Olivia Johnson

I instructed Hall Smith Whittingham Solicitors to handle the conveyancing on a property purchase. Unfortunately, the service fell well short of the professional standard reasonably expected. A significant issue was overlooked during the conveyancing process: the absence of necessary planning permission. This was not identified by the firm at the appropriate stage. As a direct result, I was later charged additional fees by the same firm to pursue legal action against the vendor in an attempt to address the problem that had been missed. Subsequent follow-up action was inefficient and slow. Correspondence from the firm was of a poor standard, containing multiple grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. On more than one occasion I had to correct their letters myself for both accuracy and content. Despite this being necessary due to shortcomings on their part, I was charged further fees for the additional work arising from those errors. Overall, the experience left me dissatisfied with both the initial handling of the conveyancing and the firm’s subsequent management of the matter. Prospective clients should carefully consider these shortcomings when selecting a conveyancing solicitor.

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Olivia Johnson


As my conveyancing solicitors Hall Smith Whittingham were responsible for investigating title and raising appropriate enquiries. Incomplete planning permission for the property was not addressed , conveyancing should have brought this to light. Your failure to do so left me with a significant post-completion problem that I should not have faced. 
After the planning issue was discovered, your firm charged me to take action against the vendor post completion for an anomaly you should have identified. I consider these charges unreasonable in circumstances where the problem arose from the firm’s earlier failure to identify the issue. Progress on the subsequent claim was slow and poorly managed. Deadlines were missed or only met after repeated chasing, causing unnecessary delay, stress and additional cost. Written communications from the firm contained frequent spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and factual inaccuracies. This falls below the standard of care and professionalism reasonably expected of a solicitor’s practice and undermined confidence in the advice being given. As a direct result of the above I have incurred unnecessary legal fees, suffered delay and inconvenience, and been left to deal with a planning defect that should have been identified before completion. I have lost confidence in the firm’s ability to handle property work to a professional standard and would not recommend your services to others.

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Olivia Johnson

Michael John Wright

10/09/2026

This review contains information that we believe is not a true reflection of the matter.

It’s very good service Thanks that is all from me thank you very much for the service I appreciate

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Olivia Johnson

I had a bad crash in a van in 2019 that was not my fault and Olivia looked after my case for me.It took five years to sort out as the other side were unhelpful,awkward and put obstacles in the way of everything Olivia tried to do.However she was patient and helpful always keeping me in the loop.It really got me frustrated and down towards the end but Olivia was determined and very supportive throughout the process.Im pleased to say that early in 2025 after a long hard slog Olivia came through and finally resolved the matter.The whole team at Hall Smith Whittingham are always very helpful and I can't thank everyone enough.Their service is always top notch so much so I'm using them again at the moment for my elderly Mothers house sale.Thanks again everyone.

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Olivia Johnson