Results for Oakwood Solicitors Ltd:
Oakwood Solicitors Ltd & Oakwood Property Solicitors in Leeds:
Modern technology has brought services from across the UK to our fingertips. This should mean everyone has a much wider range of choice when it comes to getting help. If you have access to the possible services of 100,000 solicitors nationwide rather than just the few local law firms around you - surely you are better off?
Yes, there is more choice. But unfortunately when the only shop window into the company is their website you don't get the same instant useful impression that comes from actually stepping into an office. It doesn't help that so many law firms repeat the same sales pitches, use the same language and even seem to use the same stock photos. So what can you do?
"As a multi service law firm based in Leeds, we offer clear, practical support and guidance for all of the legal issues affecting individuals and businesses"
That's a snippet from the site of the firm Oakwood Solicitors. It sounds great, is clear about their location, and indicates that they offer services for both private matters and commercial ones. However, if you've wandered through a dozen or more legal service websites today you'll have come across lots of phrases such as this one which is also from the Oakwood website:
"Traditional law, modern ways."
Many firms will make similar claims about being 'modern', 'experienced', 'efficient' and even downright 'friendly'. But while these terms sound wonderful, they are not really helpful for consumers in their search to tell firms apart. It's hard to know if a firm is friendly from their website only, and unless there are firms out there claiming the opposite (i.e. that they are out of date, inexperienced, and inefficient) those descriptions are universal so also do not help you distinguish one firm from another.
"Our dedicated team of lawyers are committed in delivering the service you deserve by providing tailored legal solutions with your best interest at heart."
Luckily there are several things you can do to get background information on firms from independent sources. Oakwood have a staff information section on their website which is great. Especially the fact they offer direct contact details for each staff member as well. That's much rarer than you might think and indicates a far better chance your solicitor will be directly involved in the case. There are still far too many solicitors taking on a case then placing all the communication responsibility on a secretary or paralegal.
If you want to look a little deeper into any firm in England & Wales though, we absolutely recommend checking out to see if The Law Society for your country has them on their books. For example for this firm you can see details about all offices, contact details, people that work there, languages spoken, and so on. More importantly you can see the actual qualification dates and areas of law for each registered solicitor at the firm.
"Our Solicitors, Paralegals and support staff take great pride in the service we offer to our clients."
This is especially useful in working out whether a firm has actual real experience. Some firms will try to intimate experience with tag lines about having 'been in business for over forty years' or even ancient founding dates such as 'established in 1891'. But the age of the firm does not indicate the experience level of the solicitors within it. You could get a 1-year qualified lawyer from a 100-year-old brand name.
Oakwood clearly have a wide range of experience covering almost the last five decades. Whilst some of their staff are fairly new to the industry such as Asimah Ali who qualified in 2023, you also have Katie Bell who became a solicitor in 2013, Charlotte Bandawe in 2005, Sarah Hull in 1998, right up to Deborah Procter who qualified in 1988. A selection of seasoned minds with hopefully some fresh eyes mixed in?
"kept fully informed at all times"
"Very professional and to the point"
"very professional and positive experience"
"excellent service, communication and great results"
"Very professional and to the point"
"very professional and positive experience"
"excellent service, communication and great results"
Of course most people want to view comments from past customers. Those were some snippets from the firm's own website where they list several such testimonials. However, our poll a few years back indicated that only 9% of people trusted company provided testimonials. Most preferred to read the experiences of previous clients on independent boards such as Facebook, Google, Trustpilot, etc. So how do they compare?
"dealt with the case very professionally and promptly"
"made everything easy for me understand each step of the claim"
"extremely helpful and kind"
"was in constant communication with me throughout"
"made everything easy for me understand each step of the claim"
"extremely helpful and kind"
"was in constant communication with me throughout"
The review forums we checked displayed plenty of positive comments too. We should make a quick note on navigation. The firm's name is actually quite unique so various searches such as "oakwood law" brought up the same firm. The official website is www.oakwoodsolicitors.co.uk matching the branding which is also very helpful. The website is HTTPS secure for submitting your personal details on their contact form as well.
However, you need to be extra careful online these days especially if you are seeking help with a property matter. For example, the .com version of the firm's site is not in use and they have a separate website for their property sales information at www.oakwoodpropertysolicitors.co.uk Noticing things like this are hugely important as thousands of people have been conned into handing their entire mortgage deposit to fraudsters. So pay attention and certainly never change payment details based on an 'official-looking' email.
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General Notes: Legal Aid availability changes constantly, so ask up front. If you are looking for a career with Oakwood Solicitors Ltd it's best to visit the website (www.oakwoodsolicitors.co.uk) and locate the correct phone/email contact details. Any quoted here will be for potential clients. Alternating or adding words such as Oakwood Property Solicitors may bring up different background/reviews on the firm. Each firm's Law Society and/or SRA number should be on their site too.