25 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing Your Conveyancing Solicitor
So many Conveyancing solicitors to choose from, but where do you start?
Surely, all solicitors are the same so by just being a Solicitor it must mean any Solicitor would be able to carry out the Conveyancing on my house.
Conveyancing Quality Scheme:
Conveyancing may be process driven; draft contract, send enquiries, raise searches etc, but undoubtedly Conveyancing is complicated.
So much so that the Law Society has introduced a kite mark in Conveyancing to help consumers better judge which Conveyancing solicitors they should use in the sale or purchase of their home.
There are now over 1000 law firms accredited with the Conveyancing Quality Scheme or roughly 10% of law firms in the Country.
Clutton Cox were the 101st law firm to be accredited with the Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) kite mark
Question No 1:
A bit of an easy one – Is your Conveyancing Firm CQS accredited?
Other Questions to Ask Yourself before Choosing a Conveyancing Solicitor
But don’t just stop there: CQS is just the entry level.
You deserve a Conveyancing law firm who will give you what you want and not just what they think you need.
What you will need to do is to rely upon your own experience, and recall the last time you dealt with a professional recently, whether or not a Conveyancing Law Firm.
You need to ask yourself how you were treated, as it will help create a picture in your own mind of what you want from your Conveyancing Solicitors.
Ask yourself did they do the following?
2. Understand the unique nature of your matter?
3. Shut up and listen carefully to what you have to say?
4. Explain what they were going to do and why and not just assume you knew and already understood?
5. Help you understand the reasons behind what was going on rather than just telling you what was going on?
6. Keep you informed when you wanted to be, and how you wish to communicate; by letter, fax, email, text message or in person?
7. Avoid jargon and write to you in plain English?
8. Make sure they were accessible when you want them to be?
9. Keep their promises?
10. Keep to deadlines?
11. Involve you in major points of the work?
12. Show an interest beyond the work at hand?
13. Be helpful beyond the task for which they were paid?
14. Treat you as an individual not a case or matter number?
15 Guarantee to return every call by the end of the day?
16. Tell you your call is important, yet there are not enough staff to answer the phone to you and put you in a queue?
17. Assign you to this team or that, only for you to have to explain yourself over and over again?
18. Provide common sense solutions to problems without making a song and dance about it?
19. Counsel you and give you a helping hand, when the stress gets too much?
20. Give you all the charges before we start to work for you and no nasty bill shock?
21. Make it easy for you to make contact so you don’t have to take time off work?
22. Give you a guarantee that you can always speak to the solicitor dealing with your matter? Team GB may be one thing but do you want to be dealt with by Conveyancing Team this and that?
23. Give you access to your matter with web tracking and text updates?
24. Provide you with unrivalled local knowledge, and not just on legal matters?
25. Above all, provide testimonials from clients proving they don’t just talk the talk- but walk the walk!?
There we are. No real magic, but just a common sense approach to make your business relationship with your Conveyancing Solicitor as pleasant as possible.
So choose your priorities and put your shortlist of Conveyancing Solicitors to the test
Contrary to some public opinion, Conveyancing Solicitors are human as well! and we would love to show you we can meet your expectations and try very hard to exceed them.
You’ll find bags more advice in our unique Home Buying and Conveyancing Guide. It’s free to download
