There are all kinds of law firms and all kinds
of lawyers. There are large corporate law
firms, with many partners, many employees and
offices all around the country and overseas.
There are small boutique law firms that
specialise in particular areas of law. There
are sole practitioners and there are those who
practice in partnership with other lawyers.
There are Barristers and there are Solicitors.
It is hard to know what is best for you.
Choosing the wrong lawyer can result in a huge
bill being incurred as a lawyer who is not
experienced in the area you need and takes
time to become acquainted with your particular
problem.
While law firms with expensive offices and
many staff members may give the appearance of
being successful and competent, you should not
forget that it is you the client who is paying
for all this. We try to strike a balance
between the two requirements of
professionalism and cost efficiency.
A large corporate law firm is less likely to
be interested in representing you as an
individual, with your personal Court matters,
family problems or small business needs.
At the other extreme there are sole
practitioners, or practitioners in suburban or
country areas, who can often be more
economical because they have lower overheads.
However, that will not necessarily be
translated into lower legal fees. Often such
lawyers lack sufficient back-up working by
themselves, need to “brief” other lawyers to
assist them when they are very busy. As a
result, you lack the personalised care and
attention you need.
In our view, while some small boutique firms
are more specialised in certain areas, it is
important that you find one that specialises
in the areas that you need - the kind of
problems most likely to be experienced by
ordinary people. We are such a firm,
specialising in Family Law, Criminal Defence
and Civil Litigation. We feel we strike the
correct balance between being big enough to
offer a range of legal services in the various
areas you are likely to need, but at the same
time small enough to deal personally with your
requirements.
We will tell you straight up what we think the
merits of your case are, and we will try to
give you a reasonable estimate of what it will
cost you. If we can’t help you, we will tell
you straight away, not fumble around with your
matter before leaving you with a large bill
and an unresolved problem. If unexpected
problems arise, then we will (with your
permission) refer the matter to a Barrister or
Specialist Lawyer who deals with such problems
– we won’t waste your money on a problem we
can’t fix.
