Choosing a solicitor

[BunnyMum2000]

How do you pick a solicitor?

I've asked friends for any recommendations - and in the meantime I'm googling to try and find local ones - but then I won't know if they are any good or not.

Should I ask our estate agent if they can recommended someone?

I'd be careful asking the estate agent.
Mine suggested one and the quote was several £100 higher than the one I used.

Do you have a mortgage broker?
Mine suggested a solicitor who was based in the North East. I was buying down south and it all worked out fine.
That said, I'd know the mortgage broker since school so trusted he wouldn't rip me off suggesting someone extortionate.

Have a look at reviews of local solicitors.
Don't accept the estate agent’s recommendation. We made that mistake.
People ask for recommendations on Facebook, but I think they aren’t often genuine.

My daughter works in an EA in NW. She went with a local who she knows is fab from her work experience. Ds is buying down south and using the same one! And the same broker!

Ask on here, just say where

This.....

We made that mistake and its been delay after delay after delay....

I'm a partner in a high street firm of solicitors.

A chain estate agent will get paid for referring you to their "recommended" firm. If the firm they recommend isn't local - they are definitely getting paid.

Many firms, especially those is the NE and NW aren't solicitors firms and the vast majority of their case handlers (the people who will run your transaction) are not qualified lawyers at all.

You are probably making the biggest financial transaction of your life. Is this the time to go for the cheapest deal?

Second this my seller used RG law they were so incompetent and asked my solicitor legal questions because they couldn't answer.

Honestly a local firm is best, conveyancing is low paid which is part of the issue

I would recommend this company. They acted for my son last year, and were the best conveyancers I have worked with. Ever. And I have bought and sold in excess of 15 houses. https://www.propertylawpartners.co.uk/

I used an online comparison site which suggested a firm in the NE (I am in London). I wish I had chosen one in London in the end - they wanted certified copies of my identity documents and I ended up paying a local solicitor to certify them - if it had been a local firm I could have taken them into their office. Also it was a pain emailing some documents as their email server kept bouncing the emails back (perhaps too many attachments? In the end I printed them off and sent them in the mail). But again, if there was a local office I could have just dropped them off. I think everything seemed to be done on the cheap and in a bit of an old-fashioned way (friends have used solicitors which verified ID immediately via a portal, and they could upload any documents easily).

Suffice to say that we have just received compensation from an online firm who were useless.

Get a local one with a physical office where you can pick up/drop off documents.

Don't go for an online -only one or one pushed on you by the EA.

It's worth saying that if you are buying a leasehold property or any other property that is likely to be complex (e.g. non-standard construction), do not use the cheap online conveyancing companies. Get a proper solicitor and outline any likely issues at the outset. This ensures that the person hired has the skills to complete the work and has sufficient insurance to cover any liabilities. The cheap firms are predicated on standard transactions and can't always deal with complex issues. They are also more likely to overlook things due to lack of due diligence.

I just went for the one along the road from the house were buying which happens to be next to our kids school.

Figured its right there if we need anything and we can pop in in person to sort anything.

Honestly looking at reviews and getting online quotes etc... all just blurred into nothingness. If they aren't dodgy with all 'terrible' 1 or 2 star reviews then its tends to all be much of a muchness.

Elite conveyancing Ltd. Currently using them and they're fantastic. I've dealt with the same person throughout and she answers me within hours, has dealt with everything so quickly and it's really shown up the other solicitors in our chain. They're more expensive but it's clear why, they are able to take on a more manageable workload as a result. Whatever you do, DO NOT go with Muve! Our vendor made that mistake and it delayed the process by 3 MONTHS while they literally did nothing, before my vendor then switched to a local one recommended by the EA. It isn't always a bad idea to go to EA recommended as they do often have a relationship and can help move things along. Don't cheap out on this one!

There's a whole Reddit thread dedicated to Muve it's scary

Thanks for all the advice - very helpful.

I contacted 3 local companies for quotes.
All responded very quickly.

However - 2 gave the wrong numbers - (We have our main residence but also own a flat that we rent out. If you are buying an additional property then there would be increased stamp duty - but if you are selling and replacing your main residence, then you don't get charged the higher stamp duty rates. But both sent me quotes with figures suggesting we had to pay this additional stamp duty - but different numbers - so not sure how they got there)

The third did give the right stamp duty amount - but I queried it as well - just to make sure, and today they've come back with a slightly different number, saying "The increase is because of the additional property", but its not. The rates change in April, and they'd clearly firstly run it before April and then after - so the increase is nothing to do with the additional property.

So I don't have much faith!!

We are using a great one but they're London based and more expensive than others - which is probably why we are finding them straightforward to work with.

If you're London based, happy to pass you information.

@kirinm Yes we're London - so that would be great, thanks!

Pick one the EA recommends

They deal with conveyancers every day and know which ones are good and efficient

I discuss particularly London EAs they recommend panel solicitors

This. Absolutely DO NOT use Muve. They delayed the sale of FiL's property by 4 months. And again they were unable to answer questions our lawyer put to them. They are so stupid when I gave them a very poor review on Trust Pilot they asked for my case number (I'd already explained I was the seller and so did not have a case number). Idiots.

OP I’m London based, and have used the same solicitor for all of our house sale transactions (5 in the last 3 years, from sales to remortgages). She’s based at a firm in Brighton, and she’s not the cheapest (when comparing to one of these simple online firms etc), but worth every single penny. Wouldn’t trust anyone else.
Also happy to pass on details if wanted.

Yes please!, thanks

Legal industry insider here.

A) Don't choose on price. Low-end, high-volume conveyancing firms pile loads of work on stressed out/burned out staff who often aren't exactly loving their jobs. You might get very lucky but atm with the stamp duty deadline approaching conveyancing firms are even more busy than usual. Avoid 'fixed fee.' This generally means you guarantee how much they are paid but they do not guarantee how much work they do for you, or how quickly.

B) If you have a complex transaction or fast deadline, go for a firm that is 'high end' enough to be motivated to keep their stellar reputation and their excellent Trustpilot reviews. Expect to pay above 4k for sale and purchase. Anyone recommended in Chambers and Partners or Spears is probably better than a firm that isn't but has a lot of Trustpilot reviews. The legal directories are very well researched.

C) There are national chains but I also look at whoever is the 'high end' firm in your local area. They have more to lose by doing a bad job for people in their community than a branch office of a big national firm does. A local firm that does not have say a central London HQ could well be just as good as a national firm and also cheaper. I would prefer a local firm whose website shows me the partners also have some national firm experience. That suggests they were good enough to get hired by a big firm originally and moved to local for lifestyle reasons.

D) Go with who your agent recommends if your agent is honest, efficient and seems highly motivated to manage your chain.

E) If your agent is recommending someone, get a competing quote from a comparable solicitors' firm to make sure not too much commission is changing hands, if any. I just used my agents' recommended solicitor because I knew the firm but I also argued them down on price after getting a competing quote from a firm that I know is in exactly the same bracket. Not sure how you would know which firms are in which bracket automatically (I know cos of work) but one tip is to use Linkedin to research where partners at a firm you are considering have worked previously.

F) Finally, its always great to ask friends in your local area. Be sure to try and use the same person they used and liked because different solicitors work to different standards in all firms.

Definitely a local one. We’ve had so many legal issues in our chain and being able to go and have them witness signatures and pass letters etc in person has been priceless.

Without recommendations, I’m not sure you’ll know if they’re any good without trying them.