Christelle Thompson Solicitors Near Me

Power Of Attorney Solicitors Near Me

When giving someone power of attorney, using a legal professional keeps everything safe and secure. But who will you use? An internet search for “power of attorney solicitors near me” isn’t enough.

These are crucial decisions that will have a direct impact on your quality of life or that of someone close to you.

According to the Law Society, using experienced power of attorney solicitors is the best way to set up this kind of arrangement and make sure it is in the best interests of the donor.

To contact a solicitor near you call us on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry

Here’s what you need to know before you do:

What is the difference between Power of Attorney and Lasting Power?

Before you decide which solicitor to use, it’s important to understand that there is more than one type of power of attorney:

1) Standard Power of Attorney

A “standard” Power of Attorney (PA) lets one individual make decisions for another, the donor. This can only be while the donor has mental capacity and for matters of finance, property, and investments.

It’s often used when one individual can’t be present because of illness or immobility, whereupon their attorney signs documents or makes decisions on their behalf.

A standard Power of Attorney normally has a set end date. It also ends if the donor loses the mental capacity to make decisions.

2) Lasting Power of Attorney

As the name suggests, a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) gives someone the ability to make decisions on a donor’s behalf on a more permanent or longer-lasting basis.

There are two types of LPA. One governs financial decisions, covering similar areas to a standard Power of Attorney. The other is an LPA for health and care, covering everything from medical care decisions to the donor you will live, eat, and who you can see.

This kind of power of attorney will only come into effect if the donor loses mental capacity – the ability to make decisions for themselves. They have to possess mental capacity in order to set up the LPA in the first place.

This kind of PA is commonly put into place when a person becomes aware they may lose the ability to make decisions in future because of a progressive condition such as dementia.

3) Enduring Power of Attorney

As of 2007 and the Mental Capacity Act, no new Enduring Power of Attorney can be applied for. These once covered a similar sort of area as an LPA for financial decisions, but are now outdated.

An Enduring Power of Attorney registered before the cut-off date in 2007 will still have force but may need to be updated to be in line with the act.

Why use a Power of Attorney solicitor?

You do not legally have to use a solicitor to register a Power of Attorney or an LPA. However:

Life-altering decisions – these are often critical, highly personal decisions that will govern your quality of life. It’s worth knowing the arrangements are correct and legally binding.
Professional advice – with such weighty legal and personal matters, it’s good to get expert advice as to the best way to proceed. A solicitor will provide that.
Remove the burden – help loved ones by taking these stressful and challenging decisions out of their hands and entrusting them to a professional.

How to choose a Power of Attorney solicitor near you

Finding a trustworthy power of attorney solicitor near you calls for more than a quick internet search. It’s a good idea to:

Get in touch – the best way to determine if you can form a good working relationship with your solicitor is to speak with them. It’s always nice to deal with people who are friendly and approachable as well as legal experts.
View their reviews or reputation – online reviews can help illuminate a practice’s reputation, though it’s important to remember that most satisfied clients don’t tend to write reviews.
Check their history – how long has the practice been in the local area? For example, E A Harris has served Shotton, Connah’s Quay, Queensferry, Ewloe, Hawarden and Buckley for over 100 years.

What the solicitor will need to know

Before they can give you helpful and accurate advice, any power of attorney solicitor will need to know:

Your will status – whether you have made a will.
Your attorney choice – who you would choose to make decisions for you.
Your assets – including any property and your income.
Your special wishes and conditions – any ways you may want your assets to be handled or medical conditions you might have.
Your permission to get this advice – if you are acting on behalf of someone else who may wish to give you their attorney.

Once they have this, your chosen solicitor should have everything they need to guide you in setting up the correct kind of power of attorney in a way that is good for you, the donor, and your nearest and dearest.

Contact us today to get a cost and commitment-free quote or to get expert advice from our friendly and approachable team.

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Let us know a little about your situation on 0845 1391399 or by completing a Free Online Enquiry today and we can connect you with a legal specialist who can give you the kind of advice you’re looking for.

Probate Solicitors Near Me

Probate solicitors near me: how to choose

If you’ve reached the point where you are searching for “probate solicitors near me” online, here are a few hints to guide you in how to choose the solicitors that are best for you in your local area:

To contact a solicitor near you call us on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry

How To Choose Probate Solicitors

1) Consider The Firm That Drew Up The Will

Though it’s no guarantee of quality, choosing the firm that drew up the will in the first place will at least ensure they are familiar with all the details.

Hopefully, the probate solicitor who you speak to will be the actual individual who spoke to the testator (the person whose will it is) about their wishes.

Of course, the will may have been drawn up without a solicitor or by a bank. Nevertheless, this can be a good place to start.

2) Use The “Family Solicitor” Or Ask For Recommendations

Does your family have a go-to solicitor? Could there be one you don’t know about? Or one that does exist but simply hasn’t been mentioned around the dinner table before? It’s worth at least asking.

You might also ask people you know for recommendations on solicitors they’ve used before and thought well of. You could enquire wit

Family members
Friends, acquaintances, and neighbours
Work colleagues

3) Look For The Local Connection

Another way to find a solicitor you can trust is a firm with a strong local history. By way of example, EA Harris has been serving Shotton, Connah’s Quay, Queensferry, Ewloe, Hawarden, and Buckley for over a century.

4) Check Their Fees

Probate solicitors’ fees are always worth asking about before you agree to use them. Most will provide you with a free quote.

It is important to understand that there are a number of different ways that probate solicitors structure their fees:

Hourly rates – this is a flexible option and well suited to situations where the probate process might be relatively simple to complete. You should be able to request an indication of the overall cost before you start.

Fixed fees – the main advantage of fixed fees is that you know precisely how much you pay going in.

Percentage of the estate – some solicitors may charge a small percentage of the overall value of the estate as their fee. This can represent good value in cases where the probate process is likely to be very complicated.

Understanding how probate solicitors’ fees work is particularly important if you are the executor of a will. This is because probate fees can be contested by beneficiaries who feel their inheritance has been unfairly penalised by fees that are too high.

In cases like this, you can be left liable for repaying any contested costs. This means it is worth ensuring solicitors’ fees are reasonable – even to the point of seeking the agreement of any beneficiaries before you confirm you will use specific solicitors.

5) Examine Their Professional Qualifications

It is always worth checking that your solicitor has the right professional qualifications. For instance, EA Harris has Law Society LEXCEL accreditation.

Most solicitors are keen to shout about their qualifications, so they should be easy to spot.

6) Get A Feel For Their Communication Style

The number one complaint of anyone who has ever used a lawyer or solicitor for any task will always be that their communication wasn’t as fast or responsive as the client would have wished.

You can often get a sense of this right from the start. Reach out to any lawyer you are considering and see how they respond. Do they:

Reply to your emails in a timely and helpful fashion?
Answer your phone calls or call you back within a reasonable timeframe?
Speak politely and respectfully?
Communicate in plain English and explain any legal terms?
Feel like they are here to help you?

There’s a certain amount of gut feeling involved in this. But with so much resting on being able to communicate clearly, it can be one of the most important things to judge before making your decision about probate solicitors near you.

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Wills Solicitors Near Me

Wills solicitors near me – selecting the most suitable for you

Selecting a legal expert to help you write a will is the safest way to do it. If you haven’t used a solicitor before though, it can be difficult to know which to choose. An online search for “wills solicitors near me” is sure to present many options. So, how do you pick?

To contact a solicitor near you call us on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry

Follow these guidelines and you should be well on your way to selecting the most suitable candidate:

How To Choose Wills Solicitors Near You

1) Check Their Fees

The Law Society – the professional association of solicitors in England and Wales – recommends that solicitors charge the following fees for writing a will:

0.75% of the value of any property in the will
1.5% of the value of other assets
Any additional fees on top

These are the base guidelines for fees you can expect. Be sure to work out if those are in line with what you’ve been offered by any solicitor you reach out to.

If you can get a free quote, that’s definitely a good idea. You also want to ensure you understand what extra fees you might be liable for and exactly what these are.

2) Examine Their Qualifications

Checking to make sure your will solicitor is qualified to give you legal advice sounds obvious. Yet it’s something that lots of people fail to check before going choosing a service, only to face problems later.

A good source of reliable accreditation is the previously mentioned Law Society. For instance, EA Harris has Law Society LEXCEL accreditation. This tells you we have approved standards and case management systems.

3) Explore Their Reputation

If you haven’t used a particular wills solicitor before, it can be difficult to know the level of service you can expect. If they’re local, try searching out local opinion. Ask friends and family if they – or anyone they know – has had a positive experience with a firm before.

You should also check for testimonials on the firm’s website – especially if they provide actual details of the persons using their services who you might be able to follow up with.

4) Test Their Approach To Communication

This is often less important with a wills solicitor than it is with other legal services lawyers provide – conveyancing, probate, or family law for example – because you theoretically won’t need their services on an ongoing basis.

For instance, when choosing a conveyancing solicitor, you don’t want to be left having to constantly chase to get an update as to where the process is currently at. A will solicitor should only be needed once or very intermittently. This makes constant, reliable contact less important.

That said, good communication skills and a helpful attitude are important for any legal specialist. They should be clear about what it means for you to set your will up in the way you want. They should do so without legal jargon or condescending to you.

The one time this is likely to become more valuable is when you update your will. This is worth doing whenever you pass a major life event, such as when you:

Get married
Get divorced or separate
Have a child
Buy an expensive asset or property
Get a little older (by which is meant it’s wise to review your will every five years or so)

5) See If They Offer Executor Services (Or Other Support)

There are several roles that it is vital to find people to fill if your will is going to be valid. One of those roles is the executor. You normally need at least two of these (to cover circumstances where one executor predeceases the testator – the person whose will it is).

The job of an executor is to make sure the wishes in your will are carried out. It’s a responsible role and can place a great deal of pressure on a loved one already dealing with grief. For this reason, many people choose to name a solicitor as an executor of their will.

If this is something that might be helpful to you, it is worth enquiring about it at the same time as you’re choosing between wills solicitors near you. On top of getting peace of mind, you might be able to secure a discount – or at least a favourable quote – if you book multiple services simultaneously.

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Family Law Solicitors Near Me

A search for “family law solicitors near me” is often prompted by an emotional or difficult issue like a relationship breakdown.

This makes choosing the right option – out of the many you are likely to be presented with, depending on where you live in the country – a difficult decision. Especially if you haven’t needed to use a solicitor before.

To contact a solicitor near you call us on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry

If this sounds like the situation you find yourself facing, here are some sensible steps to take before you simply choose the top search result and hope for the best:

How To Choose A Family Law Solicitor

1) Talk To Friends And Family

Good family solicitors often leave a legacy of trust and reliability in their wake. This makes them one of the better types of lawyers to ask for recommendations about.

Check with your friends and family, colleagues, and anyone else you know or trust for family lawyers they’ve used in the past.

Because an internet search is all very well. But it can be challenging to determine the reliable options from the others available. It is also sometimes risky to rely on online reviews.

This is because happy clients don’t tend to leave reviews unless prompted. Whereas those who didn’t get the outcome they were looking for – perhaps because of weaknesses in their case – are quick to leave a review. A personal recommendation can usually be trusted much more.

You might also consider each law firm’s length of standing in the local community.

2) Check Pofessional Credentials

One simple way of narrowing down your list of possible choices is to check the professional qualifications of the solicitors you are considering using.

3) Reach Out To Talk

More than anything else, reaching out to any solicitor you have been recommended (or found in an online search and trust the credentials of) will be a good way to get a “read” on the kind of support they will give you.

Being able to establish a rapport is often very important with a family solicitor. You will likely want to feel that they are completely non-judgemental and on your side.

The best way to do this is to have a chat and see what sense you get of them. Are they polite and supportive? What sort of approach does it sound like they have? Did they answer the phone when you called?

If your gut response is that you could work with them, see if they offer a free initial discussion (EA Harris does). You can use this discussion to get a better feel for them and talk over your specific situation.

4) Discuss Approaches

After you’ve got a reasonable sense of how your solicitor communicates, it’s time to see what they suggest for your case.

Though this is a generalisation, the goal in most family law cases should be to try to resolve whatever situation you are facing in as amicable a fashion as possible. This minimises any cost to you and the amount of time it will take.

You may be all too aware that this might not be possible in your case. Perhaps relations with your former partner have deteriorated past this point.

However, it would be a good sign if your prospective family law solicitor at least brings up the topic of mediation. This is a formal process where a trained professional mediator allows both parties to attempt to resolve the situation through guided negotiation.

In general, you should aim to get a clear idea of the strategic approach your lawyer recommends and the level of success they have had with this approach in the past.

5) Get A Clear Quote Or Fee Structure

Finally, it’s time to talk price. You should never engage any kind of solicitor without getting a clear idea of their pricing structure – and ideally a free quote.

You can then compare this against other law firms in the local area you are considering. Price doesn’t always reflect quality. But for most people, budget is a definite concern when choosing a family law solicitor near them. Make sure you don’t end up facing a surprise bill later on.

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Personal Injury Solicitors Near Me

Personal injury solicitors near me – 7 questions to ask yours

One area of the law where you will find plenty of healthy competition is personal injury claims. Potentially, this makes choosing the right expert to represent you difficult. If a quick search for “personal injury solicitors near me” has turned up more results than you know what to do with, here are some questions you can ask to narrow the field:

To contact a solicitor near you call us on 0845 1391399 or complete a Free Online Enquiry

How To Choose A Personal Injury Solicitor

1) Do They Come Recommended?

If you or anyone you know has used a personal injury lawyer before and successfully made a claim, that’s a good recommendation in and of itself.

You can also check online reviews, though be aware these don’t always tell the whole story. The majority of people who were happy with the service they received don’t leave a review. On the other hand, one client who thought they were due a payout (but legally weren’t) can bring a score down.

Getting a recommendation from family or friends will often be best.

2) Are They Local?

A local law firm is likely to provide you with a more personal service than a major player with thousands of clients. They can devote more time to your case and arguably have more to gain from following your claim through successfully.

Check to see if the law firm you are considering using to press your personal injury claim is local to you.

3) Are They Accredited By The Law Society?

The Law Society is the professional body that represents lawyers in England and Wales. Seeing any kind of accreditation from them is a solid sign that the solicitor you’re considering can be trusted to work well for you.

There are many other kinds of professional accreditation, but the Law Society is probably the most reputable and reliable one.

4) What Do They Say When You Reach Out?

Research will only get you so far. The next step is to reach out to any personal injury lawyer you are considering using and see how you feel about them.

Your initial reaction and general instinct will go a long way. Though some people deride using this sort of response to judge anything, gut instinct often encompasses a whole host of indications about the people we meet, both good and bad.

Check in with yourself after you reach out to any law firm and consider:

Do you get a good feeling about the way they communicate?
Do they respond quickly to emails or phone calls?
Do they listen carefully to what you tell them?

5) Will They Discuss Your Case And Their Services For Free?

Any solicitor should be willing to talk through your case and explain more about their services and the way they work for free.

To make sure they have something to base their assessment on, you might want to bring any of the following with you to any initial meeting:

Any evidence at all about your accident or illness
Any medical evidence or reports
Any notes about timelines – what happened and when – if your claim relates to long-term activities, such as exposure in the workplace

6) What Are Their Terms Of Service?

This is going to be perhaps the most boring task to complete. Sadly though, it is important to understand the terms and conditions of service of any personal injury solicitor before you decide to use them.

The fees are most important (and we’ll get to that). But you do also need to understand any client agreement document you are sent well before you sign it.

If there are any sections you aren’t clear on, be sure to mark them, ask about them, and not put your name on the dotted line until you are completely satisfied as to the meaning.

7) How Much Are Their Solicitors’ Fees?

It is important to note that, following changes to a key piece of 2012 legislation, you cannot get legal aid to help you with the cost of personal injury claims. Different law firms also have different pricing structures for them.

The most common is a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). It’s the technical name for No-Win, No-Fee.

However, the “fee” part of the equation can vary. Always check what percentage of any compensation claim your solicitor will take should you be successful. The maximum is 25%.

Not every personal injury solicitor works on a No-Win, No-Fee basis. Some have fixed-cost payment structures. The most important thing is that they are clear and upfront with you about what you will pay and when.

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