Howard Cohen is no more!!!

[pookeymonkey]

No he is not dead, but they have merged with another solicitor to form Cohen Cramer. As such Howard Cohen & Co are only listed with the Law Society under organisations and as having one office in Leeds, with no registered Solicitors at this address.

 

The address they are using on stationary to collect CL Finance debts no longer exists with the Law Society and should be questioned if recieved.

Complain to the SRA if they can't give a reasonable explanation.

 

Leeds law firms Howard Cohen and Cramer Richards announce merger - Yorkshire Evening Post

 

CohenCramer Solicitors

 

The Law Society - Find a solicitor

 

Also Companies House lists them as being dormant up until July 2008 with overdue accounts since.

There is also this - Status: Active - Proposal to Strike off

which I dont understand.

 

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/97043cfcb1df72f38cc1d46d19b76850/compdetails

 

 

Pookey

Edited March 4, 2009 by pookeymonkey

[PGH7447]

Also Companies House lists them as being dormant up until July 2008 with overdue accounts since.

There is also this - Status: Active - Proposal to Strike off

which I dont understand.

-------------

 

If a company does not fill in and file statutary accounts at Companies

House they will be struck off the company register and cease to exist as a

company, 'proposal' status means they are close to being gone, they have

had their final warning from Companies House.

[angel_1]

hello this is interesting to me may i pls ask when you mention cl finance, ive had a ge money account sent to them which im disputing but not heard from cl finance for a few months now thus im thinking, what now,,,no court papers or anything yet,,,,, but am also awaiting sars from ge whom are playing at not receiving them etc,,,,

 

anyway ive subbed to this thread and for further info many thanks

angel x

[vixta]

Thanks, this has proved very useful to me!

[hammyhound]

That is really interesting. I pay my CCJ instalments (CL Finance) to them every month. I pay online and all the time it has been saying "Lewis Group" not Howard Cohen. Have they ever been registered with the Law Society? How can they collect money when not even registered at Companies House?

 

Will sub this is interesting.

 

HH

[ncf355]

Hmm

 

This may throw a spanner in my counterclaim against them

 

Poo

[ncf355]

We need some fraud experts, this could get VERY interesting indeed

 

 

PS: Thanks Pookey

 

PPS: Given the number of CAG'ers affected by HC's work for CL Finance and the like, could a MOD please sticky this?

[pookeymonkey]

In addition I have just found this!

 

DX Online Directory

 

So it looks like the DX No quoted on 'Howard Cohen'

headed paper is actually belongs to the Lewis Group.

 

The plot thickens.

 

Pookey

[blueboy987]

Also Companies House lists them as being dormant up until July 2008 with overdue accounts since.

There is also this - Status: Active - Proposal to Strike off

which I dont understand.

-------------

 

If a company does not fill in and file statutary accounts at Companies

House they will be struck off the company register and cease to exist as a

company, 'proposal' status means they are close to being gone, they have

had their final warning from Companies House.

 

Dormant means what it says - they haven't been trading but the company is still registered. Its possible the strike off is something they requested as they have no need for the company any more - when you apply to have a company struck off it takes 3-6 months before it is done, to allow anyone to challenge it if they want.

 

I suspect this is probably a red herring though and they haven't been using this company for trading recently, or perhaps ever. There is no reference to it on the letter I received from Howard Cohen, their address is a PO Box in Cleakheaton (home of CL Finance & Lewis Debt Recovery).

 

It would appear that CL Finance are simply using the Howard Cohen name whilst handling everything themselves. Is that legal?

 

Has anyone tried raising it with the Solicitors Regulation Authority?

[vixta]

Can I just ask please, If a Solicitor turns up at my court hearing next week and says they are from Howard Cohen as stated on the court papers acting for CL Finance, is this legal, as Howard Cohen have no registered lawyers or solicitors and if the solicitors say they are from another named company, is this allowed as the court papers say Howard Cohen are acting on behalf of CL Finance?

 

Or maybe CL Finance would represent themselves, Hmmmmm.

 

Thanks Vixta

[blueboy987]

Can I just ask please, If a Solicitor turns up at my court hearing next week and says they are from Howard Cohen as stated on the court papers acting for CL Finance, is this legal, as Howard Cohen have no registered lawyers or solicitors and if the solicitors say they are from another named company, is this allowed as the court papers say Howard Cohen are acting on behalf of CL Finance?

 

Or maybe CL Finance would represent themselves, Hmmmmm.

 

Thanks Vixta

 

Unless the case is in their local court they wouldn't represent themselves anyway, they would most likely have a firm of solicitors local to the court do it. At least that is my experiences from other similar court hearings.

 

But there might be an issue with them not informing the courts of the change of name of their legal practice. The solicitors representing my mortgage company (when I had arrears and they applied for repossession) changed their name and they sent me a formal letter detailing the change and they informed the courts.

 

So if they don't inform you and the courts its possible they're in the wrong. Not sure how to check on what the rules are regarding this though.

[wakieblue]

I'm going to keep tabs on this one. I've got 2 claims against me from CL Finance with Cohen acting as their solicitors so this development is very interesting! I'm at the AQ stage for both claims (one deadline was Monday just gone, the other is next Monday).

 

If anyone's interested, my thread can be accessed using the link below:

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/legal-issues/172678-cl-finance-howard-cohen.html

 

Wakieblue

[hammyhound]

Just thought I would give them a ring to ask about my judgments. They answer the phone as Howard Cohen. I asked if they are solicitors to which they replied "of course what makes you think otherwise". Will still pay my judgments though.

 

We need more people on this it is sounding very strange

 

HH

[hammyhound]

Just another update, The people who deal with my case at Howard Cohen are not registered with the Law Society - how can they claim to be a solicitor. I understand there are paralegals and assistant solicitors who handle case loads.

 

My friend has just rung up pretending to be from a large company (she does work in a large company btw) and asked whether they handle debt collection to which Cohens replied "no" and also asked the Lewis Group the same and they said "no".

 

Who the hell am I paying my instalments to.

 

HH

[tosh1]

subbing as i just received a letter from howard cohen and co solicititors

[andymanx]

www.lewisgroup.co.uk is their website and their parent company is www.cattles.co.uk Edited March 6, 2009 by andymanx

[andymanx]

Details about them from Companies House:

 

Name & Registered Office:

THE LEWIS GROUP LIMITED

Company No. NF003060

 

Status :

Foreign Company (Northern Ireland)

 

For further information please contact:

Belfast Registry

Registrar of Companies

First Floor Waterfront Plaza

8 Laganbank Road

Belfast BT1 3BS

Tel: 08456048888

[abbacus]

The Lewis Group Ltd collects late filing penalty debts for Companies House ( a Government organisation). They are definitely debt collectors!

[andymanx]

I read elsewhere @ http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/store-cards/55769-cl-finance-ltd.html that The Lewis Group and CL Finance are both the same company.

[foolishgirl]

www.lewisgroup.co.uk is their website and their parent company is www.cattles.co.uk

 

Seems as though some DCA could soon be knocking on Cattles' door:

 

FT.com / Companies / Financial Services - Cattles suspends executives and issues new alert

 

'Shares in Cattles plummeted 40 per cent on Tuesday after the subprime lender suspended three senior executives in Welcome Financial Services, its main operating company, and warned 2008 profits were likely to be “substantially lower” than market expectations.'...

'Analysts raised concerns that Cattles, which has delayed its 2008 results, could breach its banking covenants, which would trigger all £2.6bn of its group debt to fall due.'....

'Cattles is due to refinance a £500m debt facility with a syndicate of 22 banks led by Royal Bank of Scotland later this summer, plus a further £135m facility that falls due to Royal Bank of Scotland in December. It has stopped lending to new customers.'....

 

Maybe this is the reason for HC's 'desertion' of its offices? Solicitors jumping the sinking ship?

[pookeymonkey]

Finally got a disclosure list through from 'Howard Cohen', fortunately this is part of a Court Order which also states that I should be allowed to inspect the documents on this list.

 

This gave me a golden opportunity to do some more digging!!!!!!!!!

 

So I put on my best 'confused and don't really know whats going on voice' and phoned 'Howard Cohen'. After a quick intro, which involved giving a refernce number and no security questions - not even my name! I established that the 'Credit Agreement' they are relying on is a microfiche copy and they do not have the original - but thats another story! We then proceeded on to the main purpose of my call -

 

I said 'Can I come and have a look at the documents?'

 

HC - quite shocked 'You want to come to the office and look at them! I can send you copies'

 

PM - 'No thanks I would like to see them in person'

 

HC - 'Oh ok, we are open 9.00 - 5.00 Mon - Fri'

 

PM - 'Can I just drop in?'

 

HC - 'No you had better make an appointment'

 

PM - 'Ok I will see what I am up to next week and call back. By the way where are you so I know where to come?'

 

HC - 'Our address is Lawrence House, Riverside Drive, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, BD19 4DH'

 

PM - 'Thats the same address as The Lewis Group, isn't it?'

 

HC - 'Errr yes. We have and office in the same building'

 

PM - 'Thanks bye'

 

Put phone down to the sound of cogs whirring as she realised she had been scammed for the information I was really after - their address.

 

So now we know 'Howard Cohens' real address in Cleckheaton, not the PO Box they hide behind. Who would have thought it would have been the same as The Lewis Group?

 

Pookey

[Satterthwaite]

Hee Hee, Detective Pookey, very interesting.

[ncf355]

Nice work that man

 

What a lovely bunch of helpful people they are

 

I must add I'm utterly amazed that they've managed to comply with disclosure, did you ask for the deed of assignment (that is, the actual sale doc from the creditor to CL?) and proof of registered post? (as required by the 1925 property act)

[pookeymonkey]

They were asked by Court Order to disclose all documents that they will be relying upon only documents they have are

 

Copy of the microfiche copy of the 'Credit agreement'

copy statements 'various'

copy of notice of assignment

 

The rest is copies of letters either myself or the Court has written and I already have these.

 

 

I am going to start a new thread regarding this claim as it is dragging on and should not have been allowed to get this far. All will be revealed!

 

Pookey

 

PS They also missed the Court Order deadline by 3 days, and sent the docs 2nd class (so they obviously dont care). I am going to ask that their claim is struck out - as the Court order said I could if they don't comply.

[pookeymonkey]

Now I have their address I have just found this -

 

Howard Cohen & Co | InterSolicitors.co.uk

 

So they are advertising themselves as solicitors, no mention of Cohen Cramer and still The Lewis Group DX No. Still no record of them at that address on The Law Society website.

 

Also their stationary is headed 'Howard Cohen & Co. Solicitors' not just Howard Cohen & Co. Small point but surely they should be called one or the other.

 

Still Im almost ready to put my complaint to the SRA.

 

Pookey