HI they seem very good but are taking forever to return calls is this your experience?
Hello Elizabeth and Welcome to the ForumâŠ
Have you tried contacting @Guillaume_Barlet-Bat ⊠as shown higher up in the thread?
He is excellentâŠ
cheers
Hello Elizabeth. They turned out OK in the end. Meticulous in their (lengthy and detailed) reports, which obviously took time to prepare and caused a little angst at the time as our seller was being totally unreasonable.
When needed they were v prompt on phoning / returning calls. I took to emailing to say we needed to talk.
Overall, I probably wouldnât use them again (mainly because there is a local firm who would have been a better bet for us). But I wouldnât go so far as to warn people off.
Hope that helps
Anne Teal
I have used Anglo French Law and it was a disaster. You can see my review on Google with the detailed explanation. The clue is in their âAbout Usâ statement: âWe are not solicitors registered with the SRA that speak some Frenchâ. Basically, they have no legal background and they speak French, like I do!
Sounds like you had a nightmare with them1 - the comment âWe are not solicitors registered with the SRA that speak some Frenchâ, is interesting - I think they are want you to read that as they are not just solicitors who happen to speak French - in fact they go on to claim dual legal qualifications just a little further down the âAbout Usâ page - âOur dual legal qualifications LL.B with L P C. (U K) Maitrise en droit in Notarial law (France)âŠâŠâ
However it looks as though it might be, as you say, literally true that they are ânot solicitors registered with the SRAâ I canât find either Marcel VAN PETEGHEM, nor Anne Keaveney, nor âAnglo French Lawâ listed on the SRA website. Their companies house registration is, at least, legit.
Useful heads up by the sound of it.
1] I read your review this morning but it seems to have disappeared...?Edit: Ah, I see that Stella, diligent as always, spotted that their disclaimer is more open about the fact that they are not actually a UK SRA regulated law firm back in March last year.
Used Anglo French Law and lived to regret it. Marcel appeared so helpful until they get your money.
then they disappear. I honestly have never met a firm as dodgy as this bunch.
It took me two years of hastle, a flight to Newcastle and legal action to get my money back.
They tried every trick to avoid the court action. they have a very good working relationship with the Newcastle claims courts!!!
They turned out not to be a UK law firm so law society no guarantee - plausible chat but useless.
Use them and expect to be disappointed is my experience. i have reported them to trading standards as have others but they are the proverbial chocolate tea pot.
Good luck as this advice is probably too late for you.
Sorry for the late arrival to the discussion, but it may be of interest to others considering using them. I was on the receiving end of them as the represented the seller of my house. My advice is not to go anywhere near them. If you research them enough, you will find that they are renown for disappointing clients. When the owner of my house recommended I use them also for simplicity, I pointed out the appalling reviews they have. They were shocked. Find an English speaking Notaire, preferably one that has been recommended is the best way.
We used AngloFrench law to purchase our house which completed in December, prior to Brexit. Marcel and Scott were excellent! They were thorough and knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble. We had many ups downs along the road, nothing down to AFL I must add, it was due to our sellers notaire choice, and somehow Marcel and his team managed to get it all sorted for us. It was touch and go as to whether we would be able to complete before 31st December but they pulled it out of the bag for us! The price agreed at the initial discussion was excellent and this was not increased, even though there was much more work involved than originally anticipated. We were extremely pleased with AngloFrench law from start to finish and would not hesitate to recommend them.
>The answer depends upon the âspecialtyâ of lawyer that you may want. French law is very complex and to such a point that many specialize in âsectorsâ depending upon the nature of a request for legal assistance.
And an English-speaking â*notaireâ can be found here:
https://www.notaires.fr/en/french-notaire/4829/speaking/english
The site given above is supposedly that of all French notaries.
We used them in 2016/17 for our complex house purchase.
Theyâd initially predicted it would take just 3 months and it ended up being closer to 18. But the delay wasnât entirely theirs, it predominantly our sellers!
But to give them their due - although lots of extra work ended up being required and many more hours than theyâd anticipated, they didnât charge a penny more than the initial quote!
When we then sold and bought again, we went direct to the notaire that Anglo french law had actually used in mansle - Selarl Proust et associates. They have french speaking legal assistants and the maitre also speaks excellent English!
Good luck with your purchase
We used Selarl Proust for our purchase in 2018 - excellent.
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Further to someone asking the question about using Anglo French Law. My previous post details some of the problems I had as a buyer when the seller chose to use them. Recently, whilst researching on a completely different matter, I discover that the AFL ânotaireâ the sellers used was (about the same time) found by the SRA to have stolen client money whilst employed by Blake Morgan LLP. He was fined and banned from being employed in the legal profession. He now runs France Tax Law LLP with his wife, which appears to be a totally unregulated company.
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I think that it should be stated that Notaires are geographically located. There is obviously reason to use a notaire who speaks English, but that is not possible everywhere.
Is a local situation important. Well, it can be. Because local notaires know what is happening locally - that is, they have very good relationships with the City Hall of the town in which they work (and deeds are registered).
Buying property in France is of prime importance if you want to live in France. (Some people just rent every year for their âvacationsâ.) So, a local Notaire is your best bet even if s/he does not speak good-English. They know âwhat is going on with propertiesâ, which only a local notaire would really know.
But, if you want an English speaking Notaire that is nearby, then try this Notarial website here (page is in English) where there is a list of them.
Of course, I cannot guarantee the completeness of the list, but some are better than none - and if not in your town maybe thereâs an English-speaking Notaire nearby ⊠?
Sorry I know this is an old thread but we have found this firm challenging too.
The mind boggles!
What benefit can an outgit in Newcastle, possibly the most ardent regional supporter of brexshitland, bring to table in the purchase of a house in France? 
There are a few reasons - for one Notaires are not the clientâs advocate which Brits are more used to, for another a specialist firm can explain the quirks of French law, and obviously in some cases language skills including legal terminology can be valuable.
Are they âworth itâ - maybe not if everything is straightforward. Even if matters are complex and they can make a difference they might be of use but unlikely to be inexpensive. At the end of the day you donât need UK representation to buy a house in France but quite a few people find that sort of service reassuring.
However the firm who is being discussed in this thread has a reputation which is not, shall we say, entirely positive.
A friend used Anglo French Law. They didnât know about apportioning/dealing with taxe dâhabitation, which left my friend with a bit of an unexpected bill.
I recently had dealings with the company below and I found their service to be excellent:
Bénédicte MORINIERE
French Property Legal Services Ltd
The Old Manse
161 Rosehill Road
Ipswich IP3 8EX
Mobile: 07732 352007
Email: blm@fplservices.co.uk
Surely as only a French Notaire can actually handle the transaction and *they* should have apportioned the TdH, it was not actually the fault of Anglo French Law (though I agree maybe they should have spotted the problem).
The TdH is paid in full by the owner of the property on 1st January, its the TF that gets apportioned