Solicitor at Wills Chandler Solicitors
Margaret Dodson
Solicitor - Director/Solicitor
SRA ID: 35974
Margaret was admitted as a solicitor in 1998. Margaret started her legal career in private practice specialising in housing, family and dispute resolution. She then joined Southwark Council’s legal department where she worked as a senior lawyer in all areas of housing law including, disrepair, possession and homelessness. She also advised the local authority on policy decision. Since joining Wills Chandler, Margaret’s main areas of work are housing, family, dispute resolution and employment. Margaret has continued to work in social housing helping clients with housing issues and has achieved impressive outcomes for her clients. Margaret is also regularly instructed by private landlords in relation to commencing and defending possession proceedings, drafting notices and so on. Margaret works for both employers and employees, advises and deals with all forms of employment issues. Margaret has had many reported cases including Pemberton v Southwark, McIntosh v Southwark and Paul-Coker v Southwark. Margaret acted for the Appellant in the Court of Appeal case of Biden v Waverley Council. One of the highlights of Margaret’s career is the case of Bah v United Kingdom. This was a case Margaret dealt with while working at Southwark and it involved Ms Bah’s challenge of the local authority’s allocations policy. Ms Bah eventually took her case to the European Court of Human Rights. Margaret, along with others, worked on defending the claim.
76 Bounty Road, RG21 3BZ
Licensed for 26 years
Practice Areas
Family Law, Employment, Housing & Property, Dispute Resolution
- Family Law 20%
- Dispute Resolution 30%
- Employment 20%
- Housing & Property 30%
15 Client Reviews
Overall experience
- Value For Money
- Communication
- Initial Impressions
- Approachability
- Documentation Accuracy
- Legal knowledge
About Margaret Dodson
Margaret was admitted as a solicitor in 1998. Margaret started her legal career in private practice specialising in housing, family and dispute resolution. She then joined Southwark Council’s legal department where she worked as a senior lawyer in all areas of housing law including, disrepair, possession and homelessness. She also advised the local authority on policy decision. Since joining Wills Chandler, Margaret’s main areas of work are housing, family, dispute resolution and employment. Margaret has continued to work in social housing helping clients with housing issues and has achieved impressive outcomes for her clients. Margaret is also regularly instructed by private landlords in relation to commencing and defending possession proceedings, drafting notices and so on. Margaret works for both employers and employees, advises and deals with all forms of employment issues. Margaret has had many reported cases including Pemberton v Southwark, McIntosh v Southwark and Paul-Coker v Southwark. Margaret acted for the Appellant in the Court of Appeal case of Biden v Waverley Council. One of the highlights of Margaret’s career is the case of Bah v United Kingdom. This was a case Margaret dealt with while working at Southwark and it involved Ms Bah’s challenge of the local authority’s allocations policy. Ms Bah eventually took her case to the European Court of Human Rights. Margaret, along with others, worked on defending the claim.
Languages Spoken: English
Contact Margaret Dodson
Resume
LICENSE
Country
Status
Acquired
Updated
United Kingdom
Currently Registered
01/09/98
26/08/22
We found no instances of professional misconduct for this solicitor
WORK EXPERIENCE
Title
Name
Duration
Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration
Wills Chandler Limited
?-present
Thank you
I am a support worker for a disadvantaged client who was at risk of losing his property and becoming homeless. Margaret and her team were exceptional. They supported me with the process of filling out the paperwork and various witness statements. With the help of an excellent barrister called Mark we were successful at winning his case. I am so grateful for fact we still have solicitors who are willing to take this work under legal aid. They are a rare commodity and we were so fortunate to have such caring and professional solicitors in our corner. Thank you.
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
Was this review helpful? Yes
Big win for the small people
Just want to say a very big thank you to Margaret and the team for all the assistance and preparation in a case that we thought we would be certainly be up against it as it was a council establishment we were challenging. Great advice along the way and council was terrific on the day, so good in fact we did not even go into the court except for the order in our favour. Thank you all again.
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
Was this review helpful? Yes
Awful, lack of communication and caring.
Very poor service in my opinion. I engaged Wills Chandler solicitors for legal action against my social housing landlord, they recommended also pursuing the local council, which we did. They only persisted against the council, despite contractual and policy breaches by LL - the solicitor handling my case left abruptly without notice, and I was not even informed until I chased for an update on my case. Subsequently, the solicitor who took over my case, quite frankly, seemed to have zero interest in following through with the action against my LL, which was the primary reasons for engaging them as my solicitors. I have since contacted the firm due to now being punished by LL for starting legal action, but Wills Chandler haven't even had the courtesy to respond. I will be looking through the customer care letter and submitting a complaint, as they were brought on and initially agreed to take legal action against the LL, but never even bothered, which has now left my family and I in extremely dangerous conditions.
Highly disappointing after seeing so many positive reviews.
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
Was this review helpful? Yes
Not even worthy of one star
Regret using this firm to act on our behalf with contentious probate. Very poor service, inadequate & delayed responses. Incorrect information was given too when concerns were raised about abuse of process. Mounting costs & no progress for a whole year. New solicitors have achieved far more in a much shorter timescale. Complaint wasn’t dealt with appropriately either. Solicitor’s husband responded & unsurprisingly was not impartial. Would not recommend this firm.
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
Margaret Dodson from Wills Chandler Solicitors responded to this review on 11 September, 2023
Dear Danielle, thank you for your feedback – constructive feedback is always appreciated because it allows us to improve our service. I am sorry you felt let down by our service. However I am satisfied that we provided a very good and cost effective service and there were no delays. I am equally satisfied that the advice and the approach we recommended were correct. I therefore cannot see any justification for your feedback and wish you all the very best.
Was this review helpful? Yes
Excellent experience with Margaret Dodson
Excellent experience with Margaret Dodson. I was a tenant and I suffered a breach of contract from the landlord. The landlord initially refused to give me a compensation for the breach. Many advised me to just give up. I then asked Margaret for advice. She carefully studied my case and stood up for me, patiently explaining to me how to deal with the situation. I followed her advice and successfully managed to obtain the monetary compensation from the landlord that I hoped for. I found Margaret to be extremely professional, clear, transparent and supportive. She cares for the clients and very quickly understand their needs and adapts the strategy to achieve their desired goals. Highly recommended!
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
A representative from Wills Chandler Solicitors responded to this review on 29 June, 2023
Thank you for this lovely review regarding Margaret. We're glad to hear that she was her throughout a difficult situation. Her professionalism, clarity, transparency, and support show that she genuinely cares for her clients and understands their needs. Thank you for recommending Margaret. If you have any further feedback or if there's anything else you'd like to discuss, please don't hesitate to let us know. Best wishes, Wills Chandler Solicitors.
Was this review helpful? Yes
Wills Chandler solicitors
I contacted Wills chandler after being illegally evicted from my property. The solicitor instructed to deal with this matter had been diligent and attentive to my specific needs with a level of professionalism that far exceeded my expectations. My matter concluded with a positive result and I am very grateful to Ms Dodson who dealt with it with her commitment towards helping me and also showing compassion to my situation.
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
A representative from Wills Chandler Solicitors responded to this review on 18 April, 2023
James, Thank you for sharing your positive experience with Wills Chandler. We are pleased to hear that Margaret handled your case with diligence and professionalism, and that your specific needs were met with care and compassion. We are glad that Margaret was able to help you reach a positive outcome and we will make sure to pass your feedback along to her. If you need any further legal assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Was this review helpful? Yes
DVSA Court case
These solicitors are the very best, professional and very supportive to there clients. They will give you the very best advice, and guide you through every step of the way, my colleague and myself can't thank you enough for everything you did before, during and after the court case
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
A representative from Wills Chandler Solicitors responded to this review on 13 March, 2023
We appreciate your kind words about the legal services we provided, Diane. We are pleased that you felt supported by Margaret & the team and that our advice enabled a positive outcome in court. It was our pleasure to assist you and thank you for entrusting us with your case. Best wishes, the team at Wills Chandler Solicitors.
Was this review helpful? Yes
Excellent service
I contacted Margaret on behalf of my client, a physically disabled lady, who needed to be moved from her council property into another property that would better suit her needs. The council proved to be very difficult and unwilling to acknowledge that they needed to accommodate my client’s needs. After two months of emailing backwards and forwards with the council, there was still no progress and my client’s safety was seriously put at risk on a daily basis.
We decided to get legal help and got Margaret as our solicitor. Working with, Margaret was such a pleasure, she took the time to carefully listen to my client’s situation whilst showing empathy and genuine interest in helping her case . She communicated very clearly what the plan was and made sure we understand what she was going to do, which was great as I don’t have much knowledge on housing legislation and the same stands for my client.
In the end, the council agreed to offer my client another accommodation and this was all thanks to Margaret’s efforts. She was very determined to help us and we could not have done this without her.
I would highly recommend Margaret to others and have already shared her details with my work colleagues. She is professional, approachable and cares about her clients.
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
A representative from Wills Chandler Solicitors responded to this review on 10 November, 2022
Dear Ingrid, we really appreciate your review and are pleased Margaret could assist in your matter, and that you would recommend us to others. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further assistance in the future.
Was this review helpful? Yes
Probate claim
My experience with Wills Chandler Solicitors was pleasant and very professional and they explained every step of my case and made sure i was happy with everything before any decisions were made and keep me well informed
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
A representative from Wills Chandler Solicitors responded to this review on 24 October, 2022
Dear Andrew, we really appreciate your review and are pleased Margaret could assist in your matter. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further assistance in the future.
Was this review helpful? Yes
Housing option
My family were having homelessness problem for more than 3 months and when I refer to Wills Chandler solicitors, our problem was solved, I appreciate your work thank you so much.
Lawyer named in this review: Margaret Dodson
A representative from Wills Chandler Solicitors responded to this review on 24 October, 2022
Dear Hamed, we are glad to hear such positive feedback regarding our firm and will make sure your comments are passed on to Margaret.
Was this review helpful? Yes