Biscoes Solicitors Reviews 

instructed Biscoes Solicitors in a highly sensitive family matter concerning my sons, Elijah and Shiloh. The working relationship broke down. I raised repeated, documented safeguarding concerns about my children’s welfare and multiple complaints about the service I received, but I saw no meaningful action or adequate responses. I have lost confidence in their ability to represent me and have instructed them to cease acting.

Key issues experienced
- Failure to respond effectively to safeguarding concerns — Repeated complaints about the children’s wellbeing were raised and documented, but I did not see appropriate remedial action.
- Breakdown of client‑lawyer relationship — The firm indicated they believed the relationship had irretrievably broken down and suggested reporting to the Legal Aid Agency or transferring funding.
- Poor communication and case management — I had to demand immediate preservation and transfer of the client file, itemised legal aid accounting, and disclosure of core documents (court listings, Section 20 forms, police records).
- Caused additional distress — The handling of the case contributed to alarm and distress for my children and for me as a parent.
- Lack of trust and confidence — I no longer trust the firm to act in my or my children’s best interests.

What I expected and did not receive
- Timely, clear communication about case progress and safeguarding steps.
- Proactive protection of the children’s welfare and escalation where appropriate.
- Transparent accounting and file handling without the need for repeated demands.
- A collaborative working relationship that respected my instructions and concerns.

Recommendation to others
If your case involves urgent safeguarding, child welfare, or complex family proceedings, exercise caution before instructing this firm. Insist on clear written confirmation of actions, immediate access to your file, and a named contact for complaints. If you experience similar issues, consider seeking alternative representation promptly and preserve all correspondence and records

Reviewer: Dean Samuel
Case context: Family proceedings involving placements and safeguarding concerns for two children.

They had the nerve to charge me when im disabled and on long term sick.

We instructed Biscoes to help us with a case involving social services. We were devastated and sought help from then and thought it would be straightforward as it was a case of parental alienation, domestic abusive, criminal paternal family and false allegations.
We were allocated a trainee solicitor Kieron Brockerton who almost missed filing our response to the social services threshold, but we realised this and was told it was not important, meaning that we agree with the allegations, not a great start!

We requested an experienced solicitor and was allocated a senior, Michelle Hurst. I was concerned after reading a review about her not replying to emails, hard to get hold of and unsympathetic. Time was not on our side and we were 3 months into the case and having a bad start with a trainee, so we had no other choice.

Michelle was exactly as the review had said and we went from the fire into the frying pan! Communication was appalling and we were mostly dealt with by her secretary who also was sending over unchecked and incorrect information. We were constantly chasing these issues and updates and guidance on the case.

Dealing with these things were just as stressful as the case itself. At times it felt that Michelle was acting for the other side, the local authority. She then instructed a barrister Claire Hook to represent us in court and she also appeared to be working for the other side and as we would not do what she wanted she walked out of the hearing. Michelle gave us no advice or guidance as to what was happening and we had to research ourselves to make decisions.

Michelle was uncaring and not concerned that we could lose the child custody case and ultimately we did and if we had had good representation this would not have happened.

She could not wait to close the case after the final hearing in order to get payment from the Legal Aid board. She gave us no guidance or information about the court order and we feel that we were badly let down, not believed and made to feel that we were the guilty party in the case.

The whole case was doubly traumatic having her as our solicitor and the only relief we have is that we no longer have to deal with her.

Avoid this firm at all costs, particularly if you are a vulnerable client navigating the Family Court system.

​I instructed Biscoes for a complex domestic abuse case, and their conduct has been nothing short of a dereliction of duty.

The Head of Family Law, Stephanie Bellchambers, utilised punitive silence as a weapon, refusing to draft my core court documents (including my Witness Statement and Scott Schedule). She abandoned me to draft and file these traumatic, highly technical documents myself while facing a hard court deadline, only to later complain to her management that I had done so.

​Worse still, when my abuser's solicitors missed a critical deadline to serve their evidence, Stephanie appeared to unilaterally granted them an extension without my knowledge, instructions, or consent, actively prejudicing my ability to prepare my defence.

Throughout the case, she has completely ignored severe safeguarding evidence, and refused to engage with me when I raise them.

​When I escalated these severe SRA Code of Conduct breaches to the Managing Director and Compliance Officer (COLP), Alison Lee, the response was appalling. She completely rubber-stamped the negligence, fabricated a narrative that directly contradicted her own Head of Department's written emails, and could not even be bothered to spell my surname correctly in her formal response.

​Instead of taking accountability for actively prejudicing a live case, they will try to deflect you to the Legal Ombudsman.

They mimic the exact dynamics of coercive control—punishing clients who ask questions and demanding unquestioning compliance while failing to execute basic legal duties.

If you need a firm that will actually advocate for the safety of you and your children, look elsewhere.

Having used the same solicitor for 40 years (have built houses and have rental properties so many sales and purchases) I have struggled to find another who I had confidence in to get the job done without unnecessary drama and time wasting.
Laura Brett at the Ryde branch is just what I have been struggling to find, all communications with all involved were prompt, easy to understand and no nonsense.
A breath of fresh air, will definitly use again.
Thank you....

My partner and I are first time buyers so didn’t know what to expect going into this. We went into our first meeting with our solicitor with a clear idea of what split we wanted to split the mortgage but when going into the meeting we where pushed into something now looking back we didn’t have full knowledge on and having to pay extra money to change.

A few days before completion we told our solicitor we wanted things changed and he said it would be fine and there wasn’t anything more we needed to do but that wasn’t true.

I have tried contacting him since and had no reply, poor service to say the least.

Jade was absolutely amazing for us with our house move. As first time buyers she made the whole process super simple and smooth. We were amazed how fast she responded to emails, how quickly she made things happen and clearly dedicated to her job given the long hours she works! Genuinely couldn’t not be happier and I would much rather pay a little more for such an amazing service than go cheaper for subpar quality. Thank you for everything Jade, we really appreciate it!

Hi

Unfortunately on section 2 of the mental health act

Used biscoe solicitors before and we won

Decided to use them again but remain on section 2

My solicitors was fighting hard for me in my corner

But we didn't win

5*

Wanted a name changed on a single page will,no properties involved,wanted £360 to do this.What a Rip off!.Since googled plenty of info.Ordered a legally binding will from eBay £6.79 delivered that will supersede the old will and I don't need a solicitor to write a will even.What a joke!,it's like they just made up a figure and hoped to get lucky!.no wonder their review rating is only 2.6 dreadful service ripping people off clearly.

I sent in the information they requested and never got a call back or any info or any further .
Complete waste of time don't bother

Didn’t seem to know what they were doing. Had to constantly chase them up to get any work done. Very disappointing, especially as their rates were much higher than the other solicitors we were also using.

Don't waste your time . Contacted Biscoes and was informed I would get a call but after waiting 5 days recontacted Biscoes and given a apology and said I would be contacted soon . However after waiting for over 10days I decided to put a bad review on their page to which I finally got a response. I was contacted and after I gave Biscoes all my information etc I was informed I would be contacted again the next day .however another 3 days have passed and absolutely nothing. I have taken my business elsewhere these are absolutely useless.

I have known George Fielding for many years before he transferred to Biscoes. My early experiences of George encouraged me to follow him when he transferred to Biscoes. And I am very pleased that I did. Very pleased indeed.

When I moved to the Midlands from Sussex, George provided the expertise required to enable the move. When the time came to sell up and move back down South, I located George at his new employers ie Biscoes Solicitors of Portsmouth. And am I pleased that I did. The property to be sold was jointly owned, with the attendant problems related to separating partners and jointly owned properties. Quote received promptly. Reasonably priced and well laid out. When it came to Exchange of Contracts and Completion involving a chain of 5 parties, is when the problems began. These problems were NOT of George Fieldings making. My purchase was a very different procedure to the standard conveyancing routine. I was obliged to hire a different Solicitor / Conveyancer to deal with the job.To cut a long story very short, George ended up successfully doing the jobs of 2 Estate Agents, several Solicitors and others. All in additition to his own workload. It has been a nail biting week of negotiation and extreme stress trying to beat the Stamp Duty deadline of 31st March 2025. Inflexible lenders and chain members. George sorted them all. To the immense relief of many involved. Saving all members of the chain thousands of £££££ in Stamp Duty. Little do they know about this quiet hero, working behind the scenes. Dedication to his craft. Persistent beyond belief, this man will take on all obstacles to the advantage of not only his clients but also other Solicitors clients, without a word of complaint. His Clients plus Clients of others and their peace of mind, are top of his agenda.

In every sense of the word, George Fielding is a Conveyancer Extrordinaire. Biscoes are extremely lucky to have this man in their employ.

I would unconditionally recommend George Fielding for any Conveyancing purposes whatsoever. A true gem. If ever there was one.

Mention has to be made of Hannah Morgan, George's Secretary. A reliable point of contact between Client and Conveyancer. Always up to date with developments and as willing as they come.

Phoned this company and spoke with “Sarah Tyler” ga e info and was told they would contact me and have not.

8 days later I phoned again, after some time Sarah was in a meeting they said!

And again was told she would call me back later that day and she has not.

Looks good for the firm and her self saying they will do something and do not there seem a to be huge problem with character these days and saying to people you will do something and not delivering.

I have only had occasion to use Biscoes for conveyancing so far, but they have acted for me on two sales and one purchase over the last couple of years.

I could honestly say from my experience they have been exceptional. Very clear description of costs and requirements. All emails, correspondence and telephone calls were dealt with in an efficient, friendly and professional manner, and mostly answered immediately or before end of the same day.

On each occasion I have dealt with George Fielding and his team at the Portsmouth office and can thoroughly recommend their conveyancing services and would not hesitate to appoint them again with any future requirements.

When having to deal with Biscoes solicitors I have had to contact Stephanie Bellchambers and I found her to be quite unhelpful in clarification and unprofessional.

Biscoes have been honest, professional and easy to contact. We would highly recommend their service. A particular mention to Laura at the Ryde branch. She would instantly reply to my emails and was always very reassuring throughout the whole process.
Thank you Biscoes we will definitely be working with you again in the future.

Katie provided professional advice when dealing with my divorce. She was diligent and kept me up to speed on the situation. This helped my divorce run more smoothly.

I used Josh Gallop on the Isle of Wight for my conveyancing. He supported me through a difficult move with changes and complications. I found him informative, helpful and would recommend to anyone needing to move. Thanks Josh!

I dealt with four solicitors while conducting probate. All but one of the solicitors were difficult to contact by phone and had periods of inaction until spurred by me continually asking for updates.

But more importantly twice I have been contacted by them to say because of an oversight I was not billed for services. The first time was four months after I had paid a 'final' bill and I paid the extra.

Now 17 months after the event they are billing me for over 1k because of another 'oversight'. I have not paid this one and will complain to the Legal Ombudsman.