Results for Ashmans Solicitors:
Ashmans Solicitors in Dewsbury, Sheffield & London:
Amongst the review articles of our panel firms we've covered old-school firms, modern firms, hi-tech firms, and even those trying to be everything to everyone. We've issued praise and criticism where appropriate, but have always tried to cover the things relating to the firm as a whole. It's that overall impression that's we're looking to convey rather than simply providing a list of facts.
Ashmans Solicitors, however, is unique. I struggled to form the overall opinion I was looking for because my typical research methods didn't give me the information I needed to do so. For example, if you search for Ashmans Solicitors on a search engine - you won't find much about them. Usually that means they are new, or not very big, or both. But the further down the results I went, bits and pieces started to appear.
A hugely interesting piece on the Telegraph website entitled "Why lawyers are a crucial line of defence for tackling money laundering" explains how law firms are on the front line when it comes to criminals and their money. Organised crime costs the UK economy an estimated £24bn annually not to mention the human cost resulting from terrorism, people-smuggling, drug dealing and so on. It's a strong article. An important article. Yet the telegraph only quotes one source for comment in relation to defending people who have been accused of such crimes:
Ashmans also started showing up as being partnered/connected to various other firms and agencies such as the Health and Safety Lawyers' Association. But this seems to no longer be the case.
Next, on browsing through the firm's website I saw that the News section was filled with content pages about various types of possible cases, rather than any actual news. Usually, this would lead me to believe that the firm was more concerned with ranking extra content pages on search engines than providing visitors with useful information. However, they have a separate Notable Cases section which not only provides more information than a typical news feed - but exceeds most law firm's news feeds when it comes to pure interest. So that even when you're left in the dark about the details of the R -v- MD & Others Old Bailey murder trial, cases such as R -v- CV Leeds Crown Court provide you with a wealth of details that (even if you can't understand them) demonstrate the real need for good, experienced representation.
It didn't stop there though. Just as I was about to dismiss their testimonials because of this typically bland and cheesy quote on their front page:
On clicking to view the full Testimonials page, it turns out this was simply an excerpt from a much larger testimonial. In fact, every testimonial on the page was several sentences and sometimes a few paragraphs long. Not just from clients either, but from the barristers Ashmans has worked with too.
So, what do Ashmans offer? Well, first here is what they must consider to be their greatest selling points as this information takes prime position on their front page:
The same paragraph is also included on their About Us page as well, and yes - those things can set one firm apart from another when a client is looking for flexibility. Visiting people at home and out of hours is something we're gladly seeing more of when it comes to people with jobs and/or disabilities. But the uptake of that mindset across the legal industry is slow to say the least.
Ashmans go on to list their case areas as Family Law, Fraud Defence, Criminal Law, Motoring Defence, and Personal Injury. Each has it's own individual page stating relevant information and listing the types of issue that would fall under that categorisation - e.g. on the Family Law page is listed issues such as Divorce and Separation, Occupation Orders, Forced Marriage Protection Orders, Child Arrangement Orders, Prohibited Steps Order, Parental Responsibility Agreements, Grandparents Rights, Change of Name, etc.
One statement on their website that we don't think has enough attention drawn to it is:
With all the cuts in legal aid for an increasing range of case types, plus the low earnings compared to what most solicitors can charge directly - I don't think people realise just how rare firms that work with Legal Aid are becoming.
So after all that, can I provide an overall summary of the firm? What overall impression have you gained from the information above? Perhaps as I'm struggling to find my own interpretation, I'll leave it to the firm themselves to sum everything up:
Obviously with the double 's' in the main web address of www.ashmanssolicitors.com, we should make a brief mention on navigation. Please note that whilst www.ashmanssolicitors.co.uk displays the exact same information as the .com, neither www.ashmansolicitors.com or www.ashmansolicitors.co.uk display anything at the moment. However, the firm have listed the .com with us and everyone else so it may be an idea to bookmark that site once you're on it just in case.
Rate this article:
Currently rated 4.6 from 26 votes*
General Notes: Legal Aid availability changes constantly, so ask up front. If you are looking for a career with Ashmans Solicitors it's best to visit the website (www.ashmanssolicitors.com) and locate the correct phone/email contact details. Any quoted here will be for potential clients. Alternating or adding words such as Ashmans Solicitors Ltd may bring up different background/reviews on the firm. Each firm's Law Society and/or SRA number should be on their site too.