Why should you choose a local solicitor?

If you need to choose a solicitor for any reason, one of your main considerations is going to be location. If you live in a remote area, finding a local solicitor with the expertise you need might be challenging but it’s always worth looking closer to home when you need legal advice or assistance.

It’s easy to overlook the importance of location when you’re looking for legal aid so this article is going to explain why you should try to find a solicitor in your local area whenever possible.

Face to face time is important

As Slough-based solicitors Justin Law explains “When making a personal injury claim, you are often in a vulnerable position. Try to ensure that your solicitor understands the situation from your perspective and can make sense of the injury that you have suffered and its impact on your life.”

Any lawyer has a professional responsibility to empathise with their clients but it’s much easier to build this bond through face to face meetings than emails or other forms of communication. You’ll also find that speaking to someone in person is more reassuring and gives you the time you need to ask questions and get the answers you need.

Perhaps more importantly, many legal explanations are difficult to understand and being in a position where you can ask your solicitor to explain something again to you can make all the difference.

Cost and travel convenience

Legal fees are always a key consideration but you’ll also want to factor in the time and money it takes to travel to a solicitor outside of your local area. Cost isn’t your only concern either – particularly if you have a pressing issue that you need to discuss with your solicitor as soon as possible.

Being able to pop in as and when you need to make queries or get documents signed takes a chunk of the stress out of your legal proceedings. Not to mention the added confidence you feel knowing there’s somewhere nearby and ready to help when you need them.

Local knowledge can be important too

In many cases, having local knowledge in a solicitor can be important to. For example, if you’re looking for a conveyancer, you want someone with knowledge of the local area and its housing market. Likewise, there could be byelaws specific to your area that aren’t applicable on a national level.

In other cases, you may have been injured in an accident in your area and having a solicitor with local knowledge will make it easier for them to understand your situation, assess the scene and provide you with the advice and assistance you need.

If you simply can’t find a solicitor with the expertise you need in your local area, then you’ll have to look elsewhere. However, the benefits of getting legal advice closer to home are significant and it’s worth keeping these things in mind. Of course, cost is always a factor but reducing the emotional strain of legal proceedings as much as possible should be a top priority – something going local can only help.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.