Solicitors in Lewisham, London
Finding a solicitor in Lewisham
Choosing a solicitor can feel daunting, so this guide to finding and checking a solicitor in Lewisham, London starts with the official tools. If you are searching for solicitors Lewisham has to offer, three routes are open to you, and none depends on the borough you choose.
- Search the SRA Solicitors Register, which holds the records of the solicitors and law firms the SRA regulates.
- Use the Law Society Find a Solicitor service, which searches by organisation or person, name or SRA ID, location, area of practice and legal issue.
- Try the “Find a legal aid adviser or family mediator” search, which lists advisers in England and Wales by postcode.
The register matters most because it shows whether someone is a solicitor and where they work. The SRA’s “Choosing a solicitor” page advises consumers to look there first. Legal aid advisers, meanwhile, ask about your problem and finances so they can work out whether you qualify.
Courts and tribunals for Lewisham
Check the venue rather than guess it, because a wrong address wastes your time. Your hearing notice or your solicitor can confirm where a hearing takes place. Write the address down and keep the notice with you, since it names the venue.
Find a Court or Tribunal on GOV.UK gives each court or tribunal’s address, opening times, what it handles and contact details. Use it before you travel, because it shows which building deals with your kind of case.
Free and low-cost legal help in Lewisham
Several bodies may help if money is tight. Citizens Advice Lewisham is listed on Citizens Advice at Leemore Community Hub, Bonfield Road, Lewisham, London SE13 5EU, and it has its own website. Lewisham Council’s official website also carries a “Cost-of-living support” page and a “Benefits” page.
Nationally, GOV.UK’s “Check if you can get legal aid” 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. Note that a legal adviser applies for legal aid for you, since you cannot apply on your own.
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 every Law Centre across the UK on one page.
Common reasons to look for a solicitor
Legal help falls into several areas, although each one covers a different task. Family law deals with separation and arrangements for children. Conveyancing covers the legal side of buying or selling a home. Wills and probate helps with making a will and settling an estate, while employment law covers disputes at work.
Other tasks need a different specialist. Immigration concerns permission to live, work or study in the UK. Criminal defence applies when someone faces a police inquiry or charge. Dispute resolution covers disagreements over money or contracts. Personal injury concerns claims after an accident. If you are unsure what a solicitor actually does, what a solicitor does is a good starting point.
Checking that a solicitor is regulated
Regulation means an outside body sets standards and acts when they are not met. Legal Choices says the SRA keeps watch over all solicitors in England and Wales, and over the firms they work for. It takes action when solicitors fall below the required standards or act dishonestly. The SRA calls its register the definitive impartial source of information about the firms and people it regulates. As a result, a register search is a sensible first step, and the check-a-solicitor page shows how to do it.