Russells

“I hired Russells to help deal with a relatively straightforward contract dispute/negotiation, but unfortunately wouldn't recommend them.

There were a few reasons for this, mainly the length of time Russells took to deal with everything. Days often passed before I received any response to my emails at all, and weeks went by when no progress was made on my case. The party I was in dispute with was extremely prompt in responding, so it was incredibly frustrating for it to be my side that caused the dispute to agonisingly drag on for seven weeks, when it really should have been resolved much sooner. I still have no real idea just what was gained in that time, or why the final bill totalled the amount it did. Sadly, I wouldn't use them again.

• Recommended

“I recently used Russells for a conveyancing transaction, the whole team but particularly Ffion was absolutely brilliant and made the buying process far less stressful.

Would definitely recommend.

“I hired Russells to help me with my divorce because I was told they were “value for money”.

I don’t consider that my husband and I have complex assets, so I was surprised that in a period of a little over a month, Russells ran up £7,691 in fees to “peruse” (aka examine) documents. Upon receiving their first invoice, I raised concerns according to Russells’ complaint procedure. In my complaint, I wrote that I was floored by their invoice. I also wrote that I had hired them to ease my burden but that I felt my life was even more stressful. Russells took longer to respond to my complaint than their complaint policy promised and ultimately offered a 4% discount in response to my complaint. This made me feel as if they did not take my concerns seriously. Thus, I felt obliged to file a complaint with the Legal Ombudsman. After Russells found out that the Legal Ombudsman agreed to investigate my complaint, and that the investigation (still ongoing) might be delayed, they initiated a court claim against me for payment of their fees. To continue work on my divorce, I had to hire a new lawyer and incur additional expenses. Plus, I incurred the stress and considerable expense of going through civil litigation at the same time. I defended the claim as a litigant-in-person, while Russells was supported by 7 legal professionals, 2 administrators and 1 court clerk. To date, I incurred over £17,500 in civil litigation costs. Based on my experience, I do not feel that Russells was “value for money”. I was also deeply dissatisfied with how Russells represented my interests. I informed Russells and the court that other legal professionals I consulted about my specific case concurred with my assessment. Due to my level of dissatisfaction, I felt compelled to file a counterclaim. From what I’ve undergone, I have reservations about recommending Russells’ family division. I hope Russells will be more open to client feedback in the future.