ABOUT US & ABOUT OUR LOCATION
General Information on our Legal Practice
History
We started in 1979 specialising in conveyancing but
also carrying out a wide range of other work.
The practice continued to grow in spite of
conveyancing recessions.
We are now focused on a more limited range of
activities, concentrating on Residential Conveyancing, Business
Purchases/Sales, Commercial Leases, Family Matters and
Wills/Probate.
In suitable cases we try to find you another
suitable solicitor.
We were one of the first Cornish firms to be granted
a
Legal Aid franchise (a contract confirming that we provide a
quality service).
Another management standard, which has been set up
by The Law Society with the assistance of leading
professional indemnity insurers, is "Lexcel". It
emphasises Risk Management and is intended to
benefit us and you. We are in the process of
obtaining this certification, there being few in the
County, as yet. Simultaneously we are applying for
the Investors in People award.
We are assisted by the fact that parking and
access are easy in Redruth compared with many local
towns in Cornwall. We have our own office car park for clients at our
office.
We make a point of giving you early estimates of
costs and of time.
Location
Redruth/Camborne
is the largest conurbation in Cornwall and one with a distinctive
character.
The large
employers of mining days have given way to numerous small businesses and
branches of larger ones on the industrial estates scattered around the
area.
Objective One
finance has already been invested in the two towns.
A great deal more
public funding is dedicated to the area.
The Heritage
Lottery Fund has committed twenty two million pounds to The World
Heritage Site project.
Town centre
buildings have been improved with the help of grants from the Redruth
Heritage Economic Regeneration Scheme.
Large areas of
land at Pool have been secured for the purpose of development as part of
a coherent project.
See
www.cprregeneration.co.uk for more information
on developments in the area.
Redruth’s
attractions include it’s friendly population and the character of the
town and of surrounding countryside such as Carn Brea.
Redruth is well
situated to serve commercial and private clients in Mid and West
Cornwall.
It is also only a
short distance from the surfing and swimming beaches of West Cornwall
and the sailing areas of Carrick Roads and the Helford.
The following linked websites represent a selection of the activities
and institutions in the area. Simply click on the link to be taken
to that website.
Cornwall Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Cornwall Studies Library
Cornwall Combined Universities
Mylor Yacht Club
National Maritime Museum Falmouth
Portreath Surf Life Saving Club
Redruth Amateur Operatic Society Trust
Redruth Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Redruth Rugby Club
Redruth School
Royal Cornwall Yacht Club
Surfers Against Sewage
Tehidy Park Golf Club
The Trevithick Society
Our specialisations are:
Conveyancing
Buying & selling of private & commercial properties,
commercial leases
Family Law
Children Problems (disputes over contact with, or
residence of children, local authority care
proceedings, adoption), Divorce, Financial Matters
arising out of divorce, Emergency Action (obtaining
an Injunction to prevent physical violence or
abduction).
Wills and Probate
Including advice for the elderly, Inheritance Tax
planning, powers of attorney and gifts.
Business Matters
Sale and Purchase of a Business, Business
Partnerships and Business Leases.
Information Technology
We use Osprey Case Management systems for time recording and effective
file management. We have recently upgraded this to a web-based system
that will be more time and cost effective. It is providing a more
reliable way for all departments to be linked up on the same network
and will eventually, in some instance, allow clients to track the
progress of their cases online.
General Office
Mr Thurstan Hoskin deals with Commercial matters for
business clients.
Kathryn Newton deals with family matters and Landlord & Tenant matters.
Mr Alan Gates & Mrs Stephanie Hague deal with Wills, Probate and Inheritance Tax Planning.
Mr John Meteyard manages the Residential Conveyancing Department both at
Redruth. He is assisted at Redruth by
Mrs Julie Blewett, Mr David Farmer, Mrs Jannette Scott and Mr Martin Biscombe.
The building has the advantage of a small car park at the rear.
General
We consciously manage our firm and its progress.
Staff at all levels make their contribution, at secretarial,
departmental, branch and senior management meetings.
We probably satisfy Lexcel requirements but have experienced so many
changes recently that we cannot keep the necessary formalities up to
date long enough to be able to complete the qualification process. Even
so it has been useful for us to sign up to it and prepare our
application.
Professional Indemnity premiums are loaded against Conveyancing
practices but we have a good claims record.
Our Future
We do not expect to open further offices in the foreseeable future but
do not discount the possibility of doing so at some point.
We propose to continue to develop in volume of work
and profitability by three methods.
One is to
continue to Specialise so that we can offer
particularly high quality services for which people
are willing to travel over longer distances.
The
second is through the use of Information
Technology to keep our costs down to an
attractive level and our speed up.
The third is the
vital Human Element. Happy, confident staff
means satisfied, confident clients. This is intended
to help develop individuals to fulfil their
potential.
To assist us in further specialisation we ensure
that we take regular training courses
calculated to assist us in our own particular areas
of work, particularly if there are changes in that
area of work.
We continue to monitor the needs of clients, and
potential clients, and our ability to provide other
services.
We intend to continue
to increase the size of our existing operations and to find
opportunities to open offices elsewhere.
Visit us or telephone 01209 213646,
to speak with us now, or use
our contact form to
make an enquiry via email. (If you do not
receive a response within one working day then we
would be grateful if you would telephone us.)
General Philosophy
Our aim is to give clients specialised, personal
service, at good value. We aim for what we see as
the best solution to the client's problem rather
than a solution which necessarily requires lawyers. If proceedings
are necessary then they should be well prepared, pursued with vigour,
conducted fairly and have the full support of a properly informed
client.
e.g. we do not want Divorce clients to feel that
once they have started the process they cannot be
reunited with their spouse.
e.g. it is important for a landlord and tenant to
regain and maintain a good working relationship if
possible.
e.g. in Commercial matters or other disputes,
negotiation is often the best solution and can often
be conducted directly between the clients.
e.g. reminding clients that they need to keep the
risks which they are taking and the costs which they
are incurring in proportion to the benefit which
they might gain from successful proceedings.
Our Clients
Many are in the Truro/Redruth/Camborne/Helston area where they are more likely
to be personally recommended. Those recommendations may come from
family and friends or from local professional person with whom we have a
good working relationship.
However, there is now a very
significant proportion from further afield. In some cases they are local
people who move away but wish to retain our services. Others hear of us
through clients near them or through Lawyers For Your Business or some
other interest group. Some instruct us as a result of this website.
Some are business people and some not. Some need
Legal Aid
and some do not.
Charges
We will give you a written estimate of our charges.
We can offer a free first interview on request at which we can give
general advice on costs, Legal Aid and the legal
principles or procedures which are likely to be
important in your case.
Taking advantage of our Information Technology to reduce the cost of
some of the routine work and our generally lower expenses, we charge at
rates which tend to be low compared with those charged by some
Truro firms (for example) in some areas of work. The quality is
not prejudiced. However, we do not claim to be the cheapest in any
of our areas of work. We aim to charge fair rates for good quality
work.
As a matter of policy we keep clients as well informed as possible on
their costs and at intervals of no more than five months in long running
matters. We also offer free legal advice and were one of the first to
obtain a Legal Aid franchise.
Most of our charges
are calculated by reference to the amount of work done with a rate which
reflects the importance, urgency or complexity of the matter and the
seniority of the member of staff conducting the work.
We do not charge for
Probate work on the basis of a fixed percentage of the value of the
Estate.
Our
hourly rates are from £175.00 per hour downwards.
Visit us or telephone on 01209 213646 to speak with us now, or use
our contact form to
make an enquiry via email. (If you do not receive a
response within one working day then we would be
grateful if you would telephone us)
Our General
Business Policy on Standards of our Services.
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The
guides below which contain useful legal information are
provided as free downloadable PDF's by Thurstan Hoskin.
Click on the "Get Acrobat Reader" button to download and
install Acrobat if you do not already have it installed.
Notes
for Clients Granting a Commercial Lease.pdf
