K. J. Commons & Co is a busy and successful firm providing legal services to all sectors of society.

We have always made it a priority to provide and promote Legal Aid, so that the most disadvantaged in the community have had access to our expertise and experience.

This is a time of change - the Legal Aid Board has been replaced by the Legal Services Commission, which governs the newly launched Community Legal Service (dealing with civil law matters), and which will govern the Criminal Defence Service when it comes into being in October 2000.

Approximately 3000 firms have decided not to continue to provide legal services in what was the Legal Aid sector, citing poor rates of remuneration and overly burdensome administration as good reasons for their decision.

Whilst we agree with certain of their complaints, we remain as committed as ever to the sector.

We are alarmed that the re-structuring of what was Legal Aid may lead to particularly needy individuals falling through the funding net.

In those instances where we believe a serious injustice will follow as a result of the absence of funding, we will - as we always have - provide our services free of charge.

It will be readily appreciated that such instances will need careful scrutiny and the prior agreement of a Partner. Assistance will be given wherever the joint criteria of merit, need and total absence of all other funding alternatives are concurrently present.

As the breadwinner, who is going to pay the bills whilst you are incapacitated?

What if you can't go back to work?

What if a family member has to care for you?

What if your home becomes unsuitable because you can't climb the stairs or do the gardening?

What if you are unable to drive any more?

What if......?

At K. J. Commons & Co these are problems we deal with every day. We believe that every client who has been injured be it by a fall, trip, road traffic accident or medical negligence, is unique.

Personal Injury litigation is not a 'production line'. No two clients' needs and problems are the same, that is why we treat each client with individual care and attention. You can contact us on 01900 604698,01946 66699 or 01228 822666.

We can arrange to visit you at home if you are unable to get into the office. Regardless of where we see you, we shall assess your needs and discuss with you on an individual basis, the nature of your claim.

Here at K J Commons & Co. we realise that the death of a loved one is traumatic. Having to talk to someone who may be a complete stranger about someone whose loss is recent is difficult in itself. We want to ensure that at all times we provide a courteous and caring service to all our clients.

Part of our service to you is to try and explain the process that you are involved in. A general guide to what you can expect to happen and when. The last thing you want is to have further worry and upset at an emotionally charged time. We aim to try and take that worry from you and deal with your loss and its' consequences in as painless a way as we possibly can.

Obviously this guide is not meant to replace the service given to you by the lawyers within our practice but, it is hoped it will make things a little clearer for you and answer some of the questions that are regularly asked. Our experience is that however detailed the advice given to a client, they often leave with questions unanswered that they had meant to ask!

We cannot hope to cover everything and if you have any query about your case or how it is progressing, you should contact the lawyer within the practice dealing with your case.

Here at K J Commons & Co. we realise that any matters that concern the
family can be traumatic. Often, taking the decision to come and seek legal
advice is hard enough in itself.

We want to ensure that at all times we provide an efficient and caring
service to all our clients.

We can help with a range of family issues including divorce, separation and
custody matters.

Here at K J Commons & Co. we realise that financial pressures and debt are worries that can cause health problems, relationship breakdowns and stress. Often, taking the decision to come and seek legal advice is hard enough in itself. We want to ensure that at all times we provide an efficient and caring service to all our clients.

Equally, disputes with employers, neighbours or public bodies can be the source of great upset and trauma too. Obviously this guide is not meant to replace the service given to you by the lawyers within our practice but, it is hoped it will make things a little clearer for you and answer some of the questions that are regularly asked. Our experience is that however detailed the advice given to a client, they often leave with questions unanswered that they had meant to ask!

If you qualify for assistance with your fees or think you may do so, you should ask the lawyer dealing with your case.

We cannot hope to cover everything and if you have any query about your case or how to make or defend a claim, you should contact us on 01900 604698, 01946 66699 or 01228 822666.

Have you been the victim of an accident in hospital?

A very complicated area of law where we are able to offer expertise. We have a specialist Partner, who is a member of the Referral Panel for AVMA (Action for the Victims of Medical Accidents) and also a member of the Headway Referral Panel, the support organisation for people with head injuries.

Only Law Society / AVMA Panel Members may now undertake this work.

Again we offer a personal service, free initial interviews and home or hospital visits.

We have access to the AVMA database as well as offering a comprehensive expert database and work with specialists in all areas of medicine who will prepare comprehensive reports.

Is it very expensive?

Legal aid or Insurance cover may be available. Come and talk to us about funding.

We are happy to accept agency instructions from solicitors based outside Cumbria, or to act as agents for local solicitors who wish to instruct us in our specialist areas. If your matter is Legally Aided, we will usually charge legal aid rates. Otherwise, we will discuss private client rates with you.

The following Courts are within our immediate catchment area:

We can travel to the following Courts without difficulty, if given sufficient notice:

Please Contact us if you would like more information

Our Criminal Law Department, headed by David Thompson, is the busiest in the county of Cumbria, and is staffed by experienced solicitors who specialise as criminal defence advocates.

As the holder of the Legal Services Commission Specialist Quality Mark, K.J. Commons & Co. has been independently assessed as a quality assured provider in this area of law. That means that our systems and procedures, and the standards of the advice we provide, are of the highest order - something that our reputation, earned over the last 12 years, confirms.

Our team can provide advice from the earliest stages of investigation right through to the conclusion of a case - be that at the Magistrates, Youth, or Crown Courts, the Court of Appeal or, should the case require it, the House Of Lords.

All our solicitors are "Duty Solicitors" - the highest case supervisor level attainable under the Legal Services Commission Specialist Quality Mark.

It also means that, with so many Duty Solicitors within the Firm, we are able to offer 24 hour Police Station cover, 365 days of the year.

These notes are intended to serve as an introduction to the property purchasing process. They are intended as a basic introductory guide - primarily for first time buyers.

In addition to straight forward property purchases, we deal with the full range of property related transactions, including buying and selling leasehold and freehold land, preparing leases and short term tenancies and preparing and advising on mortgages.

We hope that you will find the notes helpful, but please be aware that they are not intended to replace our individual advice to you, and that if you have any queries you should feel free to contact us.

Some of the following information may already be known to you, but the notes are prepared in response to the questions which are asked of us by our clients frequently.

We need to take instructions from you fairly early, so that we have details of who is to purchase the property, where the finance is coming from, and so that we can meet you, if K.J. Commons & Co. has not acted for you before.

We will usually be told by the Estate Agent who is selling the Property that you intend to buy it, but the sooner you can come and speak to us the better.

At your first appointment we hope to be able to give you an indication of the timescale of the transaction. If there is no chain involved and the property is either empty or can be vacated at short notice, we would expect to complete the purchase in about six weeks.

However, if there are several other parties involved in the chain, ten weeks would be a more realistic estimate.

There are so many variables at the start of the procedure that it is often not possible to estimate the timescale until later in the transaction.

Our job is, basically, to check that the person who is selling the property actually owns it, and has a right to sell it.

We will also check that the property is not affected by anything which is not immediately apparent - such as a compulsory demolition or purchase order.

To do that we carry out a search of the local authority register to reveal either of the above, or details of any planning permissions affecting the property, orders restricting smoke emissions, conservation areas and the like.

We need the search before contracts are exchanged, there is a fee to pay. We will need this money from you at the beginning of the transaction.

As soon as we know which solicitors are acting for the Seller we write to them for draft contract documents.

The Seller's solicitor also provides information about the property obtained from the Seller, such as whether there are any guarantees for work done, or whether there have been boundary problems.

There should also be a Fixtures and Fittings list which we send to you for your approval, giving details of what is to be removed from the property and what is to be left behind. Provision of this list avoids any arguments on completion about missing fittings or other items.