Very quick chain of events. :
I wanted to purchase a house in January of 2023. Cash sale. For multiple reasons although the contracts were signed by both parties the sale was unable to be finalised. Through all the back and forth the solicitor I was dealing with left their firm. The sale was finally voided in December 2025
I went sale agreed on a different house in October 2025.also cash sale. I have not paid this firm for the outstanding failed sale. I did email in August asking for bill for same but was not acknowledged. As of today, I still haven’t even heard from the solicitor if he has the contract or not. As per the EA, he received it the week before Christmas. It takes 3-4 days to even get a reply from him. I don’t even have a email contact for him just the general practice info@ email. I have been ringing since Monday with the promise that he will call me back and as of now he has not.
I would like to change solicitors but feel this might delay things even further and run the risk of the vendor pulling out.
Advice please!
You should certainly be thinking about fruiting the solicitor but before you do (because you sound like a valuable client they should want to retain) I recommend the following
1 - email and call saying you need to hear back within 24 hours or you will escalate to the managing partner (it may be a sple practitioner with staff but you mentioned the first solicitor leaving the firm)
2 - 24 hours later on the dot, email and call the managing partner saying you are concerned to lose a second sale and you've been told the contract has been sent to the firm on X date and you need to hear back within 24 hours
3 - 24 hours later, call and email and tell them to do no further work on the file and to await contact from your new firm. Unfortunately, you have had to move due to the communication problems and the risk of losing the sale in a competitive market.
It sounds to me like they're having some kind of mini crisis in the firm and are in a state of some disarray. It can happen even to decent firms. You just need to make sure you're not adversely affected
We had similar before Christmas, not with our solicitor, but with the solicitor for the vendor of the house we were buying. They wouldn’t even respond the our solicitor, let alone the vendor. Almost cost us the sale of our own house as we struggled to close our purchase because of them. Feel for you, it is a lot of unnecessary added stress to an already stressful process.
The whole sales process here is shocking bad. Vendor should have all paperwork before house can go on market. This must be pre arranged with solicitor and estate agent. There must also be a penalty and/or score for both so buyers and vendors know who to use and those that are crap, either up there game or get no business. Is there any reason why a house sale couldn't be completed in a max of 3 months from accepted offer. Saw this happen in auz. I know of someone who went sale agreed and still hadn't got a move in date, when another friend in auz decided to sell, bought another place and had moved in and everything. This crap of solicitors not replying and stuff having to be posted is a joke. I understand they need to be sure of what they are doing and will be dealing with multiple things, but they can make the small things quicker at least
Report them to the law society and tell them you are going to do it SEE HOW QUICK THEY ACT THEN
The LSRA, not the Law Society.
Or what ever bunch of crooks run the legal profession Undoubtedly one of the biggest corrupt organizations in the country
That’s an unfair comment. There are crooks in every profession.
Good job you're not completely prejudiced
A completely unhinged statement 😂😂😂
The LSRA will take weeks to even acknowledge the complaint. They are not the right tool in an urgent case like this one.
So what would you suggest?
Just look what that solicitor in Dublin did and done a runner There are many more cowboys out there ripping people off and get away with it Some of you might not want to hear that but that the truth of the matter
It's very rare that a solicitor will operate on their own unless they are well established, call into the office with your hardcopy file that you are maintaining with regards dates of contact discussion points etc, seek advice on the next part or reasons for delay, if they are too busy look for their partner for advice, you are dealing with a solicitor company and not an individual yes it's an individual who signs your deeds etc but if you don't have contact details it's the company that you have the dealings with and payment to the company not them individually.
Call in a few days in a row asking the questions until they assist, or you gather enough evidence to make a complaint to the bar council of Ireland.
Is it the same solicitor you are using from the first purchase or just the original firm? What does your section 150 letter say regarding the handling of your case? As regards direct contact details have you checked the solicitor on the Law Society website search which generally shows their direct contact details.
The same firm but a different solicitor as original one left the firm last year to move to another practice. I got the proposed bill of cost for the first property in feb ‘23 and although I have emailed a few times about paying, have not been instructed to do so.
I’ll search the register and see can I find direct contact details. Thank you.
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There is no legal advice given here
The problem is that if you change solicitor you probably won’t get any better service.
Yes this is what I’m afraid of. Is the devil I know the best. My original Solicitor in the firm was great. She responded to any email within a day and I felt she was pro active. The new guy has done nothing but avoid me since last February.
He probably took on additional case load when the other one left and is overwhelmed. No excuse mind he needed to hire help.
Try hunting down your original solicitor?
I know where she is working but am hesitant to leave this form as I don’t want to jeopardise the purchase and also they have my money.
Csn you get her? If she moved doesnt mean she quit law?
Check the Register for Solicitors for their current status and history. Is OP sure it's a Solicitor or a paralegal who's been working the file?
Yeah he is joint partner in the firm so all above board in that regard. As a side note he has 105k of my money since last February.
Why?
As we were at closing on the last sale I had lodged that money with them. It only officially fell through in early December and I was already sake agreed on another property so thought it would be a quick sale as it’s a very straight forward sale. I did ask for it to be returned in August through email but was never acknowledged.
I asked the following question last year when we were buying the house we have now and never got an answer…
Is there a regulatory body for solicitors? They seem to be completely law unto themselves and can get away with anything they like with the lowest level of unprofessional customer service of any profession.
Them having €105k of your money leaves you quite stuck and I empathise as much as one can with you
Why does he have €105k of your money for almost a year? I would have concerns about this. You could try calling FLAC for a free consultation with a solicitor, they will see you right and it won’t cost you anything.
A Partner of a practice isn't necessarily a practising solicitor. Check the Register ASAP.
11 months holding your money is a long time. They are also obliged to account for accrued interest.
What do you mean? Am I entitled to the interest accumulated back?
Sorry to say but your money might be gone hence the avoidance. Do u have it in writing that they have your money and why they have it
Maybe this would be the case in another profession but Solicitor Accounts are very very regulated. It’s often client funds will sit on an account for a period of time (ofc not best practice).
If they have used OP’s money without their knowledge they’re in breach of the regulations and have committed misconduct.
OP- on your point. Ring the firm and insist that you will have no other option but to report the solicitor to the LSRA if these delays continue as it risks jeopardising your purchase. Solicitors owe a duty to their client and with this comes communication. If they are a joint partner, try stress this to their other partner.