Residential
Buying a home
Prepare for the legal work between an accepted offer, exchange and completion.
Service directory
Start with the decision in front of you.
Compare twelve common legal routes, see what each may involve and prepare the facts for a useful first conversation.
Find the route
The right starting point is usually practical, not technical.
A house move, business sale, will or workplace problem may touch several areas of law. Begin with the immediate decision, the people involved and any deadline you know about.
The pages below explain common stages and preparation points. They are general information for England and Wales, not legal advice or confirmation that a provider can accept a matter.
All service routes
Choose the description closest to your matter.
Urgent risk or a time limit should be raised at the beginning of any real enquiry.
Residential
Selling a home
Understand the title, contract pack, enquiries, exchange and transfer stages.
Commercial
Commercial property
Organise the premises, transaction structure, lease terms and due diligence.
Corporate
Buying or selling a business
Clarify the deal structure, assets, liabilities, information and timetable.
Commercial
Commercial contracts
Start with the operational deal, responsibilities and consequences of failure.
Private client
Making a will
Prepare your family circumstances, assets, wishes and choice of executors.
Private client
Probate and estate administration
Build a clear picture of the will, estate, liabilities and people involved.
Future planning
Lasting powers of attorney
Understand the two LPA types, chosen attorneys and registration process.
Resolution
Dispute resolution
Define what happened, what is disputed, the evidence and practical objective.
Personal matters
Some questions need early triage, not a completed form.
Family, employment and dispute matters can involve urgent practical concerns or formal time limits. A first brief should identify the key event, when it happened and whether any hearing, appeal, dismissal, notice or safety issue is approaching.
Do not delay seeking an appropriate regulated provider because every document has not yet been found. State what is missing and why it may matter.
Before choosing a provider
Check identity, regulation, scope and costs.
- Confirm the legal entity and regulator using an official register.
- Ask who will do the work and who supervises them.
- Request written scope, likely stages, exclusions and cost information.
- Understand how to raise a concern and where complaints information is published.
Official starting points
Check the current source.
These official links support general orientation only. They do not replace advice about a particular matter.
Prepare the first conversation
Turn the matter into a concise, useful brief.
Collect the people, dates, documents and practical outcome before contacting a regulated legal provider. Do not include confidential information in this prototype.