Chadwick Lawrence LLP

Chadwick Lawrence completely failed to do their job in a transfer of equity process, leaving me attached to a loan I should no longer be responsible for, and have continued to fail to resolve it for months. My ex bought me out of a flat we owned together over a year ago, and they still have not properly completed the process. They had to be chased every step of the way and still failed to do their job. Complete negligence and incompetence throughout every single step of what should have been a simple process.

My staircasing transaction eventually completed successfully, but only after a great deal of chasing and coordination on my part. The overall experience was significantly more stressful and time-consuming than I expected from a firm advertising specialist conveyancing services. Throughout the transaction I found myself repeatedly chasing updates and coordinating communications between Chadwick Lawrence, SAM Conveyancing, my housing association and my mortgage lender. I also spent considerable time trying to understand and resolve issues involving searches, SDLT queries, valuation expiry concerns, mortgage offer expiry concerns and incorrect staircasing information being circulated between parties. Whilst not every delay was necessarily within Chadwick Lawrence's direct control, I felt I was required to take a much more active role in progressing the transaction than I would reasonably expect from a client. Communication improved significantly towards the end of the matter and the transaction was ultimately completed successfully within a very tight deadline. Following completion, I raised my concerns through Chadwick Lawrence's complaints procedure. The firm acknowledged the frustrations experienced and the additional chasing and coordination required from me, and offered a tiny goodwill payment. Whilst I appreciate that gesture, I remain disappointed by the overall level of client intervention required throughout what should have been a relatively straightforward staircasing transaction.

As first-time buyers, we felt quite overwhelmed going into the house-buying process, but Nazmeen made the whole experience feel much more manageable. She worked efficiently throughout and kept us informed at every stage, which gave us a lot of reassurance during what can otherwise be quite a stressful process. We actually went from offer to completion in just 8 weeks. While we appreciate there are lots of factors involved in the timeline, we’re sure Nazmeen’s efficiency and organisation played a big part in everything running so smoothly. We’re really grateful for all her help and would happily recommend her to other first-time buyers.

The worst company I ever dealt with in my lifetime, zero communication abandoned my file when my solicitor left, didnt manage mortgahe deadline or communicate at all, over calculated my stamp duty by 10k which I had to correct whilst on holiday. Tried to make me compete on a property with fire issues, only passed on vital fire info to the Seller 2 weeks before deadline. I wouldn't wish this company on my worst enemy, having spoken to my new case handler, I was advises to put my complaint in to stop what happened to me happening to others, so please do not go near this company, pay a bit more and find a proffesional.

Chadwick Lawrence LLP’s conveyancing department in Bradford delivered one of the most frustrating and unprofessional experiences we have ever encountered. What should have been an extremely straightforward sale and purchase became a seven-month ordeal defined by appalling communication, endless delays, and a complete lack of accountability. Our sale involved a first-time buyer with no chain whatsoever. Our purchase also had no chain, and we were effectively cash buyers. There was absolutely no reason for either transaction to drag on for over seven months, yet Chadwick Lawrence somehow managed to turn two simple matters into a drawn-out nightmare that placed both transactions at serious risk multiple times. Communication was shockingly poor from start to finish. Emails routinely went unanswered for days or even weeks, phone calls were not returned, and we were constantly left chasing for updates. At no point did we feel that anyone had a clear grasp of our case. The original case handler was off ill for a significant period, but instead of ensuring continuity and proper oversight, the file appeared to be passed aimlessly between staff members. In total, around ten different people became involved in our transaction. Every time we spoke to someone new, it was obvious they had little or no understanding of the history of the case. We repeatedly had to explain matters from scratch because nobody seemed willing to take ownership or responsibility. The lack of professionalism extended beyond poor organisation. My wife had been expressly authorised by me to deal with matters on my behalf, something Chadwick Lawrence had already been informed of. Despite this, when she contacted the firm she was met with rude and belittling responses questioning what she “had to do with the transaction” and why her name appeared on documentation. The irony was that the form in question had actually been completed by Chadwick Lawrence themselves, and her name was entirely correct and expected to be included. Instead of showing basic courtesy and competence, staff were dismissive and confrontational, which only added to the stress and frustration of an already badly managed process. The delays caused by this incompetence had real financial consequences. We incurred more than £400 in additional surveyor costs because deadlines were repeatedly missed, and we were also forced to continue paying unnecessary running costs on a property that should have been sold quickly and efficiently months earlier. The stress and uncertainty caused by their handling of the transactions was completely avoidable. Most concerning of all was the firm’s attitude towards complaints. When we raised formal complaints in line with Chadwick Lawrence’s own complaints procedure, they were simply ignored. Neither the case handler, supervisors, nor partners acknowledged or dealt with the issues raised. It was only after we threatened to escalate matters to the Legal Ombudsman that we finally received any meaningful response at all. Conveyancing is stressful enough without having to fight your own solicitors for basic communication and competence. Chadwick Lawrence’s conveyancing arm demonstrated a staggering lack of organisation, professionalism, and customer care throughout. We paid for a professional service and instead received months of delay, confusion, financial loss, and unnecessary stress. Based on our experience, we would strongly advise anyone considering using Chadwick Lawrence for conveyancing to look elsewhere.