10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Conveyancing Solicitorsubmitted on 19 October 2021
Buying a house isn’t easy, although it’s certainly worth it in the end. The one thing that can make the process easier, however, is having an experienced and diligent conveyancing solicitor by your side.
Here are our ten tips for finding the right solicitor for you.
1. Are they customer focused?
You need to be able to trust that you are a priority throughout the course of the conveyancing process. There is no value in a conveyancing solicitor who does not listen to your objectives and does not work together with you to agree mutually achievable timescales for the completion process.
2. Do they have good online reviews?
Even in the world of conveyancing, online reviews offer one of your best opportunities to get the lay of the land, so to speak, before making any enquiries. Start by checking out Google Reviews, and other trusted sites where past-clients have shared their experiences on a firm.
3. Have you asked your friends and family about conveyancers they’re used and their experience?
While we’re on the subject of sharing experiences, chances are that you have friends and family who have their own recommendations to give. Make sure you ask around, and take their own good (and bad) experiences to heart.
4. Are they responsive to your initial enquiry?
If it takes a firm days – or, worse still, weeks – to get back to you, then that tells you a lot already. Buying a house involves many time-sensitive steps, and you don’t want to be left worrying that your solicitor will overlook you and miss out on something important.
5. Do they have capacity to take on your matter?
As we mentioned above, it is incredibly important that your solicitor is able to pay close (and timely) attention to your case – and any queries you have. If a firm you’re looking at is small or limited in terms of what it can do, then it’s best to move on.
6. Is the firm reputable? Are they recognised by the Law Society?
Independent recognition of a law firm is so important. Reputable firms will be listed within plenty of independent law directories, such as the Legal 500 and Chambers – and, of course, the firm should be registered with the Law Society of England and Wales, too.
7. Are they recognised by the Law Society’s Quality Conveyancing Scheme?
Another good way to find out how reputable the firm is when it comes to its conveyancing services is to check whether the firm is recognised specifically by the Law Society’s CQS, which has established a quality standard for conveyancing solicitors.
8. Are they accredited?
Certain accreditations offer a strong guarantee of quality, and safeguard you against the pitfalls of a substandard practice. As such, you should only use firms with a strong accreditation.
For instance, the Cheltenham-based practice willans.co.uk holds a Lexcel accreditation, which is a national standard awarded to law firms with the highest levels of client care and practice management standards.
9. Are they local to the property
While, strictly speaking, it is not always necessary to pick a local conveyancing solicitor, it can help if they have good local knowledge and strong local connections with estate agents and other solicitors.
Remember how many separate parties are involved in a transaction this large, and how much it pays to have someone capable of connecting those dots together.
10. Do you get a good sense from the initial contact with the conveyancer that you can work together?
Sometimes, you’ve really just got to go with your gut instinct. While buying a house represents an incredibly exciting time in your life, it is also bound to have its stressful moments, and feeling comfortable with your conveyancer can have a profound impact on your experience, and how confident you feel from start to finish.
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