The Law Firm Group

Consortium of law firms with a national presence in England

The Law Firm Group presents itself as a consortium of law firms providing legal services to clients throughout England. Its activity is aimed at individuals, families and businesses, with the stated goal of protecting their interests, solving problems and facilitating decision-making. The firm states that it builds long-lasting relationships with its clients and acts as a trusted legal advisor.

The group states that it has accumulated more than 133 years of experience and has a multidisciplinary team of specialists. Its approach is based on clear communication, strategic thinking and close support so that complex matters become understandable.

Areas of expertise and services for businesses

The firm offers advice on company law, which includes business sale and purchase transactions, commercial property arrangements and dispute resolution. The catalogue of corporate services covers a wide variety of contracts and company procedures:

• Brexit advice, company registration, consulting agreements and contract review.
• E-commerce agreements, employee share option schemes (ESOS), exclusivity agreements and health and safety compliance.
• IR35 contract review, IT agreements, letters of intent, licence agreements, memoranda and articles of association, memoranda of understanding (MOU).
• Non-compete agreements, non-disclosure agreements, privacy policies, promissory notes, removal of directors, terms of sale of goods, sales commission agreements, service level agreements (SLA), terms and conditions, website agreements and website policies.
• Appointment of a company secretary, bonus issue of shares, breach of fiduciary duties, business sales and purchases, business structuring, buying a business, changing a company name, commercial property, misappropriation of company funds, company restructuring, director's loan agreements, director's service agreements, franchise agreements, franchise disputes, franchising, joint venture agreements, joint venture disputes, partnership agreements, partnership disputes, paying dividends, selling a business, setting up a business, shareholder agreements, shareholder disputes, share reclassification and share sale agreements.

Services for individuals and families

For individual clients, the group offers administration of wills and estates, family law, employment law and conveyancing. It also provides additional services such as debt collection and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including mediation.

The litigation area covers an extensive list of proceedings, including:

• Civil litigation, civil dispute resolution, civil mediation, breach of contract, fraud claims, defamation, slander, product liability, professional negligence and damages claims.
• Neighbour disputes, boundary disputes, fence disputes, nuisance, trees and high hedge disputes, and noise disputes.
• Landlord and tenant law: landlord and tenant disputes, rent arrears, deposits, eviction, possession orders, possession proceedings, repairs, landlord harassment, unlawful eviction, sections 21, 8, 25, 26 and 5 (5A), eviction notices, tenancy agreements, enforcement of tenancy injunctions and warrants.
• Debt recovery: bankruptcy petitions, debt recovery, enforcement of judgments, insolvency and bankruptcy, winding-up petitions, claims in the County Court and High Court, letters before action and loan disputes.

Family law, probate and estate planning

In the family area, the firm handles divorces (uncontested and contested), divorce mediation, separation agreements, pensions, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, civil partnerships and their dissolution, cohabitation agreements, cohabitation disputes, collaborative law, consent orders, child access and custody, child maintenance, grandparents' rights, claims under the Inheritance Act, international divorces, judicial separation, same-sex divorce and dowry disputes.

In probate and estate planning, services include:

• Drafting and updating wills, mirror wills, obtaining copies of wills, administering a will, probate applications, probate without a will, probate disputes, will disputes and trusts.
• Trusts: creation, management, disputes, asset protection, compensation protection and estate planning.
• Lasting power of attorney, Court of Protection, deputyship, estate management, executor duties, international estate administration, international wills, intestacy and claims under the Inheritance Act.

Employment and property law

The employment area covers unfair dismissal, constructive dismissal, disability discrimination, pregnancy and gender discrimination, equal opportunities and equal pay, disciplinary procedures, employee absences, salary disputes, representation before employment tribunals, grievance procedures, holiday pay, human resources advice, misconduct allegations, pension scheme disputes, settlement agreements, work-related stress, TUPE, tribunal claims, whistleblowing, harassment and victimisation at work.

In property law, the firm advises on buying and selling homes, leasehold properties, buying or selling freehold shares, commercial leases, commercial evictions, planning permissions, commercial properties, compulsory purchase orders, conditional contracts, declarations of trust, deeds of easement, deeds of gift, deeds of rectification, deeds of variation, development agreements, dilapidation claims, easements, equity release, evicting squatters and trespassers, leasehold extension, freehold enfranchisement, Help to Buy assistance, houses in multiple occupation (HMO), housing association disputes, independent legal advice on purchase, joint property ownership, land disputes, leases and licences, lease assignment, lease extension, leasehold disputes, leasehold valuation tribunal, lease transfer, licences to alter, licences to occupy and sublet, matrimonial transfer, misrepresented properties, option agreements, planning appeals, developer disputes, property ownership transfer, residential conveyancing, restrictive covenants, retrospective planning permission, right of way disputes, right to light, planning objections, Section 106 agreements, Section 42 lease extension, selling a leasehold property, service charge disputes, sublease agreements, tenancy at will, tenancy in common agreements, disputes with tradesmen or builders, transfer of equity, transfer of title, trespassing and wayleave agreements.

Presence and organisation

The group operates as a consortium of law firms with a local presence and national reach. Its website lists offices in Crawley, Cromer, Hitchin and Leatherhead, among other locations mentioned in the overview (Reigate, Guildford, Hastings, Tunbridge Wells and West Byfleet). Appointments are strictly by appointment only at some locations, and after-hours appointments are available in certain cases.

Offices and locations

Crawley office: Astral Towers, Betts Way, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9XA · Phone: 01293 772 424

Cromer office: Hethersett House, Bond Street, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9DA · Phone: 01263 513 355

Hitchin office: 29 Hermitage Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1BY · Phone: 01462 453 413

Leatherhead office: 19 High Street, Great Bookham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT23 4AA