BURKE NIAZI LIMITED

I contacted Burke Niazi Solicitors regarding a time-sensitive and urgent Court of Protection (COP) case. The initial contact was positive, they asked for a brief description of the issue and how we intended to finance the case. We explained the situation and confirmed we would require legal aid.

From that point on, the experience became extremely frustrating. All communication was handled via slow email, and phone calls were routinely ignored. As progress was not being made, we had to proactively organise a 14-day extension to the COP5 deadline ourselves because Anna was not moving things forward. This extension was approved by the opposing solicitor. Despite this additional time, we still ultimately missed the extended deadline because the solicitor took days to organise the legal aid documents. When we raised concerns about the approaching deadline, we were told that nothing could be done until legal aid was approved, leaving us with the choice to either wait or represent ourselves in court.

After missing the deadline, we were served documents for a court appearance later that month. At this stage, we were constantly chasing for updates from the solicitor, Anna, but received no responses to emails despite multiple follow-ups. Calling reception was equally unhelpful. On one occasion, after being put on hold, we were told they needed to check whether they were actually representing us and that they would get back to us. They never did, and this was already three weeks into communicating with Anna about the case via email. On other occasions, we were put on hold and told that we hadn’t been forgotten and that Anna was getting everything in order.

This went on for five weeks before we decided to seek representation elsewhere. We contacted Irwin Mitchell, and within just five days they had gathered all necessary details, arranged meetings, assigned solicitors and barristers, set court dates, prepared statements, collected documents, and submitted legal aid applications.

Then, out of nowhere, six weeks into the process and just one week before the court date, Anna emailed to say she was doing the finishing touches on the legal aid application. After all that time, they were still at step one. The handling of this case was completely unacceptable and disorganised. We informed them we no longer required their services.

We fully understand that firms can get busy. We contacted multiple firms before this, and some were upfront in letting us know they did not have the capacity to take on the case, which we appreciated. That happens. What was frustrating here is that this was not communicated to us. If they had been honest about their capacity from the start, we could have saved a significant amount of time and avoided a great deal of unnecessary stress.

I would highly recommend against using this firm if you require urgent Court of Protection assistance.

Who ya gonna call? You are in crisis and urgently need the help of a solicitor that specialises in Court of Protection work and (if your circumstances permit) Legal Aid. The type of solicitor you contact is CRITICAL to their ability to respond / help.

I was in precisely this situation in 2025 and I was ready to give up. I had emailed and visited dozens of solicitors.

Firstly, don't be upset if a solicitor doesn't take your case on. It's not personal, it's probably just workload related.

Secondly, make your situation as easy to understand as possible. Solicitors receive thousands of messages a year. Make yours easy to understand.

I personally was lucky because I had physically gone to the 5th Floor Court of Protection in London and filed a "COP1"
"COP1B", "COP3", "COP24" and "EXHIBIT Family_and_Friend_Witness_Statements document. These will be specific to your circumstances. But I think all cases start with a "COP1" document(?)

Good luck with finding your own saviour and THANK YOU Burke Niazi for being mine. THANK YOU for the outstanding assistance you gave me. I truly felt supported during a period of crisis, and I consider your help to have been life saving.

Thank you for the critical role you played. I wish you continued success in your practice.

Massive THANK YOU to Grace Beaney for accepting my Legal Aid instruction during Autumn /Winter of 2025.

Absolutely amazing solicitor especially Lina chauhan who went above and beyond been useing her for 5 years now I wouldn’t use anyone else now she’s professional and tells you how it is she listens to your views and understands you very friendly and makes you feel comfortable to be able to express your views and understands them a truly amazing solicitor I don’t know how she’s put up with me for over 5 years as I’ve been a nightmare at times but she has I cannot thank her enough for all she has done for me truly amazing solicitor and person I wouldn’t use or recommend anyone else

I used this firm for all of my 2 year admission on a mental health ward and 2 years living in the community having suffered a breakdown in 2015. The solicitor that handled my case always gave me clear realistic indications as to what would be the possible outcomes at various stages in my journey which is what I wanted most. The most significant moment for me was when I won my tribunal to get off section even though my doctor wasn't in support nor against the idea (sort of sat on the fence and hedged bets). I felt the Burke Niazi team and especially my Solicitor took care and spent time arranging the facts to ensure I had the best possible chance of getting the result I wanted. fast forward 5years I'm currently working, off medication and off section and I have to say that Burke Niazi played a huge part in this.

I would certainly recommend.