Peace Legal - a firm for your future.

Peace Legal of Wombwell has had quite a year. The stalwart of the South Barnsley High Street has now been around almost 30 years and has seen some changes since the early 90s.

Julian Flewitt, managing director, started there in the mid-90s, straight out of law school and takes an opportunity to look back, whilst planning for the future.

"Back in the day, we took on cases on all types of issues, from neighbour disputes to whiplash claims. Legal aid was widely available and we stepped in to help with the everyday problems of thousands of people over those years. We would all do our best and turn our hand to most things. We might have only relied on the post and the occasional facsimile but there was predictability and a certain rhythm to the day", he said.

"The legal landscape has changed, as have the personnel", says Julian. "It's been clear since the 2010s that there would be less money available to fund legal aid and one by one, the number of services we have been able to provide has changed. We have gone from ‘wide but shallow’ to ‘narrow but deep’, meaning we offer fewer services, but to a higher standard than in years gone by".

"That's just the way of the world", says Julian. "There are no more ‘jack of all trades.’ We all have to be highly trained and focused these days, but it means we can offer high quality services in return".

Peace Legal was sad to see its founding father, Chris Peace, retire earlier this year. "He started everything back in the late 80's and he was our figurehead during all that time" says Julian. With his retirement came the ending of Peace Legal's long association with criminal defence work. "It's a crying shame that we had to let criminal defence work go, but it was impossible to get someone to step into Chris's shoes. Instead, we are focusing on driving up standards and the client experience in key areas".

Peace Legal has always had a good reputation for dealing with everyday issues for local people. "We are straight with people", says Julian. "Our clients know what we can and can’t do for them. We are here to guide, not to force and our reputation has been built on being fair and transparent. We know when to fight hard for our clients and we know when to take a more sensitive approach and that only comes with having experienced and longstanding staff who know their clients. We also took the unusual decision not to pay referral fees to agents to refer work to us. The client always pays more in the end", says Julian.

If you or anyone you know would benefit from advice on issues from residential conveyancing, wills & probate, family issues and matters concerning children with social services, just get in touch.

Peace Legal – we’re with you all the way. Get in touch via our contact form or you can call us on 01226 341111.