Making Sense of the Law
Founded in 2004 in the heart of Brighton, martin searle solicitors is a new kind of community law firm providing niche legal services in employment law, community care law and housing law. In 2009 we opened a second office in Croydon.
We are a law firm with a difference. As well as helping clients, we also host free legal advice clinics with local charities to ensure the most vulnerable members of our communities get the help they need. See our events for the next free legal advice clinic or find out more about our community involvement.
Our teams have a wide range of experience advising, acting for and training:
- Employers
- Employees
- Individuals with care needs
- Local authorities
- The voluntary sector
- Landlords
- Tenants
Why choose us?
In all the areas of law we practice, we have experience acting on both sides of the fence. For example, our employment lawyers act for employees and employers. And our housing team acts for tenants and landlords.
Similarly, Cate Searle, our NHS care funding expert, draws on her experience of working for the NHS and Social Services to benefit individual clients. She also trains other professionals in the legal profession, voluntary sector and NHS in this specialist area of law.
This experience means we can offer clients:
- Tactical advantage over opponents - we can anticipate what they will do;
- A proactive approach to all cases;
- A caring and committed approach to every client.
But don’t take our word for it. See what people say about us.
Our people
At martin searle solicitors we are a strong team of committed legal experts and support staff from diverse backgrounds with complementary skills. It is our team that makes our commitment to ‘making sense of the law’ a reality.
martin searle solicitors has always had a strong set of guiding values which the whole team embraces. In a recent audit of our staff’s opinions of the firm’s values and image, they came up with the following descriptions:
- Approachable
- Committed
- Ethical
- Honest
- A firm with integrity
These values not only guide our services to our clients, but also influence the way we work with our staff and business partners. In recognition of this approach, we have recently been awarded the Investors in People benchmark.
Community law - what does it mean?
The founding directors of martin searle solicitors reclaimed the concept of community law to embrace all our clients including the business community. In practice this means we work with everyone from large employers and landlords, to SMEs, high worth individuals and vulnerable individuals with employment, housing or community care law issues.
We are committed to making sense of the law for everyone. This includes promoting best practice in that we:
- Aim to improve employment relations by helping organisations become best practice employers - for example we provide training and factsheets on the new Acas Code governing grievances and disciplinary proceedings.
- Work with landlords to ensure they are up to date with legal developments such as the Tenancy Deposit Regulations to protect themselves and tenants.
- Support and work with a number of local community and business groups. See community involvement.
Our charges
As community lawyers we make no distinction between our clients on the basis of how much we receive in fees. We offer an initial discounted fixed fee for an hour’s advice, which in many cases may enable the client to take the next steps themselves.
We always check whether a client qualifies for public finding or has the benefit of legal expense insurance. In some cases we may be able to act on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis. This enables everyone to access affordable solicitors.
In addition, we offer employers the services of our Human Resources Consultants at a competitive hourly rate and where possible we will offer a fixed fee for a specific piece of work.
Commitment to our clients
Our aim is to work with you to build a relationship based on mutual trust and respect. We undertake to always act with integrity and honesty to provide an efficient service which delivers positive results.
Do contact us to find out how we can help you.
