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07 Feb 2022

Need some help with a criminal allegation?

At ABV Solicitors, our criminal solicitor is on call 24/7 to provide you with top-quality legal advice wherever you are in the UK.

But what else should you look for in a legal representative? Here, our criminal solicitor highlights key things that you should look out for when choosing legal representation.

Recommendations

As is the way with most services in the UK, you will want to go with someone who has high reviews and recommendations; the same is true when choosing a criminal solicitor.

Aim to look online for reviews, and if possible, ask friends and family who have recently been involved with a criminal representative to assess suitability.

Qualifications

Qualifications are essential when it comes to legal representation, so when you are choosing someone to take on your legal case, you will need to ensure that they have the appropriate qualifications and are registered.

A solicitor in the UK should be registered with the Law Society and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). If they aren’t, then they haven’t passed the required examinations and you need to move on to the next solicitor in your shortlist.

Experience

When you are looking for a solicitor or any legal professional, it can be appealing to choose someone fresh out of law school to save on fees and help them out.

But when you are looking for legal representation, there is a lot on the line in most cases, especially with criminal law. Therefore, you need to ensure that the person you choose has the experience necessary to help you win your case.

Fees

Many people worry that when they hire a solicitor to take their case, that the fees will be extortionate.

And so, many firms (especially those that advertise on TV), state that they can offer all of the services to you for a set fee. This can seem like a bargain, but it may be an oversight. You will need to find a firm that can set down the services you need at your initial consultation, so no additional fees will appear.

Remember, a set price may seem low but then add-ons appear, meaning that the cost of hiring a legal team grows.

At ABV Solicitors, we always endeavour to provide the most accurate fee guide to all of our clients and will work with them to ensure that they get the service they can afford.

Size

It is very tempting to choose a solicitor that has been on television and advertises on social media.

But such things can point to larger firms who have a large budget to play with. And while there is nothing wrong with this, it can mean that your case will be broken up, with certain parts of it given to different people in the solicitor’s office. Why is this a problem? Well, because it can lead to paperwork going missing, bits of your case being handled incorrectly and a higher chance of mistakes occurring.

So, when you choose a firm to handle your criminal case, it is important to choose one that matches your specific needs rather than one that has the largest PR budget!