How To Find & Choose The Right Solicitor

When buying or selling a property, most people need to choose a solicitor to help guide them through the legal process. You might also use the same solicitor to handle probate, wills or act as your executor.

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If only you could pop down to the supermarket and browse the shelves looking at the different solicitors and what sort of advice they offer.

If you were able to, you could look at the label and see which was most suitable for particular jobs.

However as that's not possible ...

How do you go about choosing a solicitor?

Let's first start off by asking.

What is a solicitor and what do you need to know?

To call yourself a solicitor you must be registered with the Law Society (see below for contact details).

Employing a qualified solicitor means that you are covered by a compensation scheme, should things go wrong at some point, causing you to lose out in some way financially or otherwise.

Somone who calls themselves a 'Legal Advisor' isn't regulated by the Law Society in the same way.

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Here are my tips on how to find and choose the right solicitor for you.

The law Society recommends that you speak with three solicitors before you make a decision about choosing a solicitor.
Make sure that you feel comfortable with how they handle your enquiry and questions. Did they spend time explaining the process or were they hasty and dismisive?
Some solicitors charge by the hour, while others charge a flat rate. Which are you comfortable with? Ask for an estimate of the total cost of handling your case and set an absolute limit.
Enquire about legal aid (obviously not for conveyencing and house purchases). You may be entitled to free representation.
Naturally a personal recommendation is a great starting point, but be sure that the solicitor was being recommended for the type of work that you want them to carry out. If you don't have a personal recommendation then...
Ask your Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) for the names of local solicitors who work in the area that you need.
Contact the governments Community Legal Service Direct (details below) for details of solicitors and advice agencies.
Be aware that the law differs slightly in Scotland and Northern Ireland so the Law Society has specific branches (details Below).

Choosing a solicitor needn't be as complicated or confusing as you may think, just do a bit of homework and follow the above advice.

Here's some more places to find good advice and help on finding solicitors.

Useful Resources

The Law Society - www.lawsoc.org.uk
Government Community Legal Service Direct - www.clsdirect.org.uk
Scottish branch of the Law Society - www.lawscot.org.uk

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