Whether you’re looking for help with buying or selling property, getting your business off the ground, disputing a will or drawing up a contract, it can be hard to figure out whether a local solicitor is the better option than a big, nationwide solicitor.
While the bigger entities promise fast results and slightly lower costs, local solicitors like willans.co.uk can offer time, attention to detail, empathy and expertise.
They tend to have a smaller client base
Local solicitors are ‘smaller entities’ than firms with a nationwide reach. Instead of scaling up to service a very broad clientele online, these firms operate in a more traditional way, working with clients from the surrounding area and not taking on massive volumes of cases to be distributed among a wide pool of employees each and every month.
This is really valuable for clients, particularly those who face a daunting or distressing litigation process. When you’re ‘just another client’ whose experience takes place solely through email, getting the advice and friendly face you need to feel more secure about the process can be a lot harder – if not impossible.
The option for a face-to-face meeting is there
Email and phone calls are very useful, and they certainly have a place even in the smallest of firms – but there are times when a more concrete, human connection is important. From will disputes to conveyancing, business advice to disputes, the value of having that opportunity to sit opposite a professional and have a conversation rather than receiving a block of text in an email should never be underestimated.
They have longstanding relationships with other local entities
Those connections that brick-and-mortar firms with an established local presence hold with other entities – for instance, local estate agents or businesses, community organisations and other legal professionals – can be very advantageous. While we’re used to being connected to people based all over the world, those relationships remain very valuable.
Their local reputation is hard-earned
Local businesses operate in something of a microcosm. They need to meet a high standard in order to build and maintain their reputation among locals. The bigger, nationwide entities work with many more clients, so bad reviews are more easily ‘buried’ under more positive reviews. It’s a little tougher for local businesses from any industry, so a strong reputation really says a lot about their performance.
You never need to feel like a number
This one is so important. When you’re working with a much bigger firm, you can easily start to feel like one among many – a number to be dealt with as quickly and simply as possible so that they can move on to the next number and the next.
This can mean that important considerations are missed or glossed over. Whereas a solicitor working on a few cases can really sit down and think things through, anticipating potential problems and avoiding rough terrain, someone who has a mountain of cases to churn through just can’t offer that same level of insight and proactive help.