Our Background

Hello and welcome to ILA Direct.

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My name is Thomas Paget. I am a solicitor specialising in commercial property law and before setting up ILA Direct, I was a Partner at a successful regional law firm.

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As most property solicitors know, it can be difficult finding a firm to provide independent legal advice. Many firms refuse to take instructions and those that do often charge excessively for their services. At the same time, firms may use the opportunity to try and poach your client.

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As a commercial property solicitor, I was regularly approached to provide independent legal advice. I often found that this requirement had been overlooked until the last minute and there was a great deal of pressure to provide the advice quickly. This was not always easy when trying to run a full caseload of complex commercial property matters.

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Whilst I did try the services of online firms, often the lender requires the advice be provided in person which online firms are unable to do. Worryingly, it also became apparent that solicitors providing online advice were routinely acting as a witness to the execution of deeds, even though they were not physically present at the time the deed was signed. I have even seen certificates signed by solicitors confirming advice has been given in person, when in fact it was provided online.    

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It was clear to me that there was a gap in the market for a firm willing to provide independent legal advice quickly, professionally, cost-effectively and on a face-to-face basis in so on 1st March 2021, in the middle of a pandemic and hot on the heels of Brexit, ILA Direct Ltd was launched.