About Us

The roots of our firm in South Tyneside can be traced back to the 1890’s when the original Hannay and Hannay Solicitors were first established. This means we have been serving our clients for over 125 years and although there have been changes to the partnership since the firm first started we are one of the oldest established practices of solicitors in the South Tyneside area.

We now specialise in conveyancing, family/children law and private client (wills & probate, trusts, Court of Protection, elderly client, services to business clients) services.

We hold a contract with the Legal Aid Agency to provide publicly funded work for Family & Children legal services.

Our longstanding presence does not mean that we have not moved with the times. With the internet and mobile technology we can communicate with our clients anywhere in the world and our clients don’t always live in the South Tyneside area now. We have clients from other regions in England and many who reside outside the United Kingdom.

We like to think that this combination of being traditional but with an up-to-date outlook provides us with a firm foundation while maintaining a forward thinking and dynamic practice whose continued success is based on our commitment and dedication to working in the best interests of our clients at all times.

From the onset

From the onset we aim to provide high quality advice and representation, whether privately or publicly funded in a clear, frank and honest manner.

As part of our service we will always explain the potential costs involved and the options available. This ensures there are no hidden costs or nasty surprises later. We work with our clients to determine the best course of action and whether it is worthwhile proceeding.

Funding options are explained including Legal Aid. If Legal Aid is not available we try to help by being as flexible as possible with payment options.

For most conveyancing work we will set a fixed fee at the start of the transaction and at the end will set out a completion statement to enable our client to understand the whole transaction.

Quality legal services

We provide a genuine quality service and can demonstrate this by holding the Lexcel Quality Mark. Lexcel is developed specifically for the Legal Profession. It is an optional, recognised accreditation scheme for law firms which gives assurances that a practice meets the highest client care and business management standards.

Contracted with the Legal Aid Agency.

We are also a member of the Law Society Conveyancing Quality Scheme.

Our Children solicitor is a member of the Law Society Children Panel and our family lawyers are all members of Resolution.

Our Partnership Secretary is a Lexcel Consultant.

Prior to our Lexcel accreditation we held the Legal Services Commission Quality Mark.

Accessibility

We are committed to using plain English in our communications to keep our clients fully informed. We also use a range of interpreting services to assist our clients if English is not their first language or to assist hearing and sight disabled clients.

We will also make home visits at no extra charge for disabled, elderly or infirm clients who cannot visit us at our office – not many firms offer this service.

Our offices are open 9am-5pm Monday to Friday excluding Bank Holidays.

Company details

Hannays Solicitors and Advocates is a Partnership.

Partners: Kim Clifford Rainford and Gillian Wright.

The Firm is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our SRA number is: 46421.

VAT number: 178344144

Details of our indemnity insurance are available upon request.

Details of our Complaints Procedure is available upon request.

The SRA Code of Practice for Solicitors can be accessed here.