How to choose a solicitor

[MrsMaow]

I’m buying a shared ownership new build property and will have 28 days to exchange contracts once the contract pack has been issued to my solicitor.

I don’t honestly know what’s even in a contract pack but I intend to google educate myself on that after posting this.

My question is, how do I choose a solicitor? Should I just use one of the ones the housing association recommends? This is so important I feel like I should appoint the best person possible but then is there really that much difference from one solicitor to the next as long as they’ve got experience of shared ownership conveyancing?

If I should do some research and find my own, what should I be asking? Obviously how much they charge and if they can commit to doing the work on time, but what else is important?

Thanks in advance for any input, I’m a first time buyer and never had cause to use a solicitor for anything else in the past so I have pretty much no idea what I’m doing. Please educate me!

I looked at online reviews and then chose the one my estate recommended. So far they've been great.

Assuming no friends or family have a recommendation? Personal recommendation is the best. Other than that as you say making sure they have shared ownership experience. Consider smaller, local firms rather than those with big marketing budgets. Try and get fixed fee quotes that you can compare and try and find someone you have a rapport with that you won’t mind chasing or asking to clarify/ explain things along the way.
Congrats on the house purchase!

Your solicitor doesn’t necessarily have to be local in order to do conveyancing for you. Mine was so brilliant that my sister who lives at the other end of the country used the same solicitor in her house purchase. So a recommendation wouldn’t have to come from a friend nearby.

Thanks for the responses, I don’t know anyone who had bought a shared ownership property that I can ask for a recommendation, so I’m just going to go with one of the three recommended ones, they’ve all got ok reviews from what I could find.

Before you sign up with anyone, make it crystal clear that it has to be fully done and dusted within the time period and check that the conveyancing clerk/solicitor who'll be dealing with it aren't going to be on holiday or maternity leave etc meaning the timescales can't be met!