ou'll get a chuckle
out of this one.
-------- Original Message --------
RE: Mr Tooth [a solicitor] specialises
in extracting big sums from rich
ex-husbands.
He boasts of his 90 per cent success
rate and said last year:
"No sane, wealthy man should
get married at all."
Need we say more to our sons ?
RW
_________________________
Sent: 21 March 2005 17:13
Subject: Divorce lawyer is carpeted
over fees
<http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/17389342?source==Evening%20Standard>
Evening Standard
21 March 2005
Divorce lawyer is carpeted over
fees
By Ben Leapman Home Affairs Correspondent
He is the divorce lawyer
to celebrities including Sadie Frost
and Cheryl Barrymore. He
has also acted for the ex-wives
of Eric Clapton and racehorse owner
Robert Sangster.
But now solicitor Raymond Tooth
- one of the most feared in his
field in London and nicknamed Jaws
-
as been rapped over the knuckles
by a judge for overcharging a client.
His firm, Sears Tooth, was found
to have billed Olga Spasic for unnecessary
letters, phone calls and
meetings. The firm was ordered at
a Supreme Court Costs Office hearing
to refund £12,000 from a total bill
of £67,000.
The judge heard that Mr Tooth, 64,
charges £40 for every letter or
phone call. For one meeting he charged
£1,233 for three hours and five
minutes of his time, plus £533 for
an hour and 20 minutes of "travelling
and waiting". Another Sears
Tooth solicitor on the case, Juliet
Mace, charged £200 per hour.
After her divorce, Ms Spasic, 45,
has been left without a home or
income. The settlement from her
millionaire ex-husband has been
whittled away by legal fees to £65,000.
Today she warned other women to
seek free legal advice or represent
themselves, rather than turn to
top lawyers.
But Mr Tooth vowed to appeal, claiming
Ms Spasic only succeeded because
"she wore the costs judge down".
He said: "If she wanted me
to handle the case, she has to pay
my charges.
"She was treated incredibly
well, but would not listen to advice.
She was told to settle but she ignored
our advice. She's her own worst
enemy, I'm afraid. It's very difficult
for lawyers - but we do our best."
Mr Tooth, known for his string of
race-horses, his love of cigars
and £400-an-hour fees, said: "I'm
cheaper than most of the firms.
We are very competitive."
Mr Tooth specialises in extracting
big sums from rich ex-husbands.
He boasts of his 90 per cent success
rate and said last year: "No
sane, wealthy man should get married
at all."
Ms Spasic was divorced in 1993 after
two years of marriage, but continued
to live with her ex-husband until
2003. She has no children. She went
to court in a bid to keep the couple's
£250,000 Paddington flat, where
she was living after the separation.
She lost and a judge ordered that
the flat be sold with Ms Spasic
receiving £152,000. Almost half
the money went straight to Mr Tooth
because she had signed a "deed
of assignment" allowing him
first claim on the proceeds of the
sale.
Ms Spasic challenged the legal bill,
representing herself and teaching
herself law from library books.
At a Costs Office hearing last week,
a High Court judge struck off charges
for work that was unnecessary, double-charged
or overcharged.
The refund of £11,900 amounted to
21 per cent of the portion of the
bill under examination. Had it been
below 20 per cent, Ms Spasic would
have had to pay an estimated £30,000
- Mr Tooth's costs for the hearing.
Ms Spasic claims she was initially
told the bill would be only £10,000,
but the judge rejected this. She
alleged in court that Mr Tooth dragged
out the case and advised her to
avoid legal aid lawyers because
their standards were lower.
Mr Tooth said his client should
have followed his advice by accepting
her husband's offer of a £200,000
settlement and her legal costs paid.
She admitted she had made a mistake
by rejecting the offer, but said
she should not be punished again
with an inflated legal bill.
