THACKRAY WILLIAMS LLP

Putrid attitude from Claire Josef following an email exchange with his/her colleague who failed to address why my previous conveyancing experience with Sarah Streeton of firm was so slow. I’ve used this firm 3 times and only the first was satisfactory but that solicitor that worked on my case has left them.

Avoid due to glaring incompetence in setting timescale expecations.

Summary of Response Times and Delays
• Recent Delays and Formal Complaint (July 2024): I sent emails on July 19 and July 23, 2024, regarding service charges and ownership details. After receiving no response, I sent a formal complaint to the firm’s designated contact, Andrew Raby, on the night of July 23. Sarah responded the following morning, explaining she had been on annual leave and only returned the previous day.

• Need for Follow-ups (December 2023): On December 11, 2023, I had to follow up on an email from December 10, asking her to clarify a "typing error" in a previous explanation. She responded on December 12 to correct the error and then again on December 13 to provide the full explanation I requested.

• Intervention by Third Parties (November 2023): On November 16, 2023, the seller’s estate agent emailed Sarah to check if she had been able to reply to my questions from November 13, as I was aiming for a simultaneous exchange and completion. Sarah replied the following day, November 17, addressing my queries and noting that Monday was her non-working day.

I explained everything in detail via their online form and this is what i get in reply,

'Thank you for your query and getting in touch with Thackray Williams. Unfortunately, we do not have capacity for this type of case and wish you all the best in finding someone to represent you in this matter.
If there is anything else we can assist you with please let us know.'

Totally Useless!

Myself and immediate neighbours entered into a sale of part of our gardens to a developer. We instructed Thackray Williams and a Partner, Amit Bhangham, was our point of contact.
Amit was knowledgeable, always approachable, professional and ensured we were all kept informed as the deal progressed.
I would not hesitate to recommend TW and, if commercial property related, Amit Bhangham.
Thank you Amit....you got us there!

A very disappointing experience.

If you have a redundancy settlement accept it and don't bother with a solicitor. Use one of those services which just makes it official. Your employer knows exactly what they are doing so you won't get much more out of them.

When I first spoke to them, they stated that they review the case and look to have the client's interests at heart. They don't.

When I spoke to them the final time they stated on the phone that they had dealt with my employer previously and they were very tricky to deal with.

Having known this, they should have instructed me of this initially but they didn't, only once they had got an increase on their fees.

They mentioned during our initial meeting that they would be keeping me updated of the costs as we progressed. They didn't. I only saw the costs at the end when an invoice was supplied.

I explained straight away of my financial difficulties and personal circumstances, and the possibility of not finding work for the foreseeable future.

I had negotiated an increase myself on my settlement prior to them starting work. Having seen what they were offering and knowing what they were like they should have considered the situation better.

They eventually invoiced me £1686.50 for doing absolutely nothing but gave me a discount due the way the case worked out. I had negotiated an increase of £2000 myself.

Final cost £720 from me and £600 from my employer. They gave me a discount.

Most solicitors want at least £1000 just for making the documents legal.

I wrote an email of complaint but was rejected.

I would not recommend.

I have just completed on the sale of my home, Stephanie Sculley and Claire Grice supported me during this process and I was very pleased with their support. My home sale was slightly more complicated than most as I had already moved out of the UK when we were in the final stages leading up to completion. Yet even being literally on the other side of the world Stephanie provided me at all times with clear communication, good market insight, and excellent coaching. Selling a house at the best of times is incredibly stressful, to work with Stephanie and her team meant I removed as much as the stress and drama out of the process which was possible. Thank you