Shakespeare Martineau Reviews 

5 Stars – Outstanding Service from Raza Ali During Our Home Purchase

We had an excellent experience working with Raza Ali when buying our home, and we’re so grateful for everything he did for us. From the beginning, he was clear, professional, and incredibly supportive. What really made the experience great was how approachable and responsive he was – always quick to reply to emails or calls, and he never made us feel like any question was too small.

Raza took care of all the legal aspects of the purchase with great attention to detail, making sure everything was done properly and on time. He explained the process in a way that was easy to understand, which made us feel confident and reassured throughout what can often be a stressful time.

This firm clearly values communication, transparency, and putting clients first – and it shows in the way Raza works. We truly felt looked after every step of the way. If you’re buying a house and need someone who is knowledgeable, trustworthy, and genuinely cares, we highly recommend Raza Ali.

Thank you again for all your help!

We asked Shakespeare Martineau to help us buy our first house. They were super helpful, responsive, and always on top of things. We were in a bit of a hurry, as we started the process just 8 weeks before the SDLT deadline. Raza Ali, the lead associate on the case, was amazing. He kept us in the loop, gave us great advice, and even thought of things we might need to consider. He answered all our questions super quickly, and he was always happy to chat with us on the phone when we needed to. He wasn’t just passing along documents; he explained everything in detail and made sure we understood what first-time buyers need to know. I highly recommend Raza Ali and SHMA for any conveyance needs.

We instructed SHMA to assist with the purchase of our first house. The conveyancing team in the Leicester office were super helpful and responsive and we were able to complete very quickly.

I would recommend SHMA for all first time buyers.

Deeply Disappointed by Shakespeare Martineau’s Handling of Serious Complaint

I am a 50% shareholder and Director of a company that instructed Shakespeare Martineau LLP in various legal matters over a number of years.

I raised a formal complaint with the company, including a number of detailed and direct emails to the CEO Sarah Walker Smith, supported by documentation, relating to:

• My exclusion as a Director & 50% shareholder from key legal proceedings;
• A demand for a personal guarantee from one of the Company Directors and a waiver of the company’s right to complain;
• Alleged gross misconduct by a former partner, who in written text messages implied acts of violence against a borrower of the company;
• The firm’s complete refusal to respond meaningfully or engage with me on any of these matters.

I also raised concerns regarding the professional conduct of the same partner, including inappropriate late-night messages that, in my view, reflected impaired judgment.

Despite the seriousness of the concerns raised, SHMA declined to investigate, citing the technicality that I was “not their client” — even though I was a co-owner and Director of the client company, during a period in which fees of over £400,000 were paid.

In my view, their conduct was evasive, dismissive, and entirely lacking in transparency.

It is also worth noting that two partners closely associated with our company’s legal matters both left SHMA on the same day. No explanation was given, and both subsequently took up senior positions at other law firms.

I have escalated the matter to both the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Ombudsman, and have now published the full correspondence archive at the web site solicitordispute for public scrutiny.

My experience with SHMA has been extremely disappointing.

I expected greater accountability, openness, and ethical responsibility from a major UK law firm.

Lisa Clifford

Great service from Raza and Sarah on a complicated property sale. They navigated me through the process, communicated effectively and promptly and were always personable and professional - thank you!

We have used Shakespeare Martineau for some years now and have always received prompt, practical and easily understood, effective guidance. Thank you.

I cannot fault the level of professionalism nor the quickness of response I received with SHMA. I would not hesitate in recommending you to others.

Myself and my partner used Shakespeare Martineau as our solicitors for the purchase of our first house together. We worked with Raza, who made the whole experience extremely easy and smooth, with his fast response time and detailed emails. This was very much appreciated, as first time buying can be very daunting and difficult to keep on top of things, but Raza ensured everything was in hand and every step was easy to follow. We had set a deadline with him which was quite tight, however he ensured we were able to meet the proposed deadline with time to spare, and we cannot thank him enough for this. We would highly recommend them going forwards, and will be using them in the future for any similar transactions.

We worked with Raza from Nottingham office on both sale and purchase of my properties and everything was done very professionally and the process went very smoothly.
I definitely recommend Shakespeare Martineau especially Raza.
Also i have to mention Sarah and Kath in Razas team.

Shakespeare Martineau have always been willing to help and assist me with my case. The team I worked with were always quick to email or call back.

Megan helped me through a difficult time following the death of my husband, arranging probate and updating powers of attorney. I am so grateful for her sensitivity and professionalism and can highly recommend ShakespeareMartineau Solicitors.

Raza Ali just sold my flat for me, the whole experience was a pleasure, he was constantly on top of everything, phoned me whenever there was anything to discuss but kept it all simple and efficient. I'll be working with him again immediately on two other property sales/purchases.

I’ve always had a reliable, trustworthy and professional contact from the team I’ve worked with at Shakespeare Martineau.

I have used Shakespeare Martineau a number of times now, and I have found them to be very efficient and friendly

We have dealt with Nicola from the Leicester branch of Shakespeare Martineau for a number of years now for Wills and Power of Attorneys. We have always found Nicola and the team to be professional and outstanding. We have had appointments at home recently due to my husband being registered housebound. We have great faith in any work carried out by Shakespeare Martineau and happily recommend them.

Great service, quick and easy communication and a resultingly fast sale of our flat. I would definitely recommend.

I was very happy with my recent interaction with a member of Shakespeare Martineau Solicitors and her valuable assistance in helping me deal with a family financial situation. She was easy to contact and ready to answer questions connected to my need for legal assistance.

Absolute rubbish, this company does not respond to emails. They send letters then threaten you with CCJ's whoever commissions them for work needs to remove the contract. They are unprofessional and do not respond or clarify anything. I cannot wait to be done with them. Diabolical behavior for company in this day and age!

Single point of contact for multiple matters. Clear liaison between the team and regular updates to client.

Fantastic company to work with. My house sale went through quickly and efficiently. Raza Ali was exceptionally professional and I look forward to doing business with him in the future.