McKay Norwell

It is fairly common knowledge that if you win a court case you are entitled to an award of expenses which will refund you most, if not all, of your legal bills.  However, many people every year find themselves being sued by somebody who has little or no money.  This can lead to an awkward situation if you are the unfortunate person being sued.  If you lose the case you have to pay everything the victorious party has sued for plus legal expenses, but if you win the award of expenses in your favour is valueless, so you are left with all your own legal bills to pay.

Victoria Rodner consulted with us on 11 March.  She explained that she was from Venezuela and married to a Thai national with whom she had a young son.   Her mother was Scottish and residence had been taken up in Scotland at the point of marriage.   The marriage had failed just over a year previously.  She had since become re-acquainted with her childhood sweetheart who was Spanish born and running the Portuguese end of a German multinational company.  As part of his duties he was required to take up residence in Lisbon in the summer of 2011.  Ms Rodner wished to move to Lisbon with the child of the marriage with a view to residing with her boyfriend with a view to ultimate marriage.