Judgment day looms for 'Solicitors from Hell' website

High Court hearing for man behind site that claims to name and shame shoddy legal practitioners

There is a fine line between fearless and reckless. Rick Kordowski appears to have ignored the line completely, inviting the fury of 120,000 of Britain's lawyers, who are threatening to drag him before the courts.

The 50-year-old from Essex provoked the anger of solicitors up and down the country when he set up his website Solicitors from Hell, which names and shames those members of the profession who are alleged to have provided a shoddy service.

Thus far he has fought off repeated attempts by individual solicitors to shut the site down.

Now, using their collective might, more than 100,000 solicitors represented by the Law Society have threatened him with legal action unless he shuts down once and for all.

Mr Kordowski, a self-employed graphic designer, said he set up the website six years ago after solicitors acting on his behalf in a protracted legal battle with his local council failed to live up to his expectations.

The website, which he sees as a "public service", has cost him dear: he is bankrupt after being sued 16 times for libel and has yet to pay more than £150,000 in fines.

He now faces claims of alleged defamation, harassment and breaches of the Data Protection Act and will be required to appear in front of a High Court judge at the end of this month, unless he closes the site down and undertakes not to launch anything similar.

But Mr Kordowski remains unrepentant, despite having failed to win a single libel case brought against him. Not only has he refused to remove the site, he has added fuel to the fire: last week he threatened to sue the Law Society's chief executive, Des Hudson, for defamation. Mr Kordowski claims Mr Hudson recently branded him a "criminal".

"There's a need for my website, as many people have said, and it makes them feel better for being able to post on it," Mr Kordowski said this weekend from his home. "All I need is an appropriate story from someone which is useful to other people and their contact details. I see it as helping people voice their complaints – and it has been working: authors have contacted me and said, 'I've now sorted it out with my solicitor, please can you take my listing down'."

Although some, while concerned about his methods, feel he is providing a much-needed outlet, others – including most solicitors – believe Mr Kordowski's actions are downright criminal.

Last October, after lengthy discussions in parliament, the Legal Ombudsman was set up to deal with complaints that the public felt were falling on deaf ears. Nevertheless, critics of the legal profession believe a number of consumers are getting a fair hearing.

Katy Dowell, from the legal profession magazine, The Lawyer, said: "It can't be right that just anyone can defame another person in such a public forum without checks. Lawyers are up in arms about the site, and if it was affecting your livelihood you would feel the same way.

"But Mr Kordowski has a point to make and if the Legal Ombudsman were more visible then perhaps consumers wouldn't feel the need to use the website."

The Law Society did not respond to a request for comment.