Freeman Johnson Solicitors Reviews 

I recently used Freeman Johnson for the sale of a leasehold flat in Durham and the purchase of a freehold house in Newcastle. They consistently provided absolutely outstanding service from start to finish. I found them extremely responsive and they were also happy to go the extra mile to chase other solicitors when necessary. Both transactions went very smoothly and were completed on our ideal schedule.

I would highly recommend Catherine (Durham Office) and her team for their excellent work in conveyancing.

Thank you for your great work!

This review applies to the Darlington office of Freeman Johnson.

I had paid Freeman Johnson to help me sell a property. Taking payment and signing some initial documents was the start and finish of any professional service received from them.

The sale process was a long one and I don’t hold Freeman Johnson to blame for things outside their control. I just want to highlight certain issues for future customers.

You don’t get updates. Ever.

I once missed an email sent to me for extra information. I contacted them for an update which is how you get updates and was told they had been waiting over two weeks for me to provide this information.

When ringing their office you are always told the person you need to speak to is out or in a meeting and are asked to leave a message which is fair enough, lots of places do this. However my call was not answered by the following afternoon so I rang again, got the same white lie and left another message. This was also left unanswered.

On the third attempt (day 4 of attempting contact) I declined to leave a message after being told they were in a meeting. It would be over in an hour. An hour later they had apparently just popped out for lunch. 45 minutes after that they were in another meeting. 5 minutes after that they had just popped out again. 5 minutes after that they didn’t answer the phone.

Later that day I was scolded by a solicitor for expecting a response so quickly and that they were very busy and that I was one of many clients and so on. I was not given any apology and did not seek one. After all, I would have to pay another solicitor if I was to leave so I made a mental note to write a review after the sale instead.

The reviews of other Freeman Johnson offices seem to be good. Perhaps if you live in or near Darlington you should consider a short drive to one of the other offices.

This firm, despite having eight days' notice of the proposed completion date, failed to obtain a redemption statement on the seller's mortgage for completion.

As a former property lawyer, I am well aware that this should have been chased prior to the proposed completion date. It seemingly was not. As a result, the proposed completion was delayed. I see, judging by other poor, recent reviews, that I am not the first to fall victim to what is seemingly a lack of urgency and/or professionalism.

Granted, it may be nothing more than a simple bricks and mortar transaction to Freeman Johnson but, more than bricks and mortar, people's lives are affected and they would be best advised to remember that.