It feels brilliant to be of use again.

I read your post as someone who would kindly offer some legal advice to point them in the right direction should they ever have the need to speak to a solicitor face to face. Not difficult to understand I would have thought.

Ignore the negative post by someone trying to teach a Granny how to suck eggs! ?

Kalu

I read your post as someone who would kindly offer some legal advice to point them in the right direction should they ever have the need to speak to a solicitor face to face. Not difficult to understand I would have thought.

Ignore the negative post by someone trying to teach a Granny how to suck eggs! ?

I totally agree Kalu - well said!!
And Well Done GSM for giving all that advice to people in need of some help.

Thanks Kalu, that’s much appreciated.

And thanks DanniRae too.?

I felt worthwhile during last summer, when I volunteered to vaccinate people.It was lovely to feel "needed" again,I have been a Nurse all my life and miss my work so much.

Well done Joe. You have helped save lives.

Germanshepherdsmum

I’m a solicitor of over 40 years’ experience Grandmafrench, but as I have now retired the advice I give has to be purely informal. It doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m talking about and can’t give some informal assistance to people within my field of knowledge. I really don’t need your advice regarding insurance thank you and find your post quite insulting.

yup, I am retired too and must make clear that my advice is informal but I still offer information about matters relating to my old NHS profession.

oh PS while I salute and am impressed by all your volunteering, I think its a bit of a shame that you don't feel worthwhile simply by who you are. People who, for whatever reason, are unable to volunteer, or just don't wish to, are still worthwhile!

I decided to apply for the magistracy about 4 years ago, knowing that after I had retired, I would need something to be involved with. I thoroughly enjoy it and will soon be applying for the Youth Court in addition to current sittings. There is a need for more magistrates so if anyone is interested?

Thanks greenlady. I suppose that after decades of work it’s easy to feel surplus to requirements when you suddenly retire, no matter how enjoyable retirement may be. I’m glad you’re still able to help people too. People often find an informal chat very helpful and reassuring don’t they? If everyone just put all their knowledge to one side as soon as they retire it would be a great shame and a great waste.

Giving practical help to someone is quite different from offering advice informally. The latter needs to be backed up with: “don’t rely on this”.’^ These are not my words of caution by the way, but one from the Law Society.

As a retired professional myself, I found this article both interesting and frightening. It isn't very long but worth reading.
www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/cautionary-tale-on-free-advice-from-solicitors/5060415.article

The comments afterwards make valuable reading too. Particularly the one from John Ball and the final one.

You are welcome GSM.
With the same token, I supposedly, as a retired Ward Sister should not offer advice when someone with a health issue asks, what do you think…..?
During lectures as a student nurse we were advised not to give a diagnosis etc. With professional knowledge, pointing someone in the right direction was all that was required. This, I will continue to do regardless of whatever ‘advice’ someone feels the need to remind me of. Do no harm is what I still live by.

My background is public sector accountancy and similarly to GSM, I am no longer able to use my qualification letters, but am still perfectly able to complete accounts as hon Treasurer for local organisations. I've had to learn about Gift Aid and although no expert have also been able to assist others! Even small Charities etc. do have to be 'examined' and send returns to the Charities Commission.
Like others in this thread, I like to be useful...but I have sometimes been patronised! Classic one was when I pointed out to the Treasurer of a local charity (big enough to be a Company as well) that the wording on the Gift Aid declaration was wrong (it had been changed and I'd got replacement declarations for the charity I was involved with). He sent a very patronising email, telling me what Gift Aid was - when I replied, he then 'apologised' (Boris fashion...) saying he'd not realised he was dealing with a professional lady!
I was very surprised to see the unhelpful response from Grandmafrench!

I’m not in the least surprised at the outcome of the court case. What the architect apparently did goes way beyond offering some advice to a friend. I don’t give advice in a manner that could be relied upon to the detriment of the person receiving it and I stick to what I know. But I would never say to anyone that I am unable or unwilling to assist them. People can be pointed in the right direction once the nature of the problem becomes clear. And whilst I was working I would never have said to someone at a party for instance ‘My hourly rate is £750 (which it was and I retired a few years ago) and my hours are 9 to 5 (which they certainly weren’t)’. It isn’t difficult for an experienced lawyer to help someone out and at the same time avoid a negligence case.

Regarding volunteering, I have always volunteered especially when I was a stay-at-home mum, when I listened to readers at my children's school, accompanied them on trips, was treasurer of the toddler group they attended, the playgroup and the pta of their school.
Since retiring during the lockdown of 2020, some of the volunteering opportunities I'd intended to pursue in retirement have not been happening but plenty things have been carrying on as before. I do deliveries for the food bank and help with a local charity providing for various community groups. Hopefully more things will reopen soon, but I don't have as much spare time in retirement as I anticipated. It's true what they say - you wonder how you ever had time to go to work!
I've joined a local 'simply walk' group for a weekly health walk followed by a sociable coffee afterwards. On my way home from that I smiled at someone in the street and ended up having an impromptu conversation which only ended when her taxi arrived to pick her up. As someone up this thread said, 'Just saying Hello to someone in the street is valuable. I realised she was probably lonely and walked the rest of the way home with a 'warm fuzzy feeling' of having made a difference.

I wouldn’t have the patience to be a magistrate Maz. So many serial small-time offenders setting terrible examples to their children. The clerk would constantly be telling me that I couldn’t lock them up for that length of time! But well done you.

Ah yes, let me mansplain to the little woman Sue.

I used to help at the local Police Station pre-Covid but they still aren't letting the volunteers back yet. I will have to do all the training again. I'm not sure I want to go back now as the computer equipment and applications were really old and you could not do the job properly. I help in other places as and when I can. I don't really want to do something on a regular every week basis, I might do it in the Summer but I like to sort of hibernate in Winter.

Well done to all the volunteers :-)

I've just started a different volunteer role that has nothing to do with any of my qualifications or pass employment and I'm loving it.

I have volunteered in roles where I used past experiences and they were good but I am so pleased I changed direction but an still useful.

I give time to our local NHS, shelf stacking and recycling cardboard, in a facility that supports district nurses. The ladies that run it are funny, hard working amazingly organised.

GSM I'm sure you have enough professional experience and integrity to use your knowledge wisely, keep on doing what you do :-)

Thanks Allsortsofbags!?
And well done you.

Well- informed and well-placed advice can point people in the right direction, save them a lot of time and worry and money too.

Good for you! The Citizen’s Advice Bureau have great volunteers doing exactly this. It did sour the thread a bit.

Serendipity 22.

What is the name of the organisation that you volunteer to sit with people ?
I should like to do,that.
Is it Age concern by any chance.?

Haha German shepherdsmum!
Good thing there are Sentencing Guidelines. There certainly are alot of traffic offences, but domestic violence, assault and drugs also features heavily.

Volunteering is great, I used to help in the art class at school and with children having problems learning to read. When DH retired he gave up his professional insurances and said he would no longer give free advice as he had seen the consequences, he would probably only go as far as telling someone to go to a practising member of his profession. This includes our AC.