Solicitors in Hounslow, London
Finding a solicitor in Hounslow
Legal problems rarely arrive at a convenient time, and it is hard to know whom to trust. This guide is for finding and checking a solicitor in Hounslow, London. If you are looking for solicitors Hounslow offers, three official tools give you a sound base before you speak to anyone.
- The SRA Solicitors Register lets you look up the records of the solicitors and law firms the SRA regulates. It also shows 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.
None of these depends on the borough you choose, so they work the same wherever you live. The SRA’s “Choosing a solicitor” page also tells consumers to check the Solicitors Register.
Courts and tribunals for Hounslow
Some matters end up before a court or tribunal, so the addresses are worth knowing. Isleworth Crown Court is at 36 Ridgeway Road, Isleworth TW7 5LP and handles crime. Brentford County and Family Court is at Alexandra Road, High Street, Brentford TW8 0JJ. It handles divorce hearings, childcare arrangements on separation, domestic abuse, housing and money claims.
Hatton Cross Tribunal Hearing Centre, York House, 2-3 Dukes Green Avenue, Feltham TW14 0LS, handles immigration and asylum cases. West London Family Court is at Gloucester House, 4 Dukes Green Avenue, Feltham TW14 0LR.
Because each place deals with different work, a case may not be heard where you first 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 Hounslow
Citizens Advice Hounslow says it provides free, confidential, impartial advice on welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, consumer, relationship and family issues, and immigration. The London Borough of Hounslow also has two pages on its official website. One is titled “Benefits and financial support” and the other is titled “Homelessness”. Both are the council’s own information, so they are 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. 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 each main area has its own page. HomeOwners Alliance says there is no need to use a local conveyancing solicitor these days. However, the solicitor must be able to work in the country where the property is, as our guide on using a solicitor outside London for a London property explains.
- 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 short, 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. Therefore, use the register to confirm a firm before you instruct it. Our check-a-solicitor page shows you how.
Questions to ask before you instruct a solicitor
A few plain questions can save trouble later, because the answers show how the firm works.
- What will the fees be, and what do they include?
- Who will do the work, and how will you hear about progress?
- How is the firm regulated, and is it on the Solicitors Register?
Write the answers down. For example, if a fee seems unclear, ask the firm to explain it in writing before you agree, since a written note is easy to check against any later bill.