Immigration Solicitors in the News

Immigration solicitors have been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. Why? Well perhaps we should first qualify this article with the fact that the news story stems from people paying for legal advice thinking that they were getting specialist advice from an Immigration solicitor only to find that the person they were instructing with their Immigration case was not a solicitor at all.

The reported case is bad news for all top London immigration solicitors as even though it was not a case of a solicitor acting dishonestly or negligently it certainly does the legal profession no good if there are news reports of sham solicitors duping vulnerable Immigration clients into thinking that they are paying for the best Immigration solicitor advice, when the reality is that they are seeing a bogus solicitor.

The sham solicitor has been jailed for 27 months for posing as a solicitor. The firm he set up, Empire Legal Solutions Limited, based in Walsall, charged for Immigration services and, according to the reported comments of the trial judge at the criminal court hearing, one client now faces deportation as a result of inadequate legal advice.

All the best London immigration solicitors will agree that cases of this sort damage the reputation of the legal profession as a whole as well as cause sometimes irreparable harm to frightened and vulnerable Immigration clients who have put their faith, money and total trust in their Immigration advisor.

So what can people do to protect themselves from bogus legal advisors? After all, if you do not know very much about Immigration law, how can you realistically assess whether the Immigration solicitor you have chosen to represent you is a top London Immigration solicitor who is providing competent, honest advice for a fair price?

There are some basic steps that everyone should follow when they are instructing an Immigration solicitor. If you carry out this homework before you ask an Immigration solicitor to start work for you then you are less likely to suffer the disappointment and frustration of appointing the wrong Immigration solicitor.

Top tips for choosing an Immigration solicitor

Our top tips for choosing an Immigration solicitor are:

• Check that the firm of Immigration solicitors and the individual solicitor at your proposed firm of Immigration solicitors is registered with the Law Society. The Law Society regulates the legal profession and keeps a record of all firms of solicitors and individual solicitors. The database can be accessed online through the Law Society website;

• Check the records of your proposed firm of Immigration solicitors to make sure that they have not been reported to a professional body for poor practices. Firms of solicitors and individual solicitors are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the SRA make their decisions available online so that the general public can access them;

• Check if the Immigration solicitor is accredited. The Law Society runs a scheme for Immigration and Asylum law accreditation so that members of the public know that they are instructing a solicitor who has met the Law Society required level of competence in Immigration and Asylum law;

• See if the firm of solicitors is ranked in a publication or directory of lawyers as experts in their specialist field of law. One such publication is the Legal 500. This directory is published annually and rates both top London Immigration solicitor firms as well as individual immigration solicitors ;

• Look at the website reviews from previous clients. Positive comments on a website should not be relied on in isolation and without carrying out other checks .You should watch out for similar comments saying exactly the same thing. Are all the reviews bespoke and genuine? It is often possible to feel reassured by comments if they detail who handled their case and provide a review that has some warmth or depth to it;

• Ask friends and family but do not rely on their views alone and check out why they are making the recommendation – is on the say so of a friend of a friend or do they maybe know someone at the law firm, but have never actually instructed the solicitors firm to represent them in an Immigration case ?;

• Pick up the telephone or email the solicitor. Do you feel that you can work with the individual solicitor? That is important as when you choose an Immigration solicitor you need to find someone you can trust and put your faith into. As clients tend to not know the detailed Immigration law provisions in the same way as the best London immigration solicitors a client’s gut view on whether they can work with the firm should only be relied upon if they have carried out other checks.

Why choose OTS Solicitors as your London immigration solicitors?

OTS Solicitors is a well-known and recognised firm of London immigration solicitors. As well as expertise in Immigration law OTS Solicitors also help clients resolve family and divorce, employment law and litigation matters. OTS Solicitors aims to provide an efficient but cost effective legal service tailored to client’s individual needs. Many Immigration law matters also touch upon another areas of law, such as family or employment law, and OTS Solicitors are able to offer a seamless service, meeting all legal needs.

OTS Solicitors’ specialist Immigration service has been recognised by the legal directory, Legal 500. The Legal 500 directory is used by clients and professionals to find the top London immigration solicitors.

OTS Solicitors are not the only London immigration solicitors to be ranked in the Legal 500 publication for Immigration law and in particular:

• Immigration: business; and

• Immigration: Human Rights, appeals and overstay

However OTS Solicitors believes that what sets it apart from other top London immigration solicitors is their approachability combined with proactive legal advice to ensure that clients are put at ease and feel confident that they have found the best London Immigration solicitor to handle their Immigration problem.

The insight into the needs of Immigration client comes from co-founders, Teni and Oshin Shahiean, as they really do understand how important it is to find the right family immigration solicitor. Teni and Oshin Shahiean’s commitment and passion for the law stems from their Armenian parents’ refugee status and settlement in the UK with little more than a bit of business flair and a confidence that hard work would ensure that the family would succeed in the UK. Nowadays siblings Teni and Oshin are leading Legal 500 Immigration lawyers hoping to pass on their legal Immigration expertise to a new generation of immigrants.

What does the Legal 500 say about OTS Solicitors?

The team of ‘focused Immigration law specialists’ at OTS Solicitors stands out for its ‘crisp and professional approach to its work, which inspires confidence’.

The team handles a raft of Human Rights cases, with expertise spanning Appeals and Refusals, Judicial Reviews, Indefinite Leave to Remain, EEA Applications, British nationality cases, deportation and Asylum claims.

On the business immigration side, the team handles a range of investor, entrepreneur and exceptional talent visas, Sponsorship Licences, illegal working compliance, global migration planning, temporary worker and transfer advice.

Oshin Shahiean is ‘very professional’ and Teni Shahiean is a ‘great entrepreneur, who is passionate for her business and her clients’, and ‘adds a human touch in her work which gives comfort to the client’. Consultant Paul Gulbenkian’s experience is ‘exceptional’.

OTS Solicitors are specialist in Immigration law matters, having Law Society accredited solicitors’ status as trusted specialists in Immigration law and are recommended by Legal 500. For information on any aspect of personal or business immigration law please call us on 0203 959 9123 to arrange an appointment to speak to one of our experienced London immigration solicitors who will be happy to help.