Excellent experience all round, highly recommended.

This is a not a good review of Carpenter and Co, (a law firm based in Wallington and Carshalton). It is intended to be reasonable and helpful to potential clients We are a corporate client having the experience of having used many different legal firms with varying degrees of satisfaction. We wish to be balanced in our judgments so as to be helpful to others. We engaged the firm to represent us in a commercial dispute with a gross value of £32k, which was not a huge sum for either of the parties, but significant. We engaged Carpenters, not because we know them, but because our regular firm were conflicted and could not represent us.
We made it very clear that we sought a speedy solution because the dispute was preventing us continuing to do business with two valued clients. The outcome was that 15 months later we had negotiated a settlement after mediation that awarded us net rather less than the £15k fees that Carpenters and their appointed Counsel (Paul Oakley) had charged. We had also lost those 15 months business with the two clients. In effect we won but lost money overall. There is no value in rehearsing here the detailed arguments that we have had with Carpenters. But it does make sense to outline for potential future clients our impression of the service provided:
a. We got the impression throughout the 15 months of the case that Carpenters did not sufficiently weigh the ratio of costs v possible reward. From the very beginning we were questioning any escalation and felt that the matter could be agreed by negotiation or mediation (NB the other side did not even employ outside solicitors). Even at the final mediation we were being encouraged to consider extending the suit against another potential defendant and taking the case to court. We questioned then the potential cost of the latter and were given a figure of £54,000; at that stage the amount remaining in dispute was not much more than £15,000. The good legal firms, the ones that retain and grow with their clients, always have their client's best interests in terms of net financial income uppermost in mind. Carpenters did not give us the impression of doing so.
b. We have disputed the costs and in particular the cost contribution for Counsel. This was apparently considered by a 'complaints procedure'. This 'procedure' we must assume was an internal affair, in which the client was not involved.
c. We had one detailed specific complaint about the attention that the firm and Counsel gave to a fundamental point in the case. This became a pivotal issue in the eventual mediation of the case, but somehow it was not clearly addressed by either of them. We have since detailed these concerns to Carpenters and also appointed other legal advisers to review our concerns. Carpenters have simply refused to answer or comment. "I have no intention of debating this further. Your “complaint” has been investigated.". Our impression in retrospect is that they and Counsel may have advised on the aspects of the case in which they felt they were on firm ground and avoided the issue where they were not. No doubt they would take a different view, however they have not provided any explanation.
d. We introduced the firm to someone else to try to solve a small, but complex, property issue. The outcome we understand was also unsatisfactory for the client and Carpenters were soon replaced.
e. The overall result was that Carpenters were rewarded. It was almost the opposite for us, the client. One would expect a substantial element of compromise on fees in these circumstances, which we did not see. They do claim to have written off some hours, but almost every single invoice from any lawyer we have ever used makes the same claims.
f. The firm may be satisfactory for administrative or routine matters, but we suggest that care be taken before using them for anything else.

Carpenters have written threatening us with suits for defamation. (29/08/2024). We can provide a copy to anyone interested.
This review is not intended to be any more than our own conclusions after an unsatisfactory relationship. We have adjusted some comments to ensure that we are simply stating our opinion based on the facts as we see them.

Summary: we started with a claim, that is an asset of value, worth somewhere between £25k and 32K. We employed Carpenters to realise that asset and finished with no asset and near enough no value; in effect we lost almost the whole value to solicitors’ and counsel fees. That is a very bad result.

And just to say once again. Thank you very much Simon for such an efficient and professional service.