There is certainly a lot of choice available to you when you need to look for legal help – statistics show that there are over 10,000 solicitors firms in England and Wales and over 100,000 practising solicitors (as of August 2018).
It’s been estimated that nearly 50% of us have had a reason to need legal help in the past three years.
One quick online search will direct you to many law firms BUT before you contact one you should take the time to research the best one for your specific requirements.
Finding the ‘right’ law firm and the ‘right’ lawyer for you is crucial rather than choosing the first one that you see on a list, the one which appears to be the cheapest or the one which is closest to you.
Quality is essential when choosing your law firm and lawyer; things to consider are:
Specialism
Remember a lawyer who has done your conveyancing might not be the best person to draft your Will.
Always instruct a law firm and a lawyer who specialises in the area of work you require as they:
- Know the up to date law in their field which can make a difference in winning or losing your case;
- Work in their field every day rather than sporadically;
- Have specialist experience and expertise in dealing with problems or issues like the one you’re facing;
- Can accurately assess the chances of success of your claim and give appropriate advice on how to proceed;
- Will be able to progress your matter both time and cost-efficiently in comparison to somebody who is inexperienced or not a specialist in your required area;
- Can accurately provide an estimate of costs based on their experience of similar matters rather than a rough guestimate.
Communication
Your relationship with your lawyer is important, as you may need to communicate with them quite frequently. You should therefore consider whether they:
- Have a direct dial telephone number and email address so that you can contact them personally;
- Have a support team behind them who also have direct dial telephone numbers and email addresses to ensure your matter is progressed when your lawyer is out of office;
- Have a dedicated Client Care Team who safeguard the lawyer-client relationship;
- Have friendly and knowledgeable reception staff on hand to assist you;
- Have a high level of customer care and empathy;
- Have a personality whom you feel you can talk to and trust to talk to you in a language you understand;
- Have a genuine interest in your matter.
Location
It is not always essential for you to visit your lawyer’s office, but sometimes it is required for your particular matter or may be your personal preference. If you do intend or need to visit them then consider:
- If the offices are easily accessible for your preferred transport method;
- If there is free car parking on site;
- If there are confidential meeting rooms so that you can discuss your matter in person with your lawyer without being overheard;
- If you will have access to the individual lawyer dealing with your matter when attending;
- Whether the office has easy access if you have any disability requirements, or if alternative home visits are offered.
Regulation
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is an independent legal body which regulates all lawyers and law firms. Choosing a regulated firm means that your lawyer must follow a set of Principles and a Code of Conduct produced by the SRA to ensure that lawyers and law firms act with integrity and in your best interest. Choosing an SRA regulated firm is crucial because:
- The firm must have Professional Indemnity Insurance, which is important if you later find that you have received inadequate advice or services that causes you to lose money because of your lawyer’s actions. This insurance will also pay out if a lawyer is deemed to have been negligent;
- You may be able to claim on a compensation fund if your money is stolen, misappropriated or not accounted for by the law firm;
- You can complain to the Legal Ombudsman if you are unhappy with the service provided by your firm.
You will not receive these protections if you choose an unregulated law firm. To check if a firm is SRA regulated you can use the SRA website and search against their name.
Reputation
Reputation is an important factor when looking for legal services. Word of mouth is a great way to obtain a recommendation so ask your friends, neighbours and relatives who they use, and why?
If you don’t have a recommendation but you do have a law firm in mind, look on the SRA ‘Find a Solicitor’ tool. You can also look for independent reviews or check the law firm’s website for client testimonials.
Accreditation
Check if the law firm you intend to instruct has any accreditations in the area of law you require assistance with. If a law firm or lawyer has an accreditation then you can be sure that their technical expertise and client care standards have been independently assessed and verified.
Some of the accreditations to look out for are:
Price
We would advise you to always ask for an estimate of costs, if price is important to you we encourage you to discuss those costs with the lawyer so that you understand exactly what you are being charged for and what is included in the service.
You may decide to get another estimate from another firm and compare them but beware that price will tell you nothing about quality, so please don’t rely on this information alone. Those with the lowest estimate may be junior and inexperienced handling a high volume of cases in addition to yours, which may result in poor communication and poor service.
There may also be hidden costs not included within the estimate so check exactly what is included and what isn’t. It is worth paying a little more to ensure quality work, especially if they come recommended.
From 6th December 2018 law firms are required to publish information on the prices they charge for certain areas of legal services on their website. In most instances these will not be fixed costs but will give an idea of the likely costs involved, making it easier to compare prices between law firms but don’t be tempted to go for the cheapest until you have considered all of the above points as this could be detrimental to your matter.
At Nockolds we are confident that the advice and service we provide will exceed your expectations. Our goal is to help you achieve your desired result in a professional, friendly and efficient manner keeping you updated and informed at all times.
We are SRA regulated and have a number of accreditations including the Lexcel (Law Society) Quality Mark and Investors in People (you can see all of our accreditations here). Our offices in Bishop’s Stortford and London are centrally located, easily accessible and have confidential meeting rooms.
Each of our lawyers will provide you with individual telephone numbers and email addresses and are supported by a team, ensuring that you receive the very best service and communication. In fact, 96% of our clients would recommend our services to others.
When instructing Nockolds, our dedicated Client Care Team is accessible to you at all stages of your instruction to ensure a smooth and efficient service.