Not for me!
In my early years as a solicitor it was my job to deal with the £15 fixed fee appointments.
These were part of the legal aid system allowing people to get initial advice on a legal issue, exploring whether they have a case to pursue.
My main practice areas were criminal law and matrimonial, so typical questions were around minor offences like driving under the influence or speeding, and less often issue over child maintenance or access.
These initial meeting were very rewarding. I never know what would come through the door and sometimes I could resolve the problem for them there and then.
However, there was one major downside to these – making sure we received the £15!
It was the bit I hated, but to my boss it was vitally important. Legal aid doesn’t pay that well so I needed to make sure I collected every penny.
I usually left this until after the meeting. I would see the client, talk through the issues and give some advice and help, and then my secretary could deal with the finances.
This worked well for ages. But then one client didn’t have the money on him. He promised to drop it in the next day – but didn’t.
The next thing I know I’m called onto one of the partner’s offices and told to make sure my secretary collected the money BEFORE the client came into see me!
I know that a solicitor’s firm needs to balance the books, all businesses do, but I was there to help people.
Sometimes you might not get paid; this was just one time in months, but starting a potential relationship with a demand for money didn’t seem right.
There were other things about private practice I didn’t like, but this was, as they say, the straw that broke the camel’s back.
So I looked for a new challenge – a story for another time.