“This review is based on my personal experience of being represented by Mr Goodwin and is aimed at all those that require legal representation in disciplinary matters but are not sure who to instruct particularly those that suffer from a disability (physical/mental health). As a solicitor its hard to trust your livelihood in the hands of others as you feel afraid of being judged, discriminated, taken advantage of, neglected and exploited. With Mr Goodwin there was nothing to worry about as he and his team were the only people that treated me fairly, they did not judge or descriminate me, but gave me the one thing others could not which was hope. The level of service provided was one you would expect from a magic circle firm. It was a personal service whereby you were not dealing with a number of people but one lawyer who is focused on acting in your best interest to achieve the best result for you. If you write Mr Goodwin an email or want to speak him, he will personally contact you expediantly. He is not focused on telling you what you want to hear but achieving the best possible result in your particular circumstances. He has your back and is not afraid of the SRA, he explains complicated things in easy to understand language. He will be with you every step of the way. He is the one lawyer that has a specific set of skills to achieve a positive outcome no matter what your case is. More importantly he is respected and valued by the SRA which is why they used to instruct him. In my opinion Mr Goodwin is the best legal defence representation money can buy and has proven that by achieving an outcome that many felt was impossible which was to use his technical muscle and years of expertise to persuade the SRA to drop their case at tribunal stage.”
Solicitor
“Dear Jon,
I wanted to send you an email to set out my gratitude and thanks for all that you have done for me over recent months. Being investigated by the SRA was a position I had never expected to be in and this has inevitably been a period of considerable stress and worry. An investigation for any professional is a genuine nightmare scenario and it is inevitable that you begin to panic that the worst may happen.
However, your calm and measured approach provided me with reassurance from the outset. I am grateful for your reasoned and straight forward advice and opinion delivered in a considerate but honest manner. Your experience and expertise in this specialist area is clearly vast and I am of the firm view that this was the primary reason for the exceptional result you were able to achieve. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude that your diligently and expertly crafted submissions resulted in the SRA closing their investigation. I cannot thank you and your team enough for all your hard work in achieving this fantastic result that allows me to move on with my career.
I am an experienced solicitor but this is a specialist area which requires specialist advice and you are rightly seen as a leader in this field. instructing you to represent me in this matter was the best decision I could have made. I would recommend, in the strongest possible terms, that anyone facing an SRA investigation should immediately seek your expert help and support.
Once again, thank you for all your help and support in dealing with a potentially career threatening issue and achieving the best possible outcome.”
Solicitor
“I want to thank Jonathan whole heartedly for putting me at ease right from the very beginning. I was most hesitant at first on instructing a solicitor not knowing whom to turn to and who would be able to deal with my matter emphatically with the SRA. I spoke to a number of solicitors and advised them of my professional misconduct investigation by the SRA, however, none save for Jonathan were able to give me any comfort, or even the slightest hope, that I could ever come out of my ordeal with my integrity intact and without any sanction placed on my ability to continue to practice as a solicitor. This is down to Jonathan’s extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with SRA misconduct matters but most of all I was taken aback by how friendly and approachable Jonathan truly is. I am most pleased to say that the SRA has found in my favour and has closed my file without any further action. I cannot recommend Jonathan enough to anyone who finds themselves with the misfortunate of being the subject of an SRA investigation, he may not be able to wave a magic wand but he will definitely give you best guidance and advice to properly tackle whatever predicament you may find yourselves in.”
Solicitor
“That is indeed an excellent outcome. Thank you for all your work with this matter. This was, thankfully, the first time I had been involved in such a matter and your calm, knowledgeable and measured approach was very much appreciated.”
Solicitor
“The journey of any professional misconduct investigation is a difficult one, and one which the individual needs advocacy that they can trust and rely upon to make the right decisions at the right time. Jon’s vast experience and ability was clearly demonstrated in my case. This was combined with his intuition to “read the room” on the day of the tribunal and to pitch the submissions to achieve the best possible outcome.”
Actuary
“Dear Jonathan,
Thank you for all your assistance, hard work, advice and support on my matter. My matter was not a straight forward case, due to many reasons, but I was impressed with how quickly you reviewed my matter and understood it. This is clearly due to your years of experience dealing with such matters with the SRA and deep knowledge of the codes of conduct.
I am happy to recommend you to anyone requiring your specialist advice and assistance.”
Solicitor
“I cannot recommend Jonathan Goodwin highly enough. After instructing him I felt a weight off my shoulders as his calm manner and extensive knowledge of the process put me at ease. I am thoroughly delighted with the outcome in my case. I would not hesitate to use Jonathan’s services again.”
Solicitor
“I would like to take this chance to thank you for all your support and expertise in navigating through the process with the SDT.
Jonathan‘a 30 years experience is evident in his knowledge to negotiate the best outcome for me.
I am grateful for the different perspective that he presented to me highlighting the weaknesses in my case and giving me wise and pragmatic advice which led to an outcome that enabled me to continue practising as a Solicitor .
I cannot thank Jonathan and his team enough for all the hard work that lead to a successful outcome.
Finally, thank you Jonathan for being an empathetic and a friendly person to deal with at such a stressful time in my life. I am grateful and will recommend your services to other people.
Thank you once again”
Solicitor
“I would like to thank you very much for all the support, hard work and good advice you have given to me over the many years the SRA matter has dragged on.
It is such a relief to have had you settle the allegations on very reasonable terms”.
Solicitor
“To anyone who is having difficulties with the SRA, I cannot recommend Jonathan Goodwin high enough. Throughout the process, he has been calm, efficient, clear and supportive. I’m absolutely delighted with the outcome and had it not been for him I would seriously have considered giving up. I cannot thank him enough for his care and skill in dealing with one of the most stressful experiences I’ve ever had.”
Solicitor
“Since my initial consultation with Jonathan, he put my mind at ease and walked me through the process in seeking to collate what information was necessary to deal with my case. Thereafter, Jonathan dealt with all communications in a very thorough and efficient manner which helped in obtaining a favourable outcome”.
Surveyor
“Thanks very much for all the assistance that you have given me over the last couple of years. As you know it was a very difficult time for me professionally and personally and you were able to keep what would have been a case that normally would have gone to the tribunal out of the tribunal and agree a very favorable regulated settlement agreement.
I will, of course, pass on your name to anyone who needs your services.”
Barrister
“I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all your support and expertise in navigating through the process with the SRA. Your knowledge of the inner workings and how best to present a comprehensive response was invaluable. I can’t thank you enough for all your hard work that lead to a successful outcome. Finally, thank you for being empathetic and a friendly person to deal with at such a stressful time in my life”.
Solicitor
“I actually cannot communicate how grateful I am for everything you have done. Thank you so much.
Jon has provided a first-class level of service, advice, and counsel.
Even as an experienced litigator nothing could have prepared me for the shock and stress of being subjected to an SRA investigation.
Throughout the entire process Jon gave clear guidance and prepared persuasive submissions.
I have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone facing this type of situation”.
Solicitor
“I would like to thank you for the invaluable service you provided during our initial conversation. You really helped reassure me when my anxiety levels were through the roof! It was instantly evident that you were an expert in SRA related matters.
Given the nature of the circumstances, I hope I do not require your services again, but should anyone find themselves subject to a SRA investigation, I highly recommend Jon.”
Solicitor
“I was referred to Jonathan to assist me with potential proceedings to be taken against me by the SRA. Very fortunately such action was not taken by the SRA but I felt very much that Jonathan’s initial guidance as to how the complaint should be handled assisted with obtaining this outcome”.
Solicitor
“With a historic bankruptcy I consulted Jonathan Goodwin who made it seamless to get me back on the roll and ascertain a practising certificate. It was reassuring to not only have expert advice but someone on my side who appreciated how important this was to me. With this barrier removed I am able practice in a profession I love. Thank you, Jonathan.”
Solicitor
“Dear Jon,
I’m more grateful than words can adequately express for all your help through the nightmare that has been my battle with the SRA. Annoying as it has been to concede to their demands I’m certain I wouldn’t have got the outcome achieved without your help, support, forceful representations and sound advice.
I would recommend anyone having problems similar to mine to contact you immediately.”
Solicitor
“Dear Jon,
I just wanted to drop you a very short line, to say thank you very much for your help and support through this extremely traumatic and difficult time.
I do not recollect how I became acquainted with your services, but what I can say is that your service support and help was in stark contrast to the previous occasion when I was referred to the SRA, when I instructed a substantial city firm to act on my behalf. Admittedly the city firm had beautiful offices, but that is the only thing that they had, they promised the earth, charged me significantly more than the agreed fees, and then the solicitor dealing with the matter was sick 10 days before the hearing and I had to instruct a QC at the last moment, needless to say the result was not satisfactory.
I cannot, but contrast the difference with your service, from the moment I spoke to you, it was clear that you understood the trauma and stress of being referred refer to the SRA, for doing your job, as most solicitors do to the best of their ability and having delivered a blinding result for the client.
From the moment I spoke to you, it was clear that not only did you understand the torment and stress over wrongful investigation, but you also understood the intricacies and anomalies of the SRA. You were able to assist me in anticipating how matters would be dealt with, and how to deal with matters efficiently, cost effectively add with the least pressure possible and to obtain the best outcome.
I am delighted that we have now been notified that this matter is not progressing, and there is going to be no further repercussions from the matter, which was the correct outcome, but that doesn’t mean it is the outcome that would have transpired if you had not been dealing with it.
I would add the final point, I am an experience litigator who obtains great results for clients on the frequent basis, but the old adage someone who acts on their own behalf has a fool for a client, is especially true when dealing with the SRA. It is also imperative to remember the SRA works with different rules which you understand and I am curious how many other people do.
Many thanks again for your great service which was dealt with in the agreed budget and time frame (insofar as the time frame was under your control).
Very best wishes for the future.”
Solicitor
“I would like to say that I am extremely grateful for your genuine support through this matter, that has been a traumatic and an inordinately long process, not due to your fault. I have felt from the first time we spoke, that you understood two fundamental aspects of dealing with the SRA, firstly how I as a customer felt, namely aggrieved hurt and offended at the unfounded allegations being thrown at me, and secondly and very importantly how the SRA operates. Then adding to the service that I received, you were able to combine your finely tuned knowledge of the two matters above, to be able to hold my hand through the whole process to a successful outcome. Thank you !
I would not say the process has not been traumatic, but I would say that your support was the only thing that made it survivable.”
Solicitor