Free Legal Work

You've seen the adverts but are they too good to be true? The simple answer is yes. As the saying goes, "there is no such thing as a free lunch". The companies that try to lure consumers into their web with superficially attractive offers are normally the most profit driven and aggressive businesses. And where is their profit coming from? Who is paying for the advertising and the bonuses? The answer is you.

Don't fall for the offer of free legal work as a hook to tie you into expensive financial products. The charges on these can be far more than the legal fees, so it is the opposite of a cheap option. As well as costing you more we hear constantly from clients who come back to us complaining about the poor service they have received from these organisations. As often as not anyone taking up one of these offers will have to deal with a call centre and will never meet the person dealing with the matter (who probably isn't a solicitor anyway).

If, for example, you are buying a house you are making probably the most significant spending commitment of your life. The paperwork can be complex and it is important to get it right or it could have very serious consequences. You need someone who knows both the law and the local housing market and is willing to get to know you too. We know the problems and how to solve them and we are always accessible to talk things through to give you complete peace of mind.

Beware that in personal injury claims there is a very active market in "referrals". You may have been injured but your insurance company or some other referrer under the guise of being helpful will try and sell your case to the highest bidder. The going rate is in the region of £750 per claim which means that most of the profit goes to the referrer. The solicitor dealing with the matter is often limited in the amount he is able to recover from the other side which means his profit margins are very tight and he can only make money by having a large workload and cutting corners. The result again is that you will not have direct face to face contact with your solicitor (if indeed it is a solicitor dealing with the matter), you get a second class service and may even find that your case has been settled for a lot less than it is worth.

The message from all this is very clear. Don't fall for slick marketing, have a clear view of where your best interests lie and follow them to take an informed decision. So, no gimmicks and no giveaways, but our promise is:

• We are local solicitors who work to nationally recognised standards and we can offer a better more individual service.
• We offer existing clients free initial advice on any matter without obligation.
• We are independent. We never pay or receive referral fees or have commission sharing arrangements with anyone
• You will have personal contact with a qualified solicitor by whatever method you choose.