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I would be quite tempted to pretend they (the solicitor) didn't exist and continue to pay only the (reasonable) demands from the freeholder / MA through the usual mechanism - it's them you have a contract with. Shakedown solicitors tend to be noisy but have no teeth when they realise you won't be cowed.
This has worked for me, but for more trivial matters. I'd hit up someone like https://www.lease-advice.org or CAB to see if they can offer any insight.
What the Freeholder / MA do with your money after they receive it is up to them, but they have to account for it to the leaseholders, who I'd imagine wouldn't be stoked to know that they spend their money on attacking them.
Our service charge is invoiced twice per year, for e.g. in December 2019 for the first half of 2020, and then in July 2020 for the second half of 2020.
For the December 2019 invoice, what was the deadline for payment? Was it clearly spelled out that they required the money by date rather than instalment?
Absolute pricks though. Fucking flats!
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Howard
Outstanding service charge (they say, but then provide a financial statement showing that it's not) is £711, they're demanding £1,026, so service charge plus their fees, and yes this is direct from the solicitor. If I pay into the normal bank account run by the managing agent then I will be charged £95 for that money to be sent to the solicitor, apparently. So I have had to cancel the standing order that would have paid the service charge as scheduled on the 25th of this month to avoid the £95 fee.