Solicitors in Morden and Wimbledon, Merton
Finding a solicitor in Merton
Searching for a solicitor in Merton, London, can bring up many names. However, you can check each name against official records before you decide. This guide to finding and checking a solicitor in Merton, London, starts with these official routes:
- Look up the SRA Solicitors Register, which holds the records of the solicitors and law firms the SRA regulates. It shows whether somebody is a solicitor and where they work.
- Try the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor service. It searches by organisation or person, name or SRA ID, location, area of practice and legal issue.
- Use the “Find a legal aid adviser or family mediator” search, which works by postcode. The advisers ask about your problem and finances, then work out whether you can get legal aid.
None of these routes depends on the borough you choose. However, the SRA’s “Choosing a solicitor” page puts the register first, because it also shows whether a firm is regulated by the SRA.
Courts and tribunals for Merton
Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court is at The Court House, Alexandra Road, Wimbledon SW19 7JP, and it handles crime.
That is the only court this page names. Because other kinds of case go elsewhere, check where yours belongs before you set off. Find a Court or Tribunal on GOV.UK gives each court or tribunal’s address, opening times, what it handles and contact details, so it shows which court handles a case.
Free and low-cost legal help in Merton
Citizens Advice Merton & Lambeth is listed on Citizens Advice at 326 London Road, Mitcham CR4 3ND. The Law Centres Network lists South West London Law Centres (Merton and Sutton). These two listings give a starting point, although each body decides what help it offers.
Merton Council has an official website. Its “Help with money, employment and training” page links to benefits advice, debt advice, Citizens Advice and a benefits, money and legal advice services directory.
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 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 you cannot apply on your own, a legal adviser applies for legal aid for you.
Common reasons to look for a solicitor
Pick the page that matches your task:
- Family law covers matters such as divorce and arrangements for children.
- Conveyancing covers buying or selling a home, and our guide to using a solicitor outside London for a London property explains that the firm need not be local.
- Wills and probate covers making a will and dealing with an estate.
- Employment law covers disputes with an employer.
- Immigration covers applications to live or work in the UK.
- Criminal defence covers being questioned or charged.
- Dispute resolution covers money, rent and similar civil disagreements.
- Personal injury covers harm caused by someone else, although this site does not refer, match or sell claims.
Checking that a solicitor is regulated
Regulation means an official body keeps watch over a solicitor’s work. 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. As a result, the SRA’s register matters, and the SRA describes it as the definitive impartial source of information about the law firms and people it regulates. Our check-a-solicitor page walks through the steps.
Questions to ask before you instruct a solicitor
A few questions at the start can save trouble later, so ask them before you sign. First, ask what the fees will be, and whether the quote includes any extra charges. Then ask who will do the work, since your first contact may not handle your file.
Next, ask how the firm will keep you informed, and how often it will update you. Finally, ask which regulator oversees the firm, then confirm the answer on the SRA register. Although this takes a little time, a written reply to each question gives you a record.