How to Choose a Solicitor: What You Can Actually Check

Grant Saw was reaccredited to ISO:9001 in July, the international quality management standard, following independent assessment — as it has been every year since 2013, alongside Lexcel, the Law Society's own practice management standard. It matters a great deal to us, and I am genuinely proud of the team who earned it. 

I am also aware that no one has ever chosen a solicitor because of a quality management certificate. In thirty years I have never once heard a client say they picked us for our documented process controls. So there is a certain irony in writing this — but it did raise a question worth answering properly. 

A row of logos on a website is not what anyone is actually looking for when they need a solicitor. What people want to know is simpler and harder: are these the right people to trust with this? 

That is worth taking seriously, because most people choosing a solicitor feel they are going on instinct. A recommendation from a friend, a website that seemed reassuring, a phone call that felt right. All useful. But there is considerably more that can be checked than most people realise — and the most valuable of it is evidence a firm does not get to write about itself. 

Here is what that evidence is, where to find it, and what it does and does not tell you. 

1) How to check a solicitor is regulated 

This is the baseline, it is public, and it takes about a minute. 

Every solicitor in England and Wales is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. That means client money is protected, professional indemnity insurance is compulsory, and there is an independent complaints route through the Legal Ombudsman if something goes wrong. 

To check: search the firm on the Law Society's Find a Solicitor service, or the SRA's public register. Search the individual's name as well as the firm's. Confirm the firm is authorised, and that the person advising you holds a current practising certificate. 

It is easy to take for granted. But not everyone offering legal-adjacent services carries this, and where it is absent, so are the protections. 

2) What the accreditations actually mean 

Law firm websites carry a row of logos and rarely explain any of them. The main ones: 

ISO:9001 — an international quality management standard, externally audited. It is not a legal qualification; it applies to a manufacturer or a hospital in exactly the same way. What it asks is whether an organisation is genuinely well run. To pass, a firm has to demonstrate with evidence, not assertion, that it has documented procedures and follows them in practice; that it identifies risk early and records what was done about it; that leadership is accountable for quality; that it measures client satisfaction and acts on what it finds; and that it reviews and improves how it works, continually and on record. 

Lexcel — the Law Society's practice management standard, built specifically for legal practices. It covers client care, risk management, file and case management, supervision and financial controls. Also independently assessed. 

Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) — a Law Society accreditation for residential conveyancing practices. Many mortgage lenders require it before they will accept a firm onto their panel, so it has real practical consequences for a house purchase. 

Specialist panels — including Resolution for family law, and Law Society schemes in areas such as private client and personal injury. These attach to individual practitioners rather than to the firm, so they are worth asking about by name. 

I would offer one piece of insider perspective here, having sat through a good many of these assessments. The useful question is not whether a firm holds accreditation. It is how long it has held it, and whether it covers the work you actually need. 

Auditors follow real files and real processes, and accreditation has to be re-earned each time. A single audit shows a firm that prepared well for an audit. Thirteen consecutive years shows how a firm runs on an ordinary Tuesday. 

What that means for a client is practical: your file does not live in one person's head, so a holiday or a handover does not stall your matter; the standard is the same whichever department you instruct; and if something does go wrong, there is a defined route for putting it right and a requirement that the firm learns from it rather than resolving it quietly. 

3) How to read solicitor reviews properly 

Reviews are the most-used proof point and the least-well-read. Most people scan the star rating, when the detail is where the useful information sits. 

Review Solicitors is the place to start — an independent platform built specifically for the legal sector, with verified reviews and side-by-side comparison of firms. Google reviews are worth reading alongside it. Neither is controlled by the firm, which is precisely what makes them useful. 

Once you are there, three things to read for. 

Communication rather than outcomes. Outcomes depend on circumstances no firm controls — a chain collapsing, a counterparty behaving unreasonably, a court listing moving. Communication is entirely a choice the firm makes: whether people were kept updated, whether calls were returned, whether things were explained in plain language. A review describing a difficult matter handled with good communication tells you far more than five stars on a straightforward one. 

Repeat instructions and referrals. Someone returning to the same firm for a second matter, or sending a family member, is deciding with full knowledge of what the experience was actually like. It is the most honest signal available — and, if I am honest, the one I care about most. A substantial proportion of our work comes from clients who have instructed us before, or from people they have recommended us to. 

The firm's responses. How a firm replies to criticism is informative in a way its marketing copy cannot be. 

4) Questions to ask a solicitor before you instruct 

Regulation and accreditation tell you the firm around your lawyer is sound. The remaining question is the person who will actually do the work — and that one you find out simply by asking. Four questions worth putting to any firm: 

• Who will handle my matter, and can I contact them directly? A named, qualified lawyer with direct contact details, or a team of case handlers you may never speak to twice? This single answer explains most of the difference between two firms quoting similar fees. 

• How much of this specifically have they done? Complex titles, difficult chains, contested estates and unexpected problems are resolved by judgement, and judgement comes from repetition. 

• What does the quote include, and what is treated as separate? A firm confident in its pricing will tell you before the work is done rather than after. 

• How will I be kept updated, and how often? Proactive contact is a decision a firm makes deliberately, or fails to. 

At Grant Saw every client has a named lawyer with direct contact details, from instruction through to conclusion. The accreditation sits behind that person, not in place of them. 

5) Track record, and what it quietly tells you 

A firm operating in the same place over a long period has been accountable to the same community throughout. In a profession that runs substantially on recommendation, that is difficult to sustain without doing the work well. 

Grant Saw has been in Greenwich since 1851 — 175 years, through every change the area and the profession have seen. Longevity alone proves nothing; there are old firms that coast. Set alongside current accreditation and current reviews, though, it completes the picture: evidence the firm was good, evidence it is good now, and evidence that has been independently checked. 

None of this guarantees a perfect experience. Nothing does. But it moves the decision from instinct to evidence, which is a considerably better place to start — and it is what I would want anyone to do before instructing us. 

Choosing a solicitor: frequently asked questions

How do I check if a solicitor is registered in the UK? 

Search the firm and the individual on the Law Society's Find a Solicitor service or the Solicitors Regulation Authority's public register. Both are free and confirm whether a firm is authorised and whether a person holds a current practising certificate. Checking the regulator's own record rather than the firm's website is the reliable approach. 

What does it mean if a law firm is ISO 9001 accredited?  

ISO:9001 is an international quality management standard assessed by an independent external auditor. It examines whether an organisation has documented procedures and follows them, manages risk, measures client satisfaction and improves its processes on record. It is not a measure of legal expertise, but it does indicate that the firm around your lawyer is properly run, and it must be re-earned at each assessment. Grant Saw Solicitors has held ISO:9001 every year since 2013. 

What is Lexcel accreditation? 

Lexcel is the Law Society's practice management standard, developed specifically for legal practices. It covers client care, risk management, file and case management, supervision and financial controls, and is independently assessed. Firms holding both Lexcel and ISO:9001 — as Grant Saw does — have been examined against legal-sector and general quality standards. 

What questions should I ask a solicitor before hiring them? 

Ask who will personally handle your matter and whether you can contact them directly; how much experience they have of your specific type of case; exactly what the quoted fee includes and what would be charged separately; and how and how often you will be kept updated. The answers usually explain why two similar-looking quotes represent different services. 

How can I tell if a solicitor is good? 

Combine independent signals rather than relying on one. Confirm SRA authorisation, check quality accreditation and how long it has been held, read verified reviews for what they say about communication and whether clients return, and ask directly who will handle your matter. No single indicator is conclusive; together they are a reasonable basis for a decision. 

Are solicitor reviews reliable? 

Verified reviews on independent platforms such as Review Solicitors are more reliable than testimonials selected by the firm itself, because the firm does not control which are published. Read the substance rather than the rating: comments on communication, updates and clarity of explanation are more informative than the outcome of the matter, which often depends on circumstances outside the firm's control. 

Does it matter if my solicitor is local to me? 

For most matters, no — legal work can be handled remotely with digital identity checks and electronic signatures. Local knowledge does make a practical difference in property transactions, where familiarity with an area's estates, freeholders and managing agents can resolve issues before they cause delay. What matters more consistently is who handles your file and how well they communicate. 

What can I do if I am unhappy with my solicitor? 

Raise it with the firm first — every regulated firm must have a complaints procedure and must tell you about it. If the response does not resolve matters, the Legal Ombudsman provides an independent route for service complaints, and the Solicitors Regulation Authority handles concerns about professional conduct. Both are free to use. 

Talk to Grant Saw 

Grant Saw has advised individuals, families and businesses across London, England and Wales from offices in Greenwich and Blackheath since 1851. Whether the matter concerns property, family, wills and estates, employment or a business issue, every client works with a named lawyer they can contact directly. 

Call 020 8858 6971 or email enquiries@grantsaw.co.uk.

Disclaimer 

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Laws and guidance change and outcomes depend on facts. If you need advice on your situation, please contact us. Grant Saw Solicitors LLP is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. 

Last updated: 29 July 2026