Results for Simper Law Ltd:
Simper Law Ltd - Solicitors in Norwich & Great Yarmouth:
Our article today is about Simper Law which turns out to be much more of a unique offering than expected. It also has a few quirks that will allow us to discuss important things to pay attention to when researching the best firm for your specific needs.
At first glance Simper Law looks like a regular high street style setup with standard offices and several staff. They even kick off their website with a self-description of being "a small law firm of Norwich solicitors". The case range seems quite large for a small firm though, stating they handle:
"Building Disputes, Business Support, Contested Probate, Court of Protection, General Contractual Disputes, Inheritance and Tax Planning, Medical Negligence, Neighbour Disputes, Personal Injury, Powers of Attorney, Probate and Estate Administration, Wills"
Normally this is when we talk about 'jack of all trades' solicitors trying to get too many clients whilst not being able to keep up with the all the changes in each area of law. However the case range quoted above is not actually as diverse as it looks. For example several are related litigation matters (e.g. Personal Injury, Neighbour Disputes, Medical Negligence, etc.) just different types of cases that can be brought within that area of law.
In reality then, all the case types listed can be broken down into just three areas of law - Litigation, Estate Planning, and Commercial Law. Which makes it far more believable that a self-proclaimed "small firm" can have a decent level of expertise and experience in all of them.
"our practice has quickly gained a good reputation within the legal world"
In most industries these days people praise the 'new'. Tech companies, restaurants, social media providers, and so on are always on the look out for the next new thing. For some reason though, the legal industry still has the complete opposite mentality. This is showcased by the number of law firms still boasting ancient founding dates such as 'established in 1771' as if having an ancient brand name above the door makes a difference to the services provided.
Simpler Law became a Limited firm in 2016 which makes it sound almost a baby compared to many law firms out there. But it goes without saying that you can end up with a 1-year-qualified, completely inexperienced solicitor from a 200-year-old law firm just the same as you could get a 40-year-guru lawyer from a 1-year-old firm. The age of the firm's brand name is pretty much meaningless and often tenuously worked out to begin with using the wife's-cousin's-dog's-next-door-neighbour approach to linking up the current firm with an older name.
"Between them, our solicitors have around 50 years' experience in law, and are passionate about working with all types of clients, both personal and commercial."
Most law firms will make a claim about the amount of years experience within the firm. But if you want to find out how many years your actual solicitor has behind them, the best resource is their local law society. Luckily this firm is registered with The Law Society of England & Wales which has the best user-side offering we've seen amongst such organisations. If you check out the page for any firm registered with them you'll be shown alternate contact details, other office locations, languages spoken, and more.
You'll also be shown the qualification dates and specific case expertise of each solicitor within the firm. At Simper Law they have legal professionals from each of the last three decades available. Kim Simper comes up as having qualified as a solicitor in 1992, with Sally Riches qualifying in 2001, and Victoria Rose-Smart in 2016. There are others as well in between those dates providing a good mix of seasoned experience alongside fresh legs and ideas.
"Victoria is the perfect Solicitor and will fight your corner every step of the way"
"Victoria was able to take the emotion out of my case and look at it objectively"
"I would like to thank Kim for her patience and advice in putting together a somewhat complicated Will"
"I'm so very grateful to Kim and her team for helping me to make a will that covered my wishes"
"Victoria was able to take the emotion out of my case and look at it objectively"
"I would like to thank Kim for her patience and advice in putting together a somewhat complicated Will"
"I'm so very grateful to Kim and her team for helping me to make a will that covered my wishes"
Most people's first point of call when researching a firm's suitability for them is reviews. So what are previous clients saying about the firm? The snippets above are from testimonials posted on the firm's own website. Last year we ran a poll asking people whether they paid attention to testimonials on company websites and only 8% of you said you did. That means most rely on the public review forums such as Google, Facebook, Yelp, Yell.com and Trustpilot.
"outstanding, kind and compassionate"
"I received frequent updates and quick responses to questions"
"got to the heart of the issue and were able to resolve it swiftly and effectively"
"communication was dealt with promptly and I was given things to think about that I hadn't even considered"
"I received frequent updates and quick responses to questions"
"got to the heart of the issue and were able to resolve it swiftly and effectively"
"communication was dealt with promptly and I was given things to think about that I hadn't even considered"
The majority are positive with many commenting on friendliness most of all. But the main reason people probably prefer the third party independent review boards is that they will also include any negative reviews. (Something companies tend not to include in their own testimonial section!) Negative reviews can be a great way to spot general themes of complaint. For example if several people have said that they struggle to get through and speak to their solicitor - that's something to bear in mind and compare with.
However, we recommend always reading through the actual comments rather than relying on just star ratings. It's very common in law firm review sections to see the losing side of a case leave negative ratings on the firm that beat them. We've also seen several negative ratings by people who were angry that a firm refused to take their case on - which seems really unfair. Especially the review we saw where a person looking to divorce was mad at a criminal law firm for refusing to help.
"We are always happy to have an initial conversation to discuss your case and answer questions that you may have."
A quick note on navigation. The firm name is Simper Law Ltd and most branding follows that style. That means the official website matches using www.simperlaw.com with www.simperlaw.co.uk redirecting you there as well. The most common error we spotted was people searching for 'simple law ltd' and related variants. That's something to watch out for as www.simplelaw.com is owned by a different firm. There is also a firm called Simpler Law based in Lincoln which handles Estate Planning matters too. An easy mistake to make if typing things in late at night.
These issues only tend to become problematic when the law office in question handles things such as property matters where clients are paying large sums of money. For many years now scammers have targeted such clients with emails telling them the bank details for their house deposit have changed. For some reason, thousands of people have sent tens of thousands of pounds of their money to the fraudsters bank account instead of checking with their solicitor that the email is genuine. That's a big reason to make sure you're on the correct site and bookmark places instead of accidentally typing the wrong web address into your browser.
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General Notes: Legal Aid availability changes constantly, so ask up front. If you are looking for a career with Simper Law Ltd it's best to visit the website (www.simperlaw.com) and locate the correct phone/email contact details. Any quoted here will be for potential clients. Alternating or adding words such as Simper Law may bring up different background/reviews on the firm. Each firm's Law Society and/or SRA number should be on their site too.