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Categories:Litigation / Dispute Resolution

Goldsmith barrister sued by divorcée

14 September 2009

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Family barrister Dorian Day of London set Goldsmith Chambers has been handed a £200,000 claim by a disgruntled former client who claims Day failed to win her an adequate divorce settlement.

Helen Hutton instructed Machins Solicitors to seek compensation from Day, who acted for her in 2004.

The claim, which was issued by Machins partner Robert Bedford, says that Day was in breach of contract and acted negligently, allegedly causing Hutton to undersettle in her divorce.

Hutton says she was left with less than a quarter of her husband’s £220,000 annual salary when the ­settlement was reached.

She claims she was rushed into agreeing to the draft ­settlement after Day was allegedly late for court.

The agreement, the claim states, was “drafted and agreed late in the afternoon when the claimant was ­likely to be exhausted by the court process in light of her condition”. At the time ­Hutton was recovering from a knee operation and was taking painkillers.

At no point did Day ­highlight the concerns of the ­presiding judge about the level of the agreement, the claim says, and neither did Day arrange for the court date to be adjourned.
The claim was issued to Day’s lawyers at Thomson Snell & Passmore.

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Readers' comments (8)

  • Anonymous | 15-Sep-2009 11:26 am

    That is £15k a year more than my salary as a female solicitor and I work hard for a living. Sounds like a good settlment to me for doing nothing except living of your ex. Personally I get satisfaction from being independent, like a lot of women, so am sad when I see a clawing for cash from women post breakdown of a marriage. Less than half was not good enough ?

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  • Anonymous | 16-Sep-2009 2:39 pm

    Am I glad I don't practise in England.....

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  • Anonymous | 16-Sep-2009 3:49 pm

    I read your first commentator's opinion and was shocked her vehement remarks. I thought it was an article about a barrister being sued for allegedly doing an unprofessional job, not about whether women should be able to claim finiancial support from their ex-husband! Did I miss the point?

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  • Anonymous | 23-Sep-2009 5:05 pm

    I guess once the ink on the settlement dried up the former wife watched "Raw" on Youtube (the 1987 stand up show by Eddy Murphy) and realized she could have obtained "half"…. That should be compulsorily viewing for everyone thinking of getting married!

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  • Anonymous | 23-Sep-2009 5:41 pm

    It's strange that your first commentator talks about her salary as a "female" solicitor. Is she indicating that women solicitors are paid differently from male ones? If she is complaining about what she earns "as a woman", she should refrain from complaining about what other women receive in the divorce courts.

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  • Anonymous | 23-Sep-2009 6:26 pm

    She's changed her mind, she can't get more out of her ex, so she's having a go at the lawyer's insurers instead. What is it with divorce litigants - and I am sorry but it is usually women - who cannot grasp that consent is consent is consent and don't come back howling for more?

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  • Anonymous | 25-Sep-2009 5:37 pm

    Here here last commentator. Think that's what first commentator was getting at.

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  • saadia khan | 7-Oct-2011 1:20 pm

    What was the outcome of this case

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