Do You Need Solicitors in Cardiff?
If you’re based in Cardiff, South Wales and you need assistance with a legal issue, there are a number of options available to you. This article will explore the different routes you can take to try to resolve your legal issue.
There are a number of highly recommended professional solicitors in Cardiff, Wales, including the team at Martyn Prowel Gartsides. Visit their website at: https://www.mpgsolicitors.co.uk/ .
Continue reading this article for tips on getting tailored legal advice to help you get the best outcome.
Legal Services Available to You
Legal advisors in Cardiff offer a range of legal services to help you deal with your legal issue. Some of the services offered include family law, personal injury, medical negligence, employment law, residential and commercial property law, and commercial disputes, to name a few.
There are a number of highly recognised solicitors with offices in Cardiff so you are not short of options. As you can see, legal experts in Cardiff can assist clients with a range of legal services, offering expert advice and support.
List of Common Legal Services
Here is a list of services commonly offered to helps clients with a variety of legal matters:
- Family Law
- Divorce and Separation: Handling legal processes related to dissolving marriages, such as asset distribution and spousal support payments.
- Child Custody and Support: Addressing matters related to caring for, raising, and providing financial support for children after a divorce or separation.
- Adoption: Matters related to legally adopting a child.
- Business and Corporate
- Company Formation: Assistance with all legal aspects of starting a business, such as incorporation and legal structure.
- Contracts and Agreements: Drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts and agreements.
- Mergers and Acquisitions: Support provided for companies merging or acquiring other businesses.
- Intellectual Property: Handling legal matters related to patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.
- Employment
- Employee Rights: Addressing workplace issues like wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment.
- Employer Compliance: Helping companies comply with labour laws and regulations.
- Labour Disputes: Legal assistance for union, collective bargaining and labour dispute issues
- Estate Planning and Probate
- Wills and Trusts: Assistance with creating and administering wills and trusts to assist with estate planning.
- Estate Administration: Services available for administering an estate after someone passes, including probate proceedings.
- Elders: Servicing the legal needs of older adults, including long-term care and guardianship arrangements.
- Personal Injury
- Accident and Injury Claims: Legal representation for individuals injured due to negligence such as car accidents, slip and fall incidents or medical malpractice claims.
- Product Liability: Legal cases involving injuries caused by defective or hazardous products.
- Worker’s Compensation: Assistance for workers injured on the job and filing workers’ compensation claims.
- Immigration
- Visa Applications: Assistance with various types of visa applications.
- Citizenship and Naturalisation: Services for individuals pursuing citizenship.
- Deportation Defence: Representing individuals facing deportation proceedings. And so forth!
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Alternative Dispute Resolution, commonly referred to as ADR, refers to all methods of dispute resolution outside of courtroom proceedings. ADR channels include mediation, arbitration and negotiation as effective ways of settling conflicts.
These negate some of the formalities, costs and time associated with legal proceedings. The following sections will go into more detail about the different types of ADR.
Mediation
Mediation involves an impartial third party (the mediator) assisting disputing parties to find an amicable resolution of their conflict. While not making decisions themselves, mediators serve as facilitators who facilitate discussion and eventual compromise between all involved.
Arbitration
Arbitration involves a neutral third-party, known as an arbitrator, listening to both sides before making a binding decision that typically doesn’t need court approval. It is more formal than mediation but less costly than court trial.
Conciliation
Conciliators often play an active role in helping bring parties together and suggesting possible solutions, much like mediators would do.
Negotiation
Negotiations involve direct dialogue between disputing parties with lawyers present, in an attempt to reach a settlement without third-party involvement.
5 Benefits of Alternative Dispute Resolution Over Court Proceedings
Next, it’s important to emphasise the benefits of seeking alternative resolution over litigation in court.
Cost-Effectiveness
Alternative dispute resolution processes generally cost less than going to court due to lower legal fees and faster resolution times.
Time Efficiency
Where court cases can take months or years for resolution, ADR methods often reach resolution much sooner.
Confidentiality
Unlike court proceedings, which are public affairs and often involve lengthy debates amongst litigants, ADR proceedings tend to remain private and confidential – making ADR the perfect venue for handling sensitive business or personal disputes or matters that require confidentiality.
Control and Flexibility
Parties have more say over the ADR process in ADR; they can choose their mediator or arbitrator and participate in scheduling sessions.
Furthermore, this system is often more flexible, providing creative solutions which may not otherwise be possible through court.
Preservation of Relationships
Alternative dispute resolution can often be less adversarial than court litigation, offering an avenue to foster collaboration and preserve business or personal relationships that would otherwise be compromised in an adversarial court battle. Mediation provides one such method that focuses on keeping parties out of court altogether.
Enforceability
Decisions reached via arbitration are legally enforceable in the same manner as court judgments, providing a definitive resolution of disputes.
Where to Receive High Quality Legal Advice
It can be difficult to know where to look when faced with a legal issue. However, you should take comfort in knowing there are a number of extremely helpful solicitors and clinics available.
Here are a few of the channels at your disposal for seeking legal advice.
Law Firms and Solicitors
There are a range of recognised professional solicitors in Cardiff providing legal services to clients in the city. Some of the best solicitors in the South West are based in Cardiff and they will work tirelessly to help you solve your legal issues.
They can offer advice and representation for clients, including individuals, businesses and companies.
Free Advice Clinics
These clinics are an excellent service offering free advice to individuals who need legal support. Citizens Advice is one such service, operating on behalf of citizens in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In Cardiff specifically, there is an excellent advice clinic offered by the University of South Wales’ Business School. A team of law students volunteer to offer free advice to anyone in Cardiff, supervised by qualified legal professionals.
This gives individuals who could otherwise not afford legal help the ability to take advantage of the specialist knowledge at the clinic while students gain expertise. Face-to-face consultations can be booked by appointment at their office in Treforest or clients can receive video calls. Fill out an online enquiry form on their website to find out more.
