Solicitors in Croydon, London
Finding a solicitor in Croydon
If you have a legal problem, the first challenge is knowing where to look. This page is a guide to finding and checking a solicitor in Croydon, London. Because every legal problem differs, it helps to write down your situation before you start looking.
Three official routes are worth using.
- The SRA Solicitors Register lets you look up the records of the solicitors and law firms the SRA regulates. You can check whether somebody is a solicitor and where they work.
- The Law Society Find a Solicitor service searches its database of legal professionals. You can search by organisation or person, name or SRA ID, location, area of practice and legal issue.
- The “Find a legal aid adviser or family mediator” service finds legal aid advisers in England and Wales by postcode. They ask about your problem and finances to work out if you can get legal aid.
However, none of these depends on the borough you choose, so you can use all three wherever you live. The SRA’s “Choosing a solicitor” page also tells consumers to check the Solicitors Register.
Courts and tribunals for Croydon
Some legal problems end up in a court or tribunal, so it helps to know the names and addresses. Croydon County Court and Family Court is at The Law Courts, Altyre Road, Croydon CR9 5AB. It handles divorce hearings, childcare arrangements on separation, adoption, domestic abuse and bankruptcy.
Croydon Crown Court is also at The Law Courts, Altyre Road, Croydon CR9 5AB. Croydon Magistrates’ Court is at Barclay Road, Croydon CR9 3NG. Croydon Employment Tribunal handles claims against employers and is at Montague Court, 101 London Road, Croydon CR0 2RF.
Because each court deals with different matters, a case may not be heard where you expect. The Find a Court or Tribunal service on GOV.UK gives each court or tribunal’s address, opening times, what it handles and contact details. As a result, you can use it to see which court handles a case.
Free and low-cost legal help in Croydon
Citizens Advice Croydon is listed on Citizens Advice at Southbridge House, Southbridge Place, Croydon CR0 4HA. The Law Centres Network lists South West London Law Centres (Croydon). Croydon Council also has a page titled “Benefits” on its official website, although that page is the council’s own information and not legal advice.
If you cannot get legal aid, GOV.UK points to free advice from the Law Centres Network, Citizens Advice and AdviceNow. The Law Centres Network says Law Centres help people in poverty overcome legal problems, and it lists all Law Centres across the UK on one page.
The GOV.UK “Check if you can get legal aid” service asks about your legal problem, income and savings. It then tells you whether to speak to someone for phone advice or how to find a legal adviser or mediator near you. Since a legal adviser applies for legal aid for you, you cannot apply on your own.
Common reasons to look for a solicitor
People look for a solicitor for many kinds of task, so the list below shows the main areas, each with its own page. If you are unsure what a solicitor actually does, our guide on what a solicitor does is a good place to begin.
- Family law covers matters such as divorce and arrangements for children.
- Conveyancing is the legal work involved in buying or selling a home.
- Wills and probate covers making a will and dealing with an estate.
- Employment law covers problems at work, such as a dismissal.
- Immigration covers applications about the right to stay in the UK.
- Criminal defence is for people who face a criminal charge.
- Dispute resolution covers disagreements over money or contracts.
- Personal injury covers claims after an accident or injury.
Checking that a solicitor is regulated
Legal Choices says the SRA keeps watch over all solicitors in England and Wales and the firms they work for. It also says the SRA takes action when solicitors fall below the required standards or act dishonestly. In other words, regulation means someone is checking that standards are met.
The SRA describes its register as the definitive impartial source of information about the law firms and people it regulates. As a result, the register is the right place to confirm a firm before you instruct it. Our check-a-solicitor page shows you how to do this.
Questions to ask before you instruct a solicitor
Before you agree to instruct a solicitor, put a few plain questions to the firm, because the answers help you judge the job.
- What will the fees be, and what do they include?
- Who will do the work, and how will you be kept informed?
- How is the firm regulated, and can you find it on the Solicitors Register?
Write down the answers, since a written note is easy to check against any later bill. For example, if a fee seems unclear, ask the firm to explain which parts of the work it covers before you go ahead.