BLJ Solicitors Reviews 21

This firm claims to be 'progressive, innovative and forward-thinking', however, can't and won't accommodate a potential client with a language barrier.

Will be taking our case to a different place.

Poor communication and a very frustrating experience from the outset.
The Breeze app they use would not allow me to upload PDFs, the in-app chat went unanswered, and my follow-up email was also ignored. I waited seven days with no meaningful response.
The only reason I managed to get hold of anyone was because I had received an offer on my house and needed to move things forward. Even then, there seemed to be no awareness of the issues I had already raised.
I eventually terminated the agreement and was still charged £85 for very little actual progress.
If a firm struggles with basic communication and admin at the very start, it doesn’t fill you with confidence for the rest of the process.
Would not recommend.

They were duty solicitors for a disabled teenager in custody. Gave zero advice to the individual. I called them several times to get assistance and see if they would be attending the bail hearing for the individual and they called neither of us back. Thankfully a non chain solicitors was able to step in at the 11th hour with some advice despite not being their usual area. Would not recommend

Don’t use this company, no communication what so ever, no guidance when asked,get passed about when we ring up to complain, we have all but lost our purchase because of blj very unprofessional

Heading towards 19 weeks for a purchase with no chain and still they can’t give an update. Communication is dreadful and there is no urgency.

These conveyancers where recommended by my estate agents Kuavo for the sale of my apartment. Gemma Scholes and Lauren Crewe in the Maghull branch who dealt with my case where very helpful helping me overcoming obstacles ensuring my sale completed. I would definitely recommend.

What made my experience great was the consistent professionalism and friendliness of the staff. Communication was always clear and timely, and I felt that my concerns were genuinely listened to. The company is doing an excellent job at creating a smooth, organized process for customers, which makes everything feel simple and stress-free.

Claire and Alex were excellent throughout our purchase of a new property. BLJ came recommended from a friend and they were brilliant. Would recommended if in need of conveyancing.

Thanks very much to Emma Coathup and especially Gemma Scholes who represented us in the process of buying our 1st home, very good communication , kept us up to date at every step of the way and also came with solution’s where these were needed.
The whole process took around 3 months in which both proved we have been looked after as clients and ensured we can trust them for any further reason and also recommend to our friends .
Thank you very much from Silvia and Ghenadie Golban

Sue Chana is a Gem!!! she went above and beyond with her exceptional support towards me and my family case. Will definitely recommend for her professional service.

Regards,
Naz

I’ve been asking for additional documents that were missing for a property I purchased and nobody is coming back to me. When I ring they keep saying that they’ll be in touch but no one does!

Used BLJ on the sale of a property. The sale fell through after eight months, which though not their fault, the communication from them was appalling and constantly having to chase for them to follow up. The number of times we phoned and never received a call back we lost count. The level of service was terrible

Previously I've complained to IOPC on 2 relevant issues and since seem to have been ignored when coming to evidence.

Court trial was 4th October 2024 in Warrington Magistrates Court. Previous trial was adjourned to the initial Barrister who stood for me, had another case which took precedence on that day over mine.

My new Barrister (who nobody from Bell Lamb & Joynson had thought to tell me), on day of trial (the adjourned trial) didn't know how to access my advise after having been given my case the Friday before the trial date on a Monday. He also didn't have any back up (USB) and then to add to it all his laptop ceased to work.

As we were waiting to find out if our case was going to be adjourned, I told my barrister that this is unacceptable and he wasn't happy in me telling him this and didn't seem the least bit interested when I frustratingly started to cry.

I met with my solicitor of BL&J solicitors after the adjourned trial and asked him, whether they were working for the CPS who's standing for the claimant, as it all seemed very strange. No one had updated me about new barrister and then he couldn't access any of my footage.

He didn't answer my question directly, but got onto another subject.

Court trial on 4th October 2024. My barrister who I'd spoken with prior to going into the dock said everything is sorted, he's got all the evidence and USB to access my evidence (which was 80% evidential, proving the claimant was a liar).

It came to my Barrister to cross examine the claimant. He asked 3 non crucial questions and didnt ask questions that would be opposite of what my actual evidence showed. The witness/claimant was shouting to the judges that my barrister was aggressive etc, my barrister looked somewhat distressed turned to look at me and then told the judges, he had no more questions. ask. I was in total shock, so when I was cross examined, I came across as rude, as I followed on my answers with saying the likes of, "Also, my barrister has full evidence of this, which shows the claimant etc ......".

If I hadn't have done that the judges, I think would have looked at the case differently, but it helped me just scrape through. Family & malicious journalist agreed.

On 10th October 2024, I got a message that a journalist of Cavendish Press wanted to contact. Rang him and discussed in depth etc.

After being somewhat concerned even though I was acquitted, he told me his report only clarifies what happened at the trial. I sent most of my evidence he was interested in, especially what Id spoken about with regards to my evidence when being cross examined.

On 17th October 2024 - a news article appears on 'Mailonline news' and then in 'The Sun' newspaper.
The article was damning and had plenty of untrue and sensationalized wording and none of the evidence I'd sent was reported at all, because, it hadn't been brought up in the trial.

I wondered why nobody like housing/police/barrister or journalist were wanting to see/convey my innocence with the evidence I had provided to all, but especially my barrister. Why?

If my case would have been fought in the right manner by my barrister of BLJ Solicitors, by showing my crucial evidence, this article which jeopardizes my name, the company I work for and justice in itself, would have been avoided.

Bell Lamb & Joynson did not treat my case with importance, I was hardly advised or contacted and only when I complained to reception, would my solicitor message, or on occasion contact me. The excuse was always that they're very busy.

If I'd not have added my desperate pleas about my evidence when on the stand, this case could have been very different however, it's still questionable, why my evidence was hardly used, and that which was was not of much relevance to my innocence.

I feel very upset with this company of solicitors and think that their intention lay somewhere else, rather than on my evidence.

I feel it's too late to complain again, at this stage as my case was acquitted, but feel that they need some type of investigation as to why they hardly defended me and I know that the outcome of damning journalism is due to their performance.

I am very disappointed with the service received. They didn’t get in touch for a week after instructing them to act on my behalf for the sale of my property. It was me who had to get in touch, calls not returned and when I complained, one of the managers who rang me used sentences like “it’s up to you” or excuses such as “our SLA to return calls is 1 day”, which shows no interest in a customer. Perhaps something like “I would really like to keep you as a customer” would have led to a better outcome. Really disappointed

I cannot Thank you enough with helping my son with his court case.
Jim has gone Above and Beyond and has been so professional.
Jim's communication has been outstanding as he has kept me informed at every meeting.
Jim has literally been the most Outstanding Solicitor and is helpful and caring. I am so happy with the service that BLJ have provided. Jim has been a Godsend for my family. I Highly recommend these solicitors. Thank you so much Jim.

Used BLJ Runcorn for both house sale & purchase. Would not recommend for the following reasons. My queries were not always answered, the sellers solicitor complained that mine were not responding to emails. I needed advice re a very poor survey but didn’t really get any solid guidance. I had to continually chase & question.
When I withdrew from the purchase in November 2022 I asked for confirmation that BLJ received my notice of withdrawal & asked for my bill. I received nothing so I emailed again, nothing. I left it whilst dealing with family issues. Eventually I contacted again because in February I received the first of 3 emails asking me to pay for the deposit for the sale of the house I had withdrawn from in November of the previous year. I then emailed the senior partner to make a polite complaint. He eventually decided my complaint was unfounded and sent me a bill.
I picked BLJ because of the decent reviews but my experience was not at all positive, would not recommend.

I had been with optima legal and has an appalling service from them. Therefore chose BLJ as I use them for my remortgages and we completed within 10 working days from start to finish. Highly recommend and will be using them again. Kelly fearn was great and communication was excellent

I am a first-time buyer of a new build and have limited knowledge about the whole process and my risk. The new build was delayed over a year so causing the breach of contract. Fortunately, David provided support and professional advice to me during the long journey and tried his best to protect my deposit. In the end, I chose to walk away with my deposit and find other properties.
I will delegate him to my case again once I find a suitable house.
Again, I much appreciate David.

Long delays, poor communication, unprofessional behaviour with high dependence on the clients chasing up on matters.

I am a year into completing on a property and they have yet to resolve an issue with improper completion payment, resulting in me having to pay out of pocket for this myself whilst awaiting a refund from the management company.

Despite this, I am having to personally liaise with the seller's solicitors to resolve this as they have not effectively resolved this issue a year down the line.

Honestly shocked and disappointed by the level of service, the lack of professionalism and the poor communication.