I used this firm for issues regarding contact with my daughter and I can honestly say that they are the worst solicitors I have ever used, I wouldn’t and couldn’t ever recommend them.
I was allocated Laura Mounsey as my solicitor which I will forever regret. I found that Laura could talk a good case but provided far from it. My legal team here were nothing but lazy and useless and looking back at it didn’t really didn’t care.
They knew I had received a lump sum from my Military pension and clearly wanted a chunk of it, which was my fault I shouldn’t have been so honest about how I was funding the case. I asked Laura during our initial meeting to not just see my daughter as pound signs, this clearly fell on deaf ears.
Looking through the folders of work they did or lack of it I realised it’s far from satisfactory and I am in a worse position they when I started, thousands of pounds wasted.
At my court hearing they provided me with a barrister and to be completely honest the John Smiths cardboard cut-out guy would have done better.
During my court hearing the judge pulled me up for refusing to provide certain documentation, however my legal team never asked me to provide any of the documentation that was requested (this clearly made me look bad and was referred to in the court order after the hearing).
At one meeting I had a dog running around the office, but that was ok I suppose as Andrew Meehan stated Laura’s dog likes to be by her side and apparently I was asked if I was ok with it. I was a little shocked that a dog would be in a professional environment and they didn’t write to me or email me and ask that on occasion Laura’s dog attends her meeting are you ok with that as you’re paying for them
I submitted a formal complaint which was dealt with in my opinion inappropriately, one of the members of staff who I was complaining about (Carol Jessop) was able to sit in the face to face complaints meeting and help conduct it. Andrew Meehan was absolutely useless and may as well have been elsewhere, in his head I think he was. See other feed back that also names him, its not just me.
This firm even tried to discredit me, their client, they used anything to try and discredit me.
I am always honest and when I informed them I didn’t want my daughter to be seen as just pound signs I also informed them I had complained about two solicitors in the past (criminal cases and family). I also informed them that on both occasions I had been awarded compensation for failings. They even tried to use this in their favour (I only complain when I know something isn’t right).
This firm took offense when I raised my dissatisfaction with the service provided and even tried to use my own mental health issues against me for their decision making. They accused me of changing my mind on various occasions (never once did they raise this concern with me verbally or in writing), Carol Jessop also made a few other false accusations, which will be addressed through the correct process.
In the end they stated the relationship between them and myself had broken down and they would no longer be able to act on my behalf (took my money, provided poor service and ran) could only handle the easy part.
I am now in the process of taking Harrogate Family Law to the Legal Ombudsman to further my complaint.
If you want a good family solicitor they are far better out there than this circus. When I was looking for new solicitors and other solicitors asked who represented me before it became clear very quickly I had made a mistake using this company.
I am sure that Harrogate Family law will respond to this review and their job is to deflect any bad reviews by whatever means, but please remember I am a normal loving father who wanted to pay for the best service to help me and my daughter, I didn’t get that here in my opinion and wasted thousands of pounds and now find myself back to square one paying for another solicitor (who thank is far better already).
