wrote: »
    I actually found that the rate-your-solicitor site tallied with my own and my mother's/family experiences - 5 in total. A dodgy solicitor I had the misfortune to encounter was also credited with being quick to take client's money and do nothing, as well as being not terribly good with facts (my experience). However, the solicitor my mother had just engaged was checked and seemed ok - I did see good reviews and mixed reviews up there as well as a lack of reviews, which I take it to indicate that those solicitors hadn't earned many enemies.

    I am an ordinary citizen, I do not have a legal background or family in that profession - this was the nearest I had to a consumers advice site for this expensive type of service and yes, I would have expected a few false reviews, just like TripAdvisor and Yelp but some are quite obvious and speak to a 'guilty and trying to cover it up' reaction. In fact, with my own dodgy solicitor, the one glowing review was quickly exposed by a subsequent poster as having the same spelling mistakes as could be found on a section of that dodgy solicitor's own website.

    The obvious fly in the ointment of a site where everyone must register to review is that those best placed to sue if they get a bad review (and more importantly, win) are members of the legal profession. Not the clients, who may have a genuine grievance but may not have the proficiency in legalese, to express their complaint safely.

    FWIW, I think this is a loss and a bad move for consumers.

    agree fully

    btw , i always left my real name having left reviews at that site , i think you should


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    #55
    johnnyskeleton
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 14,505 Mod ✭✭✭✭johnnyskeleton


    I actually think a system whereby people can give feedback on lawyers would be a good thing. There are a number of difficulties however.

    First, how does one publically state their view when the court case could be something extremely private e.g. family law, criminal prosecution etc?

    Second, who should moderate such comments? If it is a lawyer, they will be perceived to be pro lawyer, if it is someone dissatisfied with the legal profession (as the people who set up RYS were) they will be percieved to be unaccountable.

    Third, what is to be done where the comments are not about lawyers who gave bad service, but those who actually gave good service, but to the other side? Many of the comments are directed at lawyers for banks, the prosecution etc rather than for an individual's representation.

    Fourth, how does one ensure that comments both good and bad are reflected in the comments? A lawyer could do 100 cases well or even very well, but only get comments on the one case where the client is not satisfied.

    Finally, the big difficulty is that the users of legal services are not necessarily in the best position to comment on the quality of their representation. For example, someone might get great representation and still not win because of the facts. It is very easy in those circumstances to blame the lawyer rather than blame onesself.

    However, if a system could be put in place in this regard, it might be useful for consumers. It might also be good for lawyers as the better ones will get better feedback. As matters stand, lawyers will rely on literal word of mouth to build their reputation.


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    #56
    RandolphEsq
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,296 ✭✭✭RandolphEsq


    The main difficulty would be that in not getting what they want a client will say he got a bad service which isn't necessarily true.


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    #57
    ResearchWill
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,111 ✭✭✭ResearchWill


    RandolphEsq wrote: »
    The main difficulty would be that in not getting what they want a client will say he got a bad service which isn't necessarily true.

    The law is like a lot of things, I know of people who got everything they wanted but still left feeling let down by their legal team, on the other hand people who came out the wrong side of a decision who thought their legal team did a fab job.

    You just can't keep everyone happy.


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    #58
    benway
    Registered Users Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭benway


    I'm dealing with someone at the moment who got a more than favourable result on something, I'd nearly go so far as to say a freak result in his favour, but is still foaming at the mouth. Even when you win, you can't win.

    But I do think that the idea of a ratings site is sound enough, maybe it might be the place of the legal services ombudsman to set it up and moderate it ... if anyone is ever appointed to the role.

    As I've said above and elsewhere, my problem with RYS is that the people behind it are clearly fantasists, trying to sublimate a personal history of financial difficulties and ultimately bankruptcy into a righteous crusade against an imaginary conspiracy.

    Plus, many of the comments amounted to personal abuse, pure and simple - the Jayne Maguire episode is one good example, I know of someone else who had not dissimilar allegations made against him, and another guy who got one of their famous "avoid" ratings apparently because of his car. At least, that was about the gist of the complaint as I made it out to be: "driving around in his BMW, thinking he's so great". Seriously.


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    #59
    Delancey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,451 ✭✭✭Delancey


    There is a Solicitor that I have never had any professional dealings with whatsoever - personally I think that if there is any truth in the saying of '' You are what you eat '' then this guy must eat a lot of arseholes - therein lies the problem of a site like RYS - what is there to stop me making up a lousy review about his professional abilities and damage his practice when I simply don't like the guy ?
    RYS did not afford a right of reply and I have no doubt that many reviews be they positive or negative were faked.

    I agree that it would be great to have a mechanism whereby the ordinary joe could learn more about a Solicitor they were thinking of engaging however RYS is not the way to do it.


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    #60
    odnauq
    Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭odnauq


    www.indymedia.ie/article/101307 An updated report on Rate-your-Solicitor


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    #61
    Tom Young
    Legal Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 4,338 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tom Young


    That sounds like a terrible position you are in.

    Boards and in particular the Legal Discussion is not about to become a portal for the expression of ire, frustration, review or just simple defamation of solicitors or barristers. Judges, courts, tribunals, individuals, etc. it is not meant for this purpose.

    If someone comes here to do that in this thread, they will be dealt with in accordance with the charter here.

    I make no comment about previous posts and posters for now. Like every walk of life, rotten apples can exist that spoil the batch for everyone. That is a shame, particularly in a profession where no matter how you avoid it, lawyers (even commercial ones) invariably must deal with people's innermost emotions, discretions, indiscretions and wrongs.

    Your attention and diligence in not creating a further RYS here is appreciated.

    Tom


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