CHADWICK LAWRENCE LLP

BELIEVE THE BAD REVIEWS !
I instructed Chadwick Lawrence Bradford through SAM Conveyancing to purchase my first property. Dealing with Chadwick Lawrence turned what should have been an exciting milestone into one of the most stressful and frustrating experiences I have had.

Throughout the process I experienced poor communication, with emails sometimes taking weeks to be answered and repeated issues with incorrect billing. Despite raising these concerns with Zoe, Katy and Enya, the errors were not corrected and I continued to receive incorrect charges and explanations. It took escalation to the formal complaints team before it was finally acknowledged that there had been multiple mistakes, including incorrect abortive fee calculations, an incorrect third-party solicitor fee, confusing billing information and poor handling of my initial complaint to my case handler directly. Hence the escalation to the formal complaints route.

The complaints team acknowledged these failings and confirmed that I would not have to pay any further fees due to the experience regarding billing enquires and complaint handling I received. However, it was extremely frustrating that these issues were not identified and resolved when they were first raised, leaving me having to repeatedly chase, challenge bills and spend unnecessary time trying to get basic errors corrected. Which you would think as a “well established” solicitors firm, you could put your trust in them to get it right. One mistake maybe, but several is beyond shocking.

My mortgage offer eventually expired despite an extension being granted, as after 7 months of the process, the purchase still had not been completed.

I could write pages about how disappointing and frustrating this experience was, but the main thing I can say is AVOID. After a 7-month process which did not complete, extremely poor communication, repeated billing mistakes, I would NOT recommend this firm. For your own peace of mind, please avoid and believe all the NEGATIVE reviews.

Worst conveyancing experience ever. Was given two separate conveyancers. One for sale and one for the purchase. The purchase conveyancer was A*, we had absolutely no issues with Nichola. She was lovely, prompt and polite. The issue lay with our selling conveyancer who was not prompt, unhelpful and sat on things for weeks. She also went on annual leave and didnt inform us in advance on one of the days we were looking to exchange contracts. There was no backup in place and the company refused to hand it over to another conveyancer. We raised a complaint with her team leader Vicky S who was just rude and a bully. Bearing in mind I was 8 months pregnant at the time, she laughed at me down the phone and pretended the line was bad to get me off the phone. She was then surprised when I lost my rag. No compassion in this woman whatsoever, absolutely heartless. A very stressful situation for me, made worse by a dismissive lady. The complaint was raised further to Sarah and she was threatening to throw our entire file out. The Company refused to then speak to me on the phone at all. I honestly would recommend you avoid this company and pay a little extra for some people who actually want to help you out and have a bit of humanity and morality. I definitely wont be using again.

Chadwick Lawrence LLP’s conveyancing department in Bradford delivered one of the most frustrating and incompetent professional experiences we have ever encountered. What should have been an extremely straightforward sale and purchase became a seven-month ordeal defined by appalling communication, endless delays, and a complete lack of accountability.

Our sale involved a first-time buyer with no chain whatsoever. Our purchase also had no chain, and we were effectively cash buyers. There was absolutely no reason for either transaction to drag on for over seven months, yet Chadwick Lawrence somehow managed to turn two simple matters into a drawn-out nightmare that placed both transactions at serious risk multiple times.

Communication was shockingly poor from start to finish. Emails routinely went unanswered for days or even weeks, phone calls were not returned, and we were constantly left chasing for updates. At no point did we feel that anyone had a clear grasp of our case. The original case handler was off ill for a significant period, but instead of ensuring continuity and proper oversight, the file appeared to be passed aimlessly between staff members. In total, around ten different people became involved in our transaction. Every time we spoke to someone new, it was obvious they had little or no understanding of the history of the case. We repeatedly had to explain matters from scratch because nobody seemed willing to take ownership or responsibility.

The lack of professionalism extended beyond poor organisation. My wife had been expressly authorised by me to deal with matters on my behalf, something Chadwick Lawrence had already been informed of. Despite this, when she contacted the firm she was met with rude and condescending responses questioning what she “had to do with the transaction” and why her name appeared on documentation. The irony was that the form in question had actually been completed by Chadwick Lawrence themselves, and her name was entirely correct and expected to be included. Instead of showing basic courtesy and competence, staff were dismissive and confrontational, which only added to the stress and frustration of an already badly managed process.

The delays caused by this incompetence had real financial consequences. We incurred more than £400 in additional surveyor costs because deadlines were repeatedly missed, and we were also forced to continue paying unnecessary running costs on a property that should have been sold quickly and efficiently months earlier. The stress and uncertainty caused by their handling of the transactions was completely avoidable.

Most concerning of all was the firm’s attitude towards complaints. When we raised formal complaints in line with Chadwick Lawrence’s own complaints procedure, they were simply ignored. Neither the case handler, supervisors, nor partners acknowledged or dealt with the issues raised. It was only after we threatened to escalate matters to the Legal Ombudsman that we finally received any meaningful response at all.

Conveyancing is stressful enough without having to fight your own solicitors for basic communication and competence. Chadwick Lawrence’s conveyancing arm demonstrated a staggering lack of organisation, professionalism, and customer care throughout. We paid for a professional service and instead received months of delay, confusion, financial loss, and unnecessary stress. Based on our experience, we would strongly advise anyone considering using Chadwick Lawrence for conveyancing to look elsewhere.

I was unlucky enough to be recommended by SAM Conveyancing and wish I had read the reviews sooner. I had a very disappointing experience from start to finish. I had to ring consistently just to get basic updates — it felt like if I didn’t chase, nothing would happen. Communication was extremely poor and I was constantly left in the dark. I understand they’re busy, but no real progress was being made.

It ended up getting to the deadline date and we were still nowhere near completion, and the deadline was completely ignored. It honestly felt like no one actually cared about the situation other than myself.

As a first-time buyer, this made what should have been an exciting process incredibly stressful and overwhelming. I wouldn’t recommend based on my experience — a lack of communication and urgency made the whole process far more difficult than it needed to be. I was EXTREMELY close to loosing the property due to how long it took

( Thankyou so much! to SUE PARKIN who stepped in right at the end and completed nearly all the work for me. Will forever be grateful for the help. Without the help on SUE PARKIN I feel like I would have lost the house and wouldn’t have become a homeowner ) .

We had an excellent experience with this law firm, thanks especially to our conveyancer Nafeesa and her assistant Farah. From start to finish, they were absolutely fantastic. Communication was consistent and clear throughout the entire process, and we were updated often within the firms own app.

Nafeesa and Farah went above and beyond, constantly chasing for replies and pushing progress forward, especially when dealing with a very tricky and, at times, unresponsive chain of solicitors above us. Despite the challenges, they remained proactive, patient, and incredibly hardworking.

They built a strong, trusting relationship with us and genuinely felt invested in getting things over the line. Their dedication and persistence made a stressful process so much smoother. We are extremely grateful for their efforts and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone needing conveyancing services. Thank you both for all that you did for us.