As a beneficiary of an estate, I feel compelled to share my experience with WDS Associates Legal…read moreServices Ltd. Since the death of my aunt in 2019, we have been waiting for over four years for the estate to be administered. The UK probate court had issued a grant of probate in April 2020, but to this day, I have not received a final account or distribution of the remaining estate. Your company's address is listed in both the Gazette and the Grant of Probate documentation in connection with the estate of Maria Baumgartner-Watson (Ref: 2019/285/BAUMGARTNER-WATSON/70109). In 2023, WDS informed me of an alleged fraud committed by a former employee. However, such an incident has no bearing on the obligation to distribute the estate to the rightful beneficiaries. The way WDS handled this situation has been and is still extremely disappointing and frustrating for me. Public financial records show that WDS continues to operate with a bank balance of nearly £200,000 and net assets of approximately £270,000. In order to assert my rights, we were forced to hire both a German and a UK-based law firm - a significant effort and additional cost for our family living in Germany. The incomplete and lengthy estate account has also led to serious issues with the German tax authorities, which require a complete inheritance statement. I wish my aunt had chosen a regulated law firm. As things are now, this is certainly not what she would have wanted. With this review, I hope to help others make a conscious and informed decision when selecting a service provider for estate administration.

My wife and I used WDS Will Writing & storage services several years ago and paid our annual…read morestorage subscription until we telephoned and cancelled the service in early 2020, we were advised to follow this up in writing, which we did. We were not informed of a cancellation fee at this point. We heard nothing from them for a couple of years and then mysteriously we received a handwritten invoice in 2023 which we put down to an admin error so ignored it, We then received another a few months later which now had a 'default' charge added. So I emailed Mike Diamond and stated that there must have been a mistake as we had cancelled years before. We then entered into a frustrating exchange of emails where WDS took on a very threatening and bullying tone. This was quite shocking for a professional legal firm. I asked them to supply the original copy invoices they claimed had been sent to us. They were unable or unwilling to do this. They then started Court proceedings pointing out how bad this would be for us. I am not one to be bullied by anyone. However, I was willing to go to mediation, during this I asked again to be supplied with the original invoices, they then sent over 'new' handwritten invoices which were NOT copies of the invoices they claimed to have sent, presumably because they never existed- they were dated on headed paper which had a later date printed on it!!. To prevent the embuggerance of having to attend court I offered a Goodwill gesture and also paid the cancellation fee (the one we were not informed about and was detailed as 'default' charge) However, Charlie Diamond, who had now taken over dealing with this refused, at which point I said "we will see you in court". To cut a long story short I attended the Court hearing and Charlie Diamond (WDS Representative) appeared through a video link. The case was reviewed and the Judge dismissed WDS claim and found in our favour, he asked if would like to claim any costs, however, in the interests of further goodwill I said no. What I requested was for Charlie Diamond to confirm that the Account was now closed and that having paid the cancellation fees they would send us the original copies of the Wills that we paid for. She agreed. You may think that was the end of it, given the Judgement and the agreement. However, the Wills never materialised, so I emailed Charlie Diamond asking their whereabouts. I received this reply: Dear Mr Henderson, As per the Judges decision, I did confirm the agreement between you and WDS have now been closed and the contract is no longer legally binding. As for your storage facility as the account was in arrears and payment has not been received for such arrears everything is forfeited and destroyed. Therefore, this now concludes all matters, and no further contact is needed. So watch this space as I have given them 28 days to provide our original wills or we will again be meeting in Court, where WDS will have to explain why they did not abide by the assurances made to us in front of the Judge. I have also emailed the Court to inform them of WDS's action and email. If you are unfortunate enough to have dealings with WDS Associates then don't let this company or their unprofessional representatives bully you into anything, their administration and record keeping are so poor that why anyone would trust them to look after their legal documents is a mystery. If they threaten Court Action, don't be cowed, there is a strong possibility that they have no basis and are simply trying to frighten you into paying something you don't owe. As for the goodwill I have continually shown them, by not requesting expenses for a lost day at work and paying a cancellation fee that was not originally requested! Well, this is over and when we meet again in court I will not be so conciliatory. The sooner this area of Legal Services is regulated the better, that way firms like this will no longer be able to trade or behave like this or risk being 'struck off'.

Very thorough and empathetic service. Needing a solicitor isn't a position you want to be in, but…read moreif you are, I would recommend them completely

I have recently used Barcan and Kirby, they was recommended by a friend who went through a divorce…read moreas well. The solicitors (Kirsten) was amazing, professional, efficient, they guided me throughout the whole process, they always was prompt with their work. I would highly recommend these solicitors. They kept me informed of every costing and found them good value for the money.

This is one of the first reviews I have posted such is my disappointment with New Law, Cardiff…read more New Law were appointed to handle a very important and personal matter, the entire experience has been truly woeful, emails remain unanswered not just for days and weeks, but months (and the months delay was from their complaints department who set out their deadline for a response). I look forward to the conclusion of my matter and never having to deal with New Law again.

I was involved in a non-fault car accident back in February. My insurance company advised I should…read morespeak with New-Law. Probably the biggest mistake of my life Early on in the claims process their servers went down, zero communication, zero support, couldn't speak to a human, they deleted a post on LinkedIn after I commented asking for an update and others followed. After months of radio silence they reached out to me with my medical documents which they asked me to validate & return. I did so the same day and waited another 6 weeks without any acknowledgement they'd received the forms back. I called and spoke with (apparently I'm not allowed to use names), she told me she was going to check the box where everyone's letters get thrown into apparently. She found them and confirmed on e-mail. I replied asking how long it would have taken them to get to it if I hadn't e-mailed and have been completely ignored ever since. When you've dealt with the stress of a car accident which wasn't your fault, the last thing you need is the people who are meant to be helping you make the situation worse If you can give yourself on gift today, don't use New Law.

I used this law firm for a conveyancing transaction, to obtain a lease extension on my flat. I…read morefound their solicitors and support staff to be very helpful and efficient, and I thought that their fixed price costs were very reasonable. I used William Mason for negotiations with my landlord and Lorraine Stacey for the documentation, and their approach was highly effective and impressive. No qualms about recommending these solicitors to anybody who needs legal help.

In the conveyancing section of their website they claim; We understand that the conveyancing…read moreprocess can be a very stressful one and we aim to help take the pressure off you. This could not be further from the truth. They have done nothing but add stress and hassle to the process. Having decided to sit on house details for 6 weeks they then sent through enquiries 7 days before agreed exchange of contracts. If this in not enough, when their enquiries were dealt with within 10 business hours they then claimed they were too busy to even look at the reply until the afternoon of the proposed exchange. Add to this completely ignoring most correspondance by phone and email and you have a simply terrible experience that sits between complete incompetence and actual professional neglect.

Fantastic for conveyancing especially if you are local as they are happy for you to go in and deal…read morewith them face to face - we found their quote to be highly competitive and they kept us informed at every step of the sales process which as first time buyers was reassuring! All the staff are really friendly and dont mind if you phone to ask questions etc. I would definately use them again when I move!

Grasmere House Hotel, a 3 Star 38 bedroom Hotel in Salisbury, has used Bonallack & Bishop as our…read moreHouse Legal Advisors over the years. Bonallack & Bishop are a very friendly legal practice and have advised on all legal aspects whenever requested; with a range of matters covering Commercial aspects including Employment Law, Conveyancing, Banking and Contract law, Intellectual Property, Insurance Claims, Trusts and Litigation. Their advice also covers personal matters like Personal Injury and Accident Claim, Divorce & Family Law, including Trusts and Wills. Several of our staff have benefitted from their help. We have no hesitation in recommending Bonallack & Bishop Solicitors of Salisbury, for all legal advice and matters requiring legal help.

From the owner: Salisbury Solicitors offering a full range of legal services to private and business clients --…read morefrom divorce to debt recovery, probate to personal injury, conveyancing to commercial cases.