Really crap solicitors - am I legally allowed to recommend NOT using them?

[BeWaryOfCrapSolicitors]

I am a regular, but have namechanged until I know where I stand re this query.

We are in the process of buying a flat, and the solicitors we are using are completely rubbish.

My concerns are:

they don't communicate effectively with us - that is, bother replying to my emails - despite me emailing repeatedly re queries and for acknowledgement of things

they don't talk to one another, or check things - I was asked a fortnight after I transferred payment, when was I going to transfer payment? Upon transfer of payment I had asked for them to confirm that this had happened, and they ignored my request for confirmation.

they are disorganised - they have just asked us a full MONTH after acknowledging receipt of essential documents, that they didn't actually receive them. When I emailed them (twice) to ask whether this material had turned up, they confirmed that it had. A month later they then asked us to send this material again as they'd never received it, and when I queried the confirmation email, their response was "oh, he thought you meant something else".

So they're asking me to send them all of this information again by registered courier - I really don't think I'm going to trust them with my passport, birth certificate etc if they can't manage a simple email!

I have complained to the manager, outlining these concerns re lack of communication and disorganisation. He thinks they've managed everything fine, considering that they've recently merged with another company, have had staff off sick and on holiday, and have just moved offices, and can't see why I have a problem.

What is the legal situation re me telling you all which company this is (Cliftonville, with an office in London), and recommending that you find other representation and not to use them?

Will be interested to see whether anyone knows - our solicitor was crap too. We exchanged before they told us there were restrictive covenants on our property and they lost our deposit cheque even though I took it into their office and handed it to them!!

It seems as though solicitors can get away with being shockingly awful and still get paid - the rest of us would get the sack if we were so incompetent

If you have made a complaint to your solicitor and you feel they have not dealt with the complaint satisfactorily, you should complain to the Legal Ombudsman. A link to one of their leaflets is here:-

www.legalombudsman.org.uk/downloads/documents/publications/whattodo_screen_v0.1.pdf

The only problem I can see with you naming and shaming here is if your allegations are false, in which case the solicitors may have a claim against you for libel (defamation). So be clear about your facts and keep good records!

1percentawake - If your solicitors allowed you to exchange without informing you of restrictive covenants and you have suffered loss as a result, you should be taking legal advice with a view to making a claim against them for negligence. I am imagining they sorted it out before completion though!! But even if you haven't suffered financial loss but have suffered stress and inconvenience, use their complaints procedure.

Another one here that would also like to know.
We had a purchase fall through after they completely ignored the 'drop dead exchange by' date and the asking price went up by 24k (also 24%!)
Although I had all phone records and emails they 'mysteriously' had no notes in the file to cover 3 x 15-20 mins conversations.
We asked to look at the files and there were notes pages torn out [hshock]
Eventually they refunded fees but we still lost the property

Thanks for your comments - I am wary of taking a solicitor practice on in a legal challenge, for obvious reasons, but I just want to feel that we have some redress.

That said, I don't feel that they've been criminally negligent, just lazy, discourteous, disorganised and generally crap. Their behaviour certainly hasn't impacted on us to the extent that Jackstini experienced - wow! Is it too late for you to take that further? That IS criminal!