Same team, same service, new style

Professional Law Services Ltd (Pro-law) are delighted to announce that today, 1 April 2025, we have begun a new phase of our business. From now on, we will be providing our legal services as part of Nexa Law Limited (Nexa), a national firm of solicitors, regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (number 633025).

This means that, as part of a large practice –

• we will ourselves be able to offer a wider range of legal services than we previously could; and
• we will be able to refer clients that need legal advice and help that we are not equipped to provide to people within the Nexa network that do have those specialisms – there are more than 150 of them!

Ian Mason becomes a Consultant Solicitor with Nexa, and continues to be assisted by Koren Pitcher and Samantha Hirons. As a reflection of that, we will be adding a new trading name, “Pro-law Consultancy”, which is the name you will see outside our office.

Speaking of which, we have at the same time moved to a different Unit in Bude Business Centre: Unit 19, immediately to the left on the ground floor through both sets of double doors. This should hopefully make the office easier to find, but also avoid clients with limited mobility having to struggle up the stairs.

Our association with Nexa will provide our clients with all the advantages, and heightened regulatory protections, of being served by a solicitors’ practice – including the facility of a Client Account for transactional work, which we have not been able to offer up to now, and direct access to various government business portals.

But we’re the same people, with the same professional approach: keen to continue providing the same client-friendly service to you in the future.

– The Pro-law Team (Ian, Koren and Samantha)

Advice Now! 

At Pro-law, we always strive to assist our clients in resolving their legal issues. However, if we do not provide a particular area of law, other routes may need to be taken.

If we can’t help, then try visiting Advice Now:
“We equip individuals and communities to deal effectively with life’s legal problems. We do this by providing legal support including easy-to-use information, legal self-help tools, and education and training to help people make sense of the law. We research what works, and collaborate with others to challenge justice problems through policy and campaigns work.”

Advice Now value providing legal education for the public, which we feel mirrors our own aims. 

Click here: https://www.advicenow.org.uk/

The Client Care Procedure – What to Expect

Client care procedures vary in each company. By writing this blog we hope to give you an insight as to what you can expect by using our services, and the type of professional interaction you could be receiving from other legal professionals. By following these steps, we feel our business provides a high-quality service to our clients.

Please note, that with our Wills and LPA services, we send out a questionnaire to the client beforehand to ensure important details are captured before the meeting, this is so we can give an accurate costing dependant on the complexity of the matter.

1. Free consultation (of up to 1 hour)
   We offer a free no obligation consultation with our clients before they commit to working with us, this is to help build trust with our clients and ensure they are comfortable in using our firm for their legal issues.

2. Client care letter
   If it has been agreed that the client would like to instruct us our next step is to send our formal client care letter to them, which outlines the details from the meeting above to ensure that both our firm, and our client have understood the needs correctly and there is a clear plan going forward. Within this client care letter, we attach our firms Terms of Business alongside an acceptance form which needs to be returned to us, signed and dated before we undertake any work. Alongside this, we also request identification at this stage. Our fees are also outlined in our client care letter. Dependant on the service being provided will determine whether this will be a standard fixed fee or based on our hourly rate basis.

3. Undertaking of service
   When we undertake any service, we communicate clearly with our clients if there are any outstanding issues that may arise further, such as personal questions that we cannot answer ourselves. Whilst working on the matter, if this is taking longer than first anticipated, we will endeavour to give updates and reasonings behind the delay. Ensuring our client is kept up to date and involved.
   
   
4. Finalising and closing the matter
   Once the matter has been complete and all outstanding work has been invoiced, and once payment has been received, we will then close your file. Any original documentation that you have passed on to us will be returned, unless you wish for us to hold original document i.e., Wills or registered LPA matters, where you wish for us to retain the originals in our fireproof cabinet (free of charge). Although, we do keep digital copies for our own records either way.

5. Follow up and support
   Sometimes, depending on the service you have used, we may contact you in the future to see if the matter was resolved. For example, for our LPA service, we contact you to ensure that the registered documents have been received and offer support and guidance if there is any confusion with the documentation received.
   Moreover, with our Will matters, we advise our clients to review every few years or once a big change has happened. For clients that have previously made Wills with us, we contact them every 4 years to see if they would like to update.

If you are looking for bespoke legal assistance, who offer a professional, friendly and client focussed approach, then feel free to get in touch with us.

Consequences of Dying Intestate

If you are to pass away without having a valid Will in place, it means that you die “intestate”. Without having a valid Will in place, your estate will be distributed according to the Law of Intestacy.

English Law of Intestacy: Without a Will, your estate will be distributed according to the rules of intestacy which of course depends on where you live. This blog focuses on the English Law. The Law of Intestacy prioritise close family members. There is a very handy tool on the government website Intestacy – who inherits if someone dies without a will? – GOV.UK

The Law may not reflect your personal wishes, i.e. if you wanted to leave any of your assets to friends, charities or others.

Disputes with family members: Dying intestate can lead to confusion and disagreements amongst family members over how assets should be distributed. Without clear instructions written within a Will, family members may argue over who should inherit, causing friction between the family or legal battles which in turn may delay the distribution of your estate and incur substantial legal fees.

Exclusion of certain people: Individuals who are important to you but aren’t close family members may be excluded from inheriting. Please note, that an unmarried partner is not automatically entitled to inherit anything, regardless of how long you have been together.

Delays in administrating: The probate process can become much more complex and time-consuming. A court-appointed administrator (usually a family member or close relative) must be appointed in order to manage your estate. This can take longer than if you had a Will in place and it may require the administrator to seek approval from the Court of certain actions, causing more delays and fees.

If the estate is complex, or there is a dispute among family members, the costs for the administrator to manage the estate may rise in turn reducing the overall value of your estate. In this case, probate might involve more steps and require more legal advice.

No Guardianship clauses: If you have minor children and die intestate, there will be no legally designated guardian – if both parents are deceased. The Courts will appoint a guardian which may not be someone you would have initially chosen. This can be a stressful and uncertain process for your children and family.

Loss of Control Over Your Legacy: A Will allows you to leave specific instructions about your possessions, estate, and personal belongings. Without a will, your belongings might be sold off or divided in a way that doesn’t reflect your intentions. For example, family heirlooms, personal treasures, or certain financial assets might not go to the people you would have wanted.

Estate Administration by Strangers: If no family member or close relative is willing or able to manage the estate, a professional administrator may be appointed to handle your affairs. While they are legally bound to act in your best interests, they may not have the personal knowledge or respect for your wishes that a family member or trusted friend might have.

If you would like to discuss creating a Will please do get in touch with us here at Pro-law. We offer a first initial meeting of up to one hour free of charge, here we can discuss your wishes further.