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Complaints about solicitors usually involve their high cost. A lot of it has to do with the insurance, guarantee fund, and obtaining a license (called a practising certificate) from the Law Society to operate as a solicitor. This year all those cost me £11 a day before I buy any stamps or supplies. I pay a reduced rate because I operate part time. My full time colleagues pay more.
What I have done is reduce costs. You won't be able to visit my office, because I don't have one. I don't employ a receptionist, or a book keeper. My typing is outsourced over the internet to Elspeth, who emails me letters etc back. Because of that, for normal legal work, I can operate within the rates paid by the Scottish Legal Aid Board to solicitors doing legal aid work. That is based on an hourly rate of £51 per hour. If the work you need done is very complex, or involves high value, I may charge more but would always write to you first, giving you the option of choosing. If I had an office, I could not afford to operate at these levels, which is why lots of solicitors are abandoning legal aid.

I never charge for initial advice, and make a point of telling people what the costs are likely to be before they decide to go ahead. You must always have the option of trying to resolve your problem without a lawyer. It must always be worth your while. If you need to think about a project, or consult others before going ahead, I am happy to give you a written note of how I propose to deal with your problem, for a fee of £20 which covers my typing costs.

I want you to use me again, and the only way to do that is give you value for money.