Gabrielle Riddick
I want to make it clear that this review is not about Nelson Legal as a whole, but specifically about one solicitor, Andrew Ray. Andrew Ray represented my partner during his case, and unfortunately the experience was extremely poor. During a police interview that he attended with my partner, he sat reading a newspaper and offered no advice or support throughout the interview process. When the case went to court, it did not appear that he was fully prepared or understood the case properly. Prior to the court date, he told us to contact him if we had any questions. I rang him multiple times and never received a response. At court, he gave us false reassurance by saying the prosecution would not appeal my partner’s bail, but they did appeal it. Later, when the case went to Crown Court, the barrister representing my partner explained that they had been unable to get hold of Andrew Ray and were given very little information about the case. They did not have full details or access to all the evidence, which clearly affected preparation. Throughout this time, Andrew Ray had no contact with us and my partner was left completely in the dark. On another occasion, while my partner was still in custody and needed to be interviewed again, Andrew Ray did not attend at all, and a different solicitor from Nelson Legal had to step in. My partner has since asked for the new solicitor from Nelson Legal to continue representing him, and the difference has been significant — communication and support have been much better. Based on our experience, I would not recommend using Andrew Ray