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'.

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.

One of the worst companies ever. Don't ever use them. They put me through so much stress while I…read morewas pregnant. My cousin who was also claiming due to the car accident we were in is still waiting to get paid 3 years on. Useless company!!

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!

First, he replied to an email to have the documents sent to him. I paid $60 for the certificate and…read moreforwarded it to him. Then he stopped responding to emails. I waited 2 months and my patience ran out! I do not recommend dealing with him!!!

From the owner: Stephen Gisby is based on Park Street, Bristol and offers a full range of notary services.read more

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.

This firm is employing solicitors and paralegals who seem utterly reluctant to reply to…read morecorrespondence and inquiries. I am am not a client of theirs for which I am extremely thankful, but are involved with them as a litigant in person pursuing a resolution to a pending case. If they are currently without instructions, then professional courtesy would dictate that I would at least be notified of this. However, there is nothing but silence. A complaint is in the process of being made against this outfit. Irmgard. 2. 6. 2021

My partner and I have employed Giles Woodward at B+K for conveyancing in the past and have been…read morepleased with his thoroughness and efficiency in what has been sometimes quite complicated and frustrating details. Time has been charged for accurately and full details have been sent of all the costs. Recently I have contacted Sharlie Sollars at B+K on another issue regarding evicting tenants. She listened carefully, translating my thoughts into something accurate and wrote a very comprehensive and thorough report of our meeting. In it she suggested options in a clear and not-too-technical way. I learnt a lot and took appropriate action.

I absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend this firm. From…read morestart to completion on a variety of some hugely emotional matters, Tom and Kirsten have been nothing but professional, helpful and empathetic. I always had confidence in their knowledge and experience to guide me through the legal process. They were always willing to listen and when needed, act quickly. I always felt important and valued - nothing was too small for them to act on. Highly recommended.

Very helpful, friendly staff. Victoria explained everything and the process was prompt and…read moreefficient. Very good communication too, we were kept informed throughout the process. I would be very happy to use them again and would recommend to anyone.