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Thread: First Legal Services

  1. #1
    Glyn
    Guest

    Default First Legal Services

    Dear Sir/Madam I have been telephoned by First Legal Services, Edificio Costa del Sol, Benamara Dos Hermanas, Crta. DeCadiz km 168, Estepona, 29680, Malaga offering to take court action to recover timeshare sales losses. As my husband and I have been caught before by a 'cold call' we would like to find out if this is a legitimate and trustworthy firm. Thank you.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Marbella
    Posts
    1,095

    Default

    Dear Sir/Madam,


    I’ve never heard of this company you mention before.

    I’ve searched this company's internet domain and they created their website on the 3rd February 2009.

    Domain Name: FIRSTLEGALSERVICES.COM

    Registrar: DIRECTI INTERNET SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD. D/B/A PUBLICDOMAINREGISTRY.COM
    Whois
    Server: whois.PublicDomainRegistry.com
    Referral URL: http://www.PublicDomainRegistry.com
    Name Server: NS1.5YEARHOST.CO.UK
    Name Server: NS2.5YEARHOST.CO.UK
    Status: clientDeleteProhibited
    Status: clientTransferProhibited
    Status: client
    UpdateProhibited
    Updated Date: 26-mar-2009
    Creation Date: 03-feb-2009
    Expiration Date: 03-feb-2010

    On their website they mention they use lawyers, but on their webpage none appear named, in fact, no one is named!

    The only company mentioned on the website is “First Elite, S.L.”

    I strongly recommend that you read the following forum thread on an almost identical query as yours (just click on the blue link) regarding recovering timeshare sales losses:

    Legal Advice Counsel

    Spanish law firms never cold call people, ever.

    You should mistrust any phonecalls received from Spain in which anyone is making a cold call requesting money upfront from you. How did they come into possession of your personal contact details? How do they know how much you invested and specifically where you invested? All these details are protected by Spain's Data Protection Act and subseq laws.

    Ask them for their lawyer’s name and surname, ask them in which Bar Association in Spain they are registered to practice, ask them for their lawyer’s member number of their respective Bar Association.

    Only lawyers who are registered in a Bar Association in Spain are allowed to address themselves as “lawyers” or “solicitors”, no one else. Besides, only registered lawyers have a professional indemnity insurance as it's mandatory and we must pay it.

    Be wary of cold calls from legal advisors, senior legal advisors, legal executives, paralegals and in general anyone who does not clearly identify himself/herself as a lawyer or solicitor (and is therefore a registered one). All the afore fancy titles don't mean anything. Or you are a registered Spanish lawyer or you are not. It's that simple. Someone who is not a trained registered lawyer is not qualified to give legal advice, period.

    Over the last year we've witnessed, in the financial aftermath, how many people that had professional backgrounds (i.e. timeshare) completely unrelated to practising law are now restyling their companies and rebranding themselves as "Spanish legal experts" incorporating companies offering dubious legal services without a professional track record to show for it.

    I honestly think one cannot go to bed being a timeshare agent, with all our respects to them, and wake up on the following morning as a qualified legal expert ready to take on clients without the most basic grasp of legal knowledge, much less a Spanish Law degree.

    To close this thread, please read the following articles and threads (again, just click on the blue link which will take you to the articles):

    1. Careful with Scammers Posing as Spanish Lawyers - 18th March 2009

    2. 9 Tips on How to Determine if an Offer is a Scam- 17th October 2008

    3. European Mediation - 17th November 2008
    Last edited by Lawbird Lawyer; 06-26-2009 at 10:07 AM.

  3. #3
    ALL STEW
    Guest

    Smile cold calls from alledged "lawers"

    Quote Originally Posted by Glyn View Post
    Dear Sir/Madam I have been telephoned by First Legal Services, Edificio Costa del Sol, Benamara Dos Hermanas, Crta. DeCadiz km 168, Estepona, 29680, Malaga offering to take court action to recover timeshare sales losses. As my husband and I have been caught before by a 'cold call' we would like to find out if this is a legitimate and trustworthy firm. Thank you.
    Hi we too were cold called -same old -same old , want 680 euros up front for court fees!!! NO WAY JOSE!!! we have made our loss & best is to leave sleeping dogs lie , otherwise you end up throwing good money after bad !!! However if you like us paid for some or all of it by credit card you can approach the C.C. disputes to try & get it back( NO RISK TO YOURSELVES !! ) All good luck to you. ps NEVER REPEAT NEVER GET INVOLVED WITH "CLUB CLASS" WHAT A LOAD OF CON CON CON -we found out too late !!

  4. #4
    Unregistered
    Guest

    Default Michelle

    Sorry posted in wrong thread.
    We have received a call from a Brian Stevenson from First Legal Services, regarding European Coast & Sun Holidays SL Designer Way Vacation Timelinx saying he can retrieve our money back through the courts. This case has gone to court twice, but they have to wait up to 18months for anyone to be able to regain any money owing.
    He says he has been on this case from the start.
    But they want 2088 euros from us I said we could not afford that and he told us to take a loan out.
    Can anyone tell me if this has actually gone to court.
    Michelle

  5. #5
    Unregistered
    Guest

    Default my right to reply

    hello this is Brian Stevenson, I believe I know who posted this comment, I informed them that our company would pursue recovery of there funds through the spanish legal system, I did inform this couple of court action that has been taken against these companies, I refer to a legal action taken in Reading where 2 of the named companies were associated in it. See daily mirror Penman; Sommerlad 11/06/09 also the involvement in a liable action against a company similar to ours, see malaga courts. As regards finance, they informed me and provided information on a loan they were tricked into taking to finance this venture with a holiday club, we discussed this at some length and I certainly did not advise them to borrow further monies to get involved in any litigation.

  6. #6
    Scunny2
    Guest

    Default

    "A liable" action does not suggest to me, as a corporate lawyer, that you know what you are talking about. Also my friend if you are giving a number of people/ clients advice which relates in the final analysis to pecuniary situations you are falling out of FSA legislation. Your company is registered in Rainhill, Merseyside so if you want proper perception of your company, detail the names your lawyers and check out the FSA position and get registered. Then you will have no problems.

  7. #7
    scunny2
    Guest

    Default My previous post

    A bit more detail regarding First Legal Services. Firstly a company of that name based in Warrington went into liquidation in may 2009. The company,sporting the same name, that now exists in Companies House was a new incorporation in july 2009.
    The gentleman behind the original company was a Roger Pritchard. The "new" First Legal was originally called First Legal Property and changed their name on 23rd July to First Legal Services Ltd. Not too clever given the history of the name but not a problem. I cannot check out the Spanish registration although Roger Pritchard who also runs several financial advice based companies does not appear in the latest First Legal. Roger is shown as "inactive" on the FSA register.

    Scunny2

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Marbella
    Posts
    1,095

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by scunny2 View Post
    I cannot check out the Spanish registration although Roger Pritchard who also runs several financial advice based companies does not appear in the latest First Legal. Roger is shown as "inactive" on the FSA register.

    Scunny2

    Dear Scunny2,

    Thank you for sharing with us.

    From the Spanish side, I can say I've found no registered company trading under the name "First Legal Services, S.L." or "First Legal Services, S.L.P.".

    I refer you to similar "law firms", both located in Marbella and both belonging to "Bannister Hamilton Consulting Ltd.with Registration Number: 1534308”, presumably a UK registered parent company:

    Legal Advice Counsel

    Website.

    European Legal Services

    Website.

    Yours faithfully,

  9. #9
    Dutch boy
    Guest

    Default First Legal Sevices

    Hello,
    I have been contcted in februari 2009 by Van Mill Y Lopez with the same stories as descriped above. Lats week I was phoned again from Spain by a nice Englisch speking lady who called herself Michelle Virgin. She asked me if I had a timesharing contract and offerded me their help on getting back money. It is clear for me that they work under different names and with various persons. Be carefull!!!

  10. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Marbella
    Posts
    1,095

    Default

    Dear Sir,

    "Mil y Lopez" is already in our list.

    It's the first time I've seen "Van Mill Y Lopez". Must be the same people.

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