Gizem Ozkoseoglu
Awful experience
I instructed Rayden Solicitors for a family law matter with an international element. Although the partner in charge, Jennifer Moore, appeared very eager to take on my case at the outset, my experience deteriorated almost immediately after instruction. Shortly after onboarding, I repeatedly received out-of-office automatic replies and found the partner largely unavailable and unreachable. Day-to-day conduct of the matter was delegated to other “senior associates”, who themselves appeared unable to progress even routine correspondence without partner sign-off. That sign-off was frequently delayed due to the partner’s unavailability, resulting in inefficiency, duplication of work, escalating costs, and lack of progress. Despite being aware that I am a qualified lawyer in three jurisdictions, the firm produced boilerplate, template-based documents with significant delays. These documents were often unsuitable for my case and required extensive redrafting by me. I was repeatedly encouraged to pursue unnecessary and costly applications which I had expressly warned would not serve any useful purpose and would only increase costs. I was also given advice which later proved to be incorrect on multiple occasions. The firm appeared unfamiliar with key case law in the very area it claimed to specialise in, to the extent that I had to send research materials and relevant authorities to guide and refresh their understanding of the law. Having since consulted other solicitors and Counsel, I have identified clear instances of wrong advice. Within less than one month, I was left with multiple invoices, no meaningful or substantive work product, and an MPS/LSPO application that was unnecessarily delayed. When I challenged the fees and raised a formal complaint, rather than properly engaging with the issues, the firm pursued payment of a disputed and unagreed bill and went so far as to initiate a money claim against me while the complaint was ongoing. In my experience, this is wholly unacceptable and highly unusual practice. Overall, my experience was that the service did not reflect the level of care, expertise, or proportionality I would expect from a specialist firm, nor did it justify the fees charged. I would strongly encourage prospective clients to scrutinise cost management, supervision, and expertise carefully before instructing this firm. Had I seen the reviews posted here beforehand, I would not have instructed this firm. Based on my experience, I concluded that this is not a competent or cost-effective family law practice and terminated the retainer within one month of engagement. I share this review to warn others and the wide public. In my view, this firm is not worth engaging, particularly for complex or international family law matters.
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