legal cost of obtaining an RO

[cleotara]

Hi
Can you advise me approximately how much it would cost in Legal fees to apply for a RO for my Grandson?

I was told once that SS will pay for this if they support your application. Is this true?

Also I would not be successful if SS did not support our application?

Thank you.

[Robin D]

Hi Cleotara.

I'm afraid the answer to your question is no, we cannot say approximately how much it would cost for the following reasons:

1. The cost for making an application is about £200 in court fees.
2. Costs of legal representation can be anything from the high hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds depending on the complexity of the case, whether or not its 'contested' and who represents you. Our case dragged on for about 4 years and cost us many tens of thousands.
3. You can 'do it yourself' using the advice sheet at http://frg.org.uk/images/Advice_Sheets/ ... carers.pdf. The huge advantage is it costs you nothing, but you have to be prepared to represent yourself in court. Those here who have done it say that the 'fear' of the process is much worse than the process itself.

Yes it is true that in some cases, Social Services will contribute or pay for legal representation. However in many others they do not.

Yes it is perfectly possible to win cases where the initial social services response is negative, especially if the court guardian disagrees with them.

Not being aware of of your situation, its difficult to advise. However, you might consider a Special Guardianship Order instead of a Residence Order as its much stronger. You might find
some of the other advice sheets at http://frg.org.uk/need-help-or-advice/advice-sheets useful reading, in particular 11, 12, 19 and 21. The guided questionaire at http://frg.org.uk/need-help-or-advice/f ... nformation is also very helpful.

You can always discuss these options in total conference with the free advice line on 0808 801 0366.

Good luck ..... Robin




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