Top 10 of 1,319 law firms for Mortgage, Land Law

We came across Sweeney Miller has a highly rated local solicitors to help us in purchasing a house in Sunderland for my mother-in-law to stay in. My wife and I live in Bermuda, and we approached a few solicitors to help us with the purchase. Sweeney Miller gave us a swift quote with accurate calculations of SDLT, which was ultimately the reason to proceed with them as others were either not quick enough or miscalculated the tax. Once on-boarded their solicitor portal was extremely helpful and transparent to know exactly where we were at each stage. Additionally, our contact throughout the whole process, Farzana Begum, was professional, prompt, clear, and receptive to any questions. They were extremely thorough with due diligence, searches and advised on any potential hurdles to the process. She was immensely accommodating of the time difference, which hindered usual communication times and overall, we could not be happier with the services rendered.

Steph managed the purchase of my first property. She is truly a lovely and patient human being! A majority of my phone calls were answered at the time I called and emails often responded to on the same day, if not at the start of the next day. There were many delays from the third party solicitors (verified by the statements of account where the seller had not paid for the management pack until 4 and a half months in and failed to provide documentation when asked stating that her parents were abroad and dealing with the sale) However, Steph, chased the other solicitor relentlessly and kept me updated throughout. Telephone calls with Steph explained everything clearly. Steph sent me documents through as they were sent from the seller, which was really helpful. Lilac Law as a company do have a few things they need to improve on, which is why I have only given 4 stars. The first is billing management and being made aware of extra charges. Everything at completion happened very quickly and not wanting to delay my purchase anymore I paid the extra fees without questioning. However, a week later, I have realised that there was not any consent given to undertake any extra work, which ended up with over £500 of extra fees to be paid, that I was not aware of. I do feel these fees are legitimate, however, it is a requirement from the Solicitors Regulation Authority that any additional charges are explained and consent gained for any extra work on top of the initial quote, which did not happen. The extra charges were explained when the confirmation statement had been sent, but at this point the additional work had already been undertaken. It therefore would be nice if there was a client portal to track the progress, have access to documents and see real time billing information. I did ask twice for a summary so far in the last month before completion, but I was told that I would get a confirmation statement itemising charges after exchange. This left me a little shocked at the bill. I also felt that company policy was to be very cautious about legal advice given, and as a result I had to do a lot of my own research, before instructing my conveyancer on how to proceed. However the one particular problem this affected was resolved within 24 hours of my instruction. I also spoke to Lorna Ferguson, a company director at the beginning of the process about stamp duty. She very confidently told me that I would have to pay an extra £1500. After seeking independent tax advice, which cost me £425, it turned out the advice and reasons for the advice given by Lorna were incorrect. On this occasion she sounded very confident in her advice and her reasoning, but this turned out to be incorrect.

I have used this company twice and have found them very efficient. The first time was a conveyancing matter which had to be resolved from start to finish in 30 days and I am pleased to say it was. The second time, is still ongoing, with the drawing up of an easement for a septic treatment plant on my land to be shared by a third party. I find them very knowledgeable as to what is required and sound advice about how to proceed.

I would like thank Rebecca Rinn and Rachel Newcombe for all the help and advice they gave me in sorting out my complicated lease extension. They were patient and professional and explained everything to me step by step throughout the whole process. My lease was about to drop below the 80 year mark and they negotiated me a good deal with the freeholders. I would recommend them to anyone and if I have any other legal issues - they would be my first port of call. They were brilliant!

Positive and friendly encounters, whether by phone, email or in person - no bots involved. Also, my conveyance was dealt with in the space of a month, with the completion date set and kept. It is rare to find such efficiency in a team of solicitors. Highly recommended!

Luke Corby-Owen has acted for me on the sake of two central London flats He is knowledgeable efficient and very thorough He always responds to questions, returns calls and answers emails quickly. He deals with all the necessary documentation and enquiries in a professional and efficient way. I have recommended him to a number of my colleagues