Trethowans LLP

We had an urgent matter that needed legal support, Trethowans let us down really badly. They did absolutely none of what they promised to do. There was no contact from them, despite several emails and phone calls asking for an update. With only ONE day until the deadline, they finally responded and sent the letter that they were meant to send three weeks previously. The stress this caused us was unbelievable, with the threat of losing our business. When we put in a official complaint, their excuse was that the delay was a caused by a 'third party'. As there was no 'third party' involved this excuse was absolute rubbish! They did however write off their fee 'as a gesture of goodwill' which in our eyes shows their guilt without actually admitting it. AVOID these solicitors. They are a waste of time!!

I didn't have a great experience with Trethowans, unfortunately. Bad communication made the already stressful experience of buying a flat even more stressful and delayed the process. Although I was told I'd get a weekly email update, this never materialised and I had to constantly chase my solicitor for updates instead. When it came time to sign contracts, I reminded her twice that I had moved out of my old flat so she should send them to my office, only to wait all day for them and not receive them due to the fact that she had sent them to my old flat, where I was no longer living. Very frustrating and wouldn't recommend.

Outstandingly good service! Lorna Secker has been my main contact throughout the house purchase and at every point of contact, I had a response from her within 24 hours - and on most occasions, it was within an hour. I would say that Lorna Secker is an ambassador to Trethowans LLP.

I literally cannot begin to praise Laura and the team in the family department at Trethowans enough. I was introduced to Trethowans by the lovely Emilie who gave me the confidence to change solicitors during divorce proceedings – yes it really is doable and its also very simple- please don’t fall into the trap that I am sure many do assuming that once you have signed to a solicitors that you are with them till the end – if they aren’t working for you and by this I really mean it – fighting for you- then they aren’t worth your hard earned money.
Laura simply was a breath of fresh air – she went above and beyond with what turned into a 2 year ‘battle’ but I have to admit kept me sane – she was able to let me vent and get things off my chest but she was then able to put it in a way that would protect my position and also would sometimes make me think and realise that things weren’t as bad as I thought. She spoke to me in the evenings as she totally understood I work in the NHS and it wasn’t appropriate for me to take calls at work – unlike the previous solicitor who was also great at sending emails at 4.55pm and then leaving for the day and replying days later during which time I had gone to worst case scenario in my head– Laura got to know me and understood if she was sending me something that I might need a chat about she would have pre-empted this and say that she could talk that evening.
She was calm and level-headed and was able to give me the best advice – something that comes from her vast experience and knowledge base – and was able to advise on the best Barrister to use – in her words ‘we would rather Her on our side than against us’ and I totally agree. The outcome she achieved for me, and my daughters was quite simply life changing – I know that sounds overly dramatic, but it really was – I honestly don’t think if I had stayed with the previous solicitor Id have got the same outcome.
I honestly felt like it wasn’t a me and that’s my solicitor relationship felt like I had a partnership with them; and this was very much shown in the language all the team at Trethowans use for example– not from when ‘you go to court’ but ‘when we go to court.’ I wasn’t spoken down to and never laughed at when I asked silly questions – Laura and the team understood I hadn’t been through this before and took the time to reassure me with some of the legal language – which to a lay person can seem really intimidating and scary. If you are going through the throes of a divorce and aren’t happy with your legal team, of it you are simply looking for some advice about options then my advice would be to speak to Trethowans. I have recommended them to a few friends – one going through a divorce who was so impressed with Laura and like me swapped after the process started, and to a few other friends and colleagues who have needed legal advice in other areas such as conveyancing. A special mention also to Katie – Laura and Emilie’s PA – she is simply wonderful – so professional and good at her job- and I am aware without her timely writing up of reports and emails etc that things wouldn’t have been as smooth as they were – it does take a well-oiled team to make a business work successfully and this is defiantly something Trethowans have perfected. Thank you all

I have received support from Rupert Thompson for the settlement of my late parents estate.
Rupert has been an excellent support; he has been meticulous and thorough throughout. I have always felt able to ask any questions and or for explanations of some of the processes which I did not understand. Rupert has an extensive knowledge of estate settlement and has dealt with some complicated issues I would not have been able to tackle whilst advising me regarding issues he felt I may be able to tackle with his support.
Rupert is easy to talk to and has always been quick to respond to any enquiries.
I would not hesitate to use his professional services should I need help in the future.

This review is for a different branch.

I had a bad experience with this branch of the company and I would not recommend its services to others.
I sought legal advice and representation in 2023 to help gain repossession of my property, which was being unlawfully squatted by a tenant who had stopped paying rent and who refused to comply with the eviction notice. The company made such an incompetent application for repossession when it first went to court, which included basic procedural errors, that the judge said he was considering throwing the case out altogether (e.g. they had put the wrong date on the application and failed to fill in the grounds for repossession). The judge finally accepted that this would be unfair to me as the owner, given the large amount of rent arrears owing, and agreed to adjourn the case. All in all this adjournment delayed matters by several months, during which time more rent arrears accrued and more legal costs were involved, causing me extra stress. When I argued that I did not think I should have to pay the legal costs to go to court a second time, as the delay was entirely caused by the firm's failure to fill in the application correctly, they refused to engage in communication with me, emails and messages to call me were left unanswered, they just kept re-presenting the bill. At no stage did they accept responsibility for their errors or apologise to me. This company has very poor communication and people skills, they showed no empathy for me as a client, and are clearly only interested in the money.
The case was eventually resolved in my favour but it was unecessarily protracted and stressful.