Local lawyer offers helping hand to public servants
(CNS): Given the current pressures and stresses on the country’s public sector workers one local attorney is offering them free advice to help them tackle the personal as well as work place legal problems they may also be facing. John Megoo is opening his offices free of charge for the entire month of May to give civil servants the chance to get his advice on everything from property problems to custody battles in an effort to at least relieve some areas likely to be adding to the country’s public sector workers’ stress levels. (Photo courtesy of News27)
Meghoo told CNS that he makes a point of doing something for the community every year and he said given the circumstances this year he felt civil servants were the ones likely to be in the most need of his help. Explaining why he had decided to offer his talents free Meghoo pointed to those working in the hospital by way of example.
“I think we all realize that people working in the health services sector for example are meant to be helping us with our health issues but if their health is under threat because of stress then how can we expect them to take care of us,” he noted.
Given that legal advice can be very expensive and difficult to access, the lawyer said he would be doing what he could to point people in the right direction with their legal issues. Meghoo pointed out that the kind of legal problems people face can be critical things in their lives such as divorce, property disputes and, of course, employment issues. With the current economic climate it was increasingly diffult for people to find the money for lawyers so he said he and his team expected that a lot of people would be taking advantage of the opportunity.
“We have already had quite a few calls to the office and we have only just issued the notice,” Meghoo said on Friday afternoon. “The problems people want to discuss relate to a number of more personal issues and not as you may expect problems with employment. We have had a lot of people enquiring about family law and landlord and tenant questions.”
Although Meghoo said he expected there was likely to be enquiries about employment law questions given the situation in government but he said the offer of advice was across the legal board and for all aspects of law from crime to business questions and not restricted to employment law.
“We expect to be handling a lot of different case over the next few weeks and we encourage civil servants to give us a call,” Meghoo added.
He said the offer was open to all government and statutory authority employees between 3-31 May this year and each client would be entitled to one free confidential consultation by appointment.
For more information: Phone: (345)946-6537 E-mail: Johnmeghoo@candw.ky
Category: Local News
I’ll pretend that this is not a stunning way to attract business during uncertain economic times. I’ll pretend that this lawyer is simply doing a good deed and is not trying to lure business his way with promises of freeness….
It’s hard to pretend because initial advice from law firms is never the expensive aspect. Once Mr. Meghoo points his ‘clients’ in the right direction, he still has to charge you to file writs or summonses, file affidavits, file applications for hearings or court dates. Then there are costs/damages and a plethora of fees which come about during the entire process be it contentious or non-contentious. The firm i work for doesnt charge for initial advice, we start charging you once we have been retained and given instructions by you to at. We don’t have to advertise it as free advice, we just get on with working for the client. Soooooo what’s so different about what he is offering?
Oh Please… You are just upset that you weren’t intelligent enough to do it first. Poor Caymanian lawyers just trying to assist others. He has done more community service, pro bono work and legal aid than any other lawyer I know and he is passionate about it.
Everyone knows that local lawyers are not treated fairly by their foreign counterparts. They get lower salaries; hired by top law firms just to say they hire Caymanians only to be treated lower than their counterparts; looked over for promotions and are many times constructively dismissed.
Do you visit clients at prison? Do you go with them at the police station on weekends and holidays? Do you see clients at their hospital bed?Do you really look out for your clients best interest or are they just a number to you?
I say that if he wants to give back to his community, good on him.
When all is said and done, how much will you charge for services. At least his rates are accessible.We are not even welcome at your firm. I rest my case.Don’t bother with a rebuttal I really don’t have the time to get into a on line war with you.
Please sit down and be quiet. Jealousy is a bad thing.
Current Client
You assume I am an expat working at the top level of some "top law firm". I am a Caymanian working in a local firm not considered "top" at all. We go above an beyond for our clients. Yes we visit them in prison, we visit them in hospital, we work weekends, holidays and without overtime payments. We also fly overseas to assist our clients and we have begged, kicked and screamed on behlaf of our clients (most of whom are every day people and not corporate big wigs) so know yourself and don’t chat rubbish without knowing your facts.
What I’m saying is that as a firm, we’ve offered FREE LEGAL ADVICE since inception. We do not advertise it as a new or novel idea, because it isnt! We advise you fo your options and YOU instruct us to act on your behalf. The cost of doing business is not free so after Mr. Mehgoo advises you of your options and you decide what you want to do, CLEARLY you still have to pay to get things done DUUUUHHH. Our fees go to maintaining our NOT LAVISH place of employment and to employ our predominantly Caymanian staff.
I’m not jealous I applaud any community service, but I will not sit back and allow anyone to claim they are offering free legal advise as a new or somehow different mechanism when local law firms do the exact same thing. Pick sense from nonsense and don’t assume because other people arent publicising their good deeds and community service that they are not participating.
and if you dont publicise it how the hell do people know that you are offering it. Duh!!!!!!!
What makes the difference is that Mr. Meghoo has come forward and said that he is doing it for free. You make a post that "the law firm that I work for" does the same thing …………… and what law firm is that? I dont see them named above. THATS THE DIFFERENCE. Instead of pulling someone down for doing something good why dont you just shut up or else say who you work for and then they can share some of the FREENESS around to those that might need it.
Thanks to you all for all of your comments and kind words.
So John, what do you propose to offer for Caymanians working in the private sector who have been experiencing similar "stress" for at least 2 years now? Do you have anything to offer here?
This is a man with good home grown and business ethics. Follow suite BIG money maker Lawyers and accounting firms!
Good Job John.
I tend to focus my pro bono work on good causes.
So the terms civil servant and "good cause" are mutually exclusive? Do you really believe that all civil servants deserve to be painted with the same negative brush? Could there possiblybe even one hard working competent civil servant that may be having genuine employment issues?
I guess not…
Well done John!
Hoping he will be able to lend his services when the Civil Service is faced with a class action lawsuit brought by the Cayman public for extortion.
Thank you John! Hopefull some more people will follow your example.
I didn’t even know this nice young man was a lawyer. Is there some connection between that and his generous offer?
Thank you John. A reminder that Law is supposed to be a noble and honourable profession, not the underhanded cut-throat business operated on the basis of questionable ethics that so many seem to be making it today.
True, lawyers appear to be universally reviled, and if this is somehow unmerited one wonders why this perception on the public’s part is so entrenched. Perhaps all aspiring lawyers should be required to study and embrace the good example of the small-town attorney Atticus Finch in Harper Lee’s "To Kill a Mockingbird" a bit more? (Anyone not familiar with the novel might like to read of its influence on the writer Rick Bragg in this month’s Reader’s Digest.)
I am sure this will be greatly appreciated by many as contrary to public belief, all civil servants are NOT highly paid.
John
This is very gracious of you but the civil servants are the fortunate ones and I wish I had their stress to contend with. They cannot lose their jobs and are employed for life and have all of their benefits including health and pension paid. Maybe you should be offering your services to all of us unemployed or struggling private sector people.
Anyway at least you are doing something unlike most of the other law firms out there looking for money from the government to do these things rather than trying to offer to help even as you have done.
Fantastic, John! Let’s see who else will follow your lead; doesn’t have to be limited to legal advice, either.
Well done John!