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How to choose a good conveyancing solicitor
25 March 2010
With so many to choose from, it seems bewildering! Surely I will get the same service from all of them! Not necessarily!
Most people go on personal recommendation from an estate agent. If that is the case, there are 2 very important questions you need to ask:
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Are you paying a referral fee for my instructions? (This is a fee – often as much as £300! - some solicitors pay to estate agents to have clients referred to them). If there is such an arrangement, you will come under pressure from the agent!
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If so, how much is it and how are you going to recoup that sum? Solicitors often effectively recoup such a fee from the client so that you end up paying a fee to have a solicitor you might not otherwise want acting for you!
You might like to view this link about referral fees. http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/mortgages-and-homes/mortgages-features/article.html?in_article_id=500770&in_page_id=58
If no referral fee is being paid, there are 3 things you need to know. Is the solicitor you are thinking of instructing:-
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Accessible.
In other words, can I get hold of you during office hours to discuss my matter? Particularly as a matter approaches exchange of contracts, being able to get hold of the person dealing is very important indeed. Just logging onto a website or leaving a message can be very frustrating if you actually want to speak to a human being!
If you instruct Howell-Jones, we are available on direct lines and you can speak to the fee earner or an assistant whenever you need to during office hours.
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Competent
Competency varies! This includes legal and practical competency and you need to know that the person dealing with your matter knows what they are doing.
If you instruct Howell-Jones, you will be instructing a fully qualified solicitor or a member of the Council for Licensed Conveyancers assisted by an experienced Assistant. We regularly share experience between ourselves and together have experience of virtually every problem that is likely to emerge
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Competitive
Prices vary, but there is a minimum fee below which it is simply not viable to do the job properly without cutting corners, becoming inaccessible, or putting the client at risk! Sadly there are firms willing to do that.
If you instruct Howell-Jones, we are not likely to be the cheapest, but we will not be the most expensive. We try to balance cost with accessibility and competence and come up with a fair and competitive price.
Why not ring us and find out more?
