How to Choose a Great Conveyancing Solicitor

Conveyancing Solicitors Newcastle and Sunderland

Most of our Conveyancing clients at Emmersons Solicitors have instructed us because we were recommended to them by their family, friends or business contacts. Others have read the reviews we receive on social media sites or have been impressed with our website.

The question remains, should you accept a recommendation from the seller’s estate agent for a Conveyancing Solicitor to assist you to purchase a property? It is a question a lot of buyers face. Or do you simply Google “conveyancer” and hope for the best?

My boiler broke down recently and I rang a few online plumbers but ended up speaking to various national call centres who ultimately outsource the work to a local plumber. In the end I took a recommendation from a personal friend and couldn’t be more pleased.

The majority of my work comes from recommendations from past clients so why not take a recommendation from someone who works in the field and deals with solicitors on a regular basis?

Certainly, a good number of my clients have told me they felt pressured to use the agents or builders “in house” or “panel” conveyancer. “It will be quicker” or “It will be cheaper”.

What you need to appreciate is that the seller’s agent, as you may have guessed, works for the seller. Solicitors appointed by builders may not challenge the builders in the same way that we would. Their interest in the matter is largely financial. What should be made clear, and worryingly I am told rarely is, is that the agent may have an arrangement with the recommended lawyer, or via a “middle man” panel manager, who will then pay the agent for the work.

We actually had one of these panel companies contact our firm recently to offer us such work. They would put us in touch with local agents and, we would pay a sliding fee for the work. When we looked at the agreement, this worried us greatly. The panel would control all issues relating to the file. It must be remembered that we are here to represent you, not a middle man panel and not the seller’s agent. We cannot sign up to a scheme that, in effect, means that we have to provide confidential information on your file to third parties. Suffice to say we were not interested and had real concerns about the level of service which could be offered.

Our job is to protect you. What if your funding is problematic for any reason, you don’t want the whole world to know that. You do not want to lose your purchase.

All I would say is that if you receive a recommendation, from anyone, call the lawyer yourself. How clear was the quote? Were you assured your file would be dealt with by a named conveyancer? Would you have direct contact to that conveyancer?

You can also call us. I am very proud of our conveyancing team and can assure you they will impress.

Stephen Donohue: Head of Residential Conveyancing

If you need to help with the issues raised above, contact:

Conveyancing Solicitors Newcastle:  0191 284 6989

Conveyancing Solicitors Sunderland: 0191 567 6667

Email us: enquiries@emmersons-solicitors.co.uk

Complete our Online Enquiry Form

You can also park opposite our Sunderland Office on John Street.