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What Our Clients Say
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"Douglas
[Our son] leaves [his special school] in July and is going onto College in September, to do both a sports course and music course.
We have always been very grateful for what you did for us and for [our son]. You have done so much for so many people, and that's something you can be very proud of.
Please keep in touch, and our sincere best wishes to you, your family and to all your staff."
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"I meant to write sooner - [our son] has settled better than we could have ever hoped for at [his new school] and is doing so well it is amazing.
He had a fantastic first term and is thriving with all the support they provide. Hope you're all well and helping all the kids like [our son] to get what they need and
deserve thanks again"
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"I hope this email finds you well and business is good for you.
I just wanted to say thank you once more for all that you did for [my daughter], myself and of course [my grandson]in our case last year.
[He] has been attending [schoool] for about 15 months now and has been happy and blossoming. He is getting all the attention and schooling
he could possibly need. We know that [he] is in the best place by far and that all the efforts and heartache were well worth it.
[My daughter] too has been able to pursue more of her own life and is much healthier and happy for it.
[My daughter, my wife] and myself all reflect often how fortunate we are for [him] to have been able to attend [school] and the key role you played in getting him there.
You don't need me to tell you, but do keep up the good work - from this end it means so much to us all.
Thank you again Douglas, many many thanks."
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"It appears [our son’s] Statement is now in full swing (it did take a final ‘email push’ from myself to ensure the contracts were sent to the [private therapists] last week, though! But now everything has been received).
Thank you so very much for everything – all your advice and hard work, which helped secure [our son’s] Statement. In particular, Laxmi’s masterpiece ‘mark-up’ of the proposed Statement. That really swung it with [the LA] I think. I have to say the officers at SENAS have been brilliant and we are on very good terms.
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"Thank you for forwarding the statement. I was on another planet I think yesterday that I didn't even realise you had managed to get so much provision in the statement! I'm thrilled you got 2 hours OT a week and hydrotherapy every week, that's brilliant! Thank you so much!
We have wanted [the school] so desperately for such a long time now and had pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that we never win anything so were guaranteed to lose that it is going to take a while to actually realise that [our son] has got [the school] now:) We really couldn't be happier with the outcome and are so very grateful to the team for listening to us and understanding and making sure we got what was best for our family:) thank you all so much."
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"Dear Douglas, Laxmi, Natasha and team,
I am writing to place on record my thanks to you all for the fantastic work you carried out during [our son ’s] case. To have secured the desired outcome is a massive relief, and without having to go to tribunal is of course even better.
I don't know whether the below is the kind of thing which might be useful for your website, but if it is please feel free to use it:
So often when putting your faith in the hands of a professional you can feel helpless, under-informed or forgotten about. This was never the case with Douglas Silas Solicitors. I was hugely impressed with the way I was kept fully up to date with how the case was proceeding. Updates were communicated in a manner which was simple to understand and were not filled with impenetrable technical or legal jargon.
It was clear that Douglas knows his field exceptionally well and he formulated strategies for the case pro-actively, rather than re-actively, always anticipating what the local authority might say or do next. I was confident that he was always two or three steps ahead of the opposition. I also appreciated that whilst he always seemed in control of matters, he remained very level-headed and never allowed himself to appear either too optimistic or pessimistic. This helped me to stay on an even-keel and remain realistic about our chances of success.
Douglas's team are first-rate. Laxmi and Natasha were always on hand to clarify any points or answer any questions. They always made me feel like a priority, answering swiftly and courteously, never appearing frustrated by my naive or foolish questions!
I would recommend Douglas Silas without hesitation to any parent in need of legal assistance for the children's school funding or similar."
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"Dear Douglas,
I hope you are well.
[Our son] breaks up for the summer vacation today which has prompted me to send you a little update on his progress.
I can’t quite believe that he has completed his first year at [his new school] already. He has worked his socks off and demonstrated the most incredible tenacity and determination. He received an excellent end of year school report, his teachers are very pleased with his rapid progress (approx +2yrs maths, +18months literacy) and we are very proud of him. We always knew that if he could just be given the opportunity to learn he would throw himself into it and he really has.
He loves [his new school] and still manages to keep in touch with his old school... He now has a true sense of self worth and remarkable self discipline. School work is still very hard for [him] but [his new school] has given him a true sense of achievement and sense of hope. They work him extremely hard and have high expectations of him, but they have a lot of fun along the way.
There isn’t a day that goes by when we don’t think how glad we are that, with your help, we took up the fight for [our son's] education. We see the positive results everyday in [him] so I hope this email has let you share a little piece of our joy and relief!"
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"Dear Douglas, Laxmi, Helene and Natasha:
RE: SEN HEARING OUTCOME
[My wife] and I wanted to write to formally thank all of you for all your time, effort, input and support in regards to our case for [our daughter] to get an education and a specialist school along with a strong supporting educational statement. It should go without saying but it truly is appreciated.
From the outset this has been - ! am sure you will agree - not just a journey but perhaps a double circumnavigation of much that is disability education. We would rather not have made it but when things have been tough and low for us we've been glad we were 'traveling with you'.
Douglas - I'm sure you have heard it all - but at times this really has felt like we are trying to push water uphill while nailing jelly to a wall.
We've never assumed anything and until the deadlines have passed we still won't completely feel like we have succeeded. Call it 'bitter experience'! However, [our daughter's] statement remains very strong and we can't help but feel some reinforcement from the Tribunal's decision in regards to her school placement.
We know this is only part of the journey. We have our own personal journey to make with [our daughter] in helping her - and indeed all of us - adjust to a new school, being away from home and all the changes that entails. None of this has been done lightly - as you know better than most - and all of it aims to help [our daughter] to get an appropriate education and be better prepared for life.
Thank you also for your insight and your common-sense approach to handling our case - and us!"Douglas, Helene, Natasha & Laxmi:
[We] want to thank you (via the email) for all the time and effort you have all put into our case. It’s been a real battle and the efforts you have all made at different times have been stalwart.
Thank you all.
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"Douglas
We thought you may like to know that [our son] has just completed entry level GCSE papers, a year early, in the following
subjects and got the following results :
English : Grade 3
Food Studies : Grade 3
Information & Communication Tech : Grade 3
Mathematics : Grade 2
Humanities : Grade 3
These are the highest marks that can be achieved, and academically, [he] is now top of the school. Also some of [his] course work for the final GCSE paper in English has already been completed and put in a file ready to be submitted next year. Considering where we were with him 4 years ago, I think you will agree, it is quite phenomenal.
We are amazed with these results, and we thought you may like to know just how well [he] has come on since getting him a statement and into [his new school].
We will obviously keep you up-to-date with [his] ongoing progress.
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"[This] was a very intense and prolonged (not to say at times ‘excruciating’) experience. The battles (and emotions) parents go through for their children make this a traumatic matter.
Douglas is an amazing advocate for cases that are not easy..."
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"Thank you very much for all your hard work Helene.I have recommended yourself and Douglas to a friend of mine's sister .... She has triplets and the youngest has special needs, needless to say they have just been turned down for a special school placement.
You have made a real difference to our lives and we thank you very much
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"I have been meaning to give you an update on [our daughter].
[our daughter] is doing very well at school with the additional support and therapy that she so clearly needed and that we only obtained by taking our case to the Tribunal. She can now write her own name, which is fabulous progress. The specialist teaching, that the LA were so keen to deny her, is making a very real difference. She is even starting to read some simple words.
For the first time since she started school, she is finally making some progress. It is slow, and it is small, but it is steady progress in all aspects. The occupational therapy that she is receiving is slowing improving her balance, co-ordination, fine and gross motor skills. Her speech and language and communication, whilst still an area of significant difficulty, is noticeably improving. This in turn reduces her frustration at not being able express herself, and this reduces the incidences of her having "meltdowns".
It is truly wonderful to see her developing, and we know that this is only made possible because we won our Tribunal case, and this was only possible because of the skill and dedication of Douglas and all the team.
We are realistic. We know that [our daughter] will always be a child with a range of complex needs, who will need significant ongoing support, but because of the support and therapy she is receiving, she now has a real opportunity to reach HER own potential. She is a happy little girl and as her parents we work at continuing to ensure that her self-confidence remains high. She is increasingly aware that she is different from other children. As you know, [our daughter] attends a faith school. She sometimes says " OK, I need extra help at school. That's just the way God made me!" Which we think is a great attitude for her to have!
The experience of dealing with the LEA and going to Tribunal has prompted me to become increasingly involved in SEND issues. I can see no point in complaining about "the system" unless you can be constructively involved. I belong to various SEND support/campaign groups. At the moment, I am working my way through the SEN Green Paper, all 134 pages of it. No doubt Douglas, with his ability to speed read, has already read and digested it. I am rather hoping that Douglas will put something on his website..."
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"Dear Douglas,
Thank you so much for all your updates, I always read them with a smile on your face. Tell your dear daughter I agree with her and you should some day get a proper job and slow down a little. Ha ha! But not just yet because we need you!
On a more personal note, I enclose a copy of [my son’s] latest annual review. He has blossomed beyond what I could have hoped for and makes friends everywhere he goes. There really aren’t enough words to say thank you; without you this wouldn’t have happened. Although I sometimes feel your embarrassment, I cant keep from saying it and telling people over and over again; the work you and the team you’ve surrounded yourself with and the hope you give to parents when everything seems hopeless is nothing short of a miracle."
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"Dear Douglas,
I though that you would like to know how the Annual Review meeting went, particularly as you were kind enough to advise me.
[the Annual Review meeting is described]
So I am hopeful that the LEA will leave her Statement as it is and that I may get "a year off" before the next AR, in October 2011.
We would be delighted if [our daughter] did eventually make enough significant progress to reduce her 1:1 support in school but we will not tolerate the LEA removing it too soon, for budgetary reasons, which would not be in the best interests of [our daughter's] needs.
In the current economic situation, with public spending cuts, the LEA will clearly be looking to save money by reducing the provision in Statements.
I have had to write a couple of very firm letters to the LEA regarding non-compliance (delay in obtaining the specialist SpLD/dyslexia teaching) but that has now all been put in place.
Once again, many thanks for all your help and advice - I now find myself thinking to myself during difficult points in a meeting "what would Douglas do?" which helps me to curb my impetuousness, keep calm and produce a considered response."
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"Dear Douglas
We just have to write and tell you about the incredible transformation in [our daughter] after her start at [her new school] last month. She has found new confidence and joy in learning that we never imagined possible! The residential school life is suiting her perfectly. She is in a class with 3 girls and 4 boys and she has already been class captain along with a string of other certificates and responsibilities. She is going to clubs every evening and when she can be persuaded to take a break from the fun to speak to her parents (!), she is full of happy chat and news.
The staff are delighted with her progress. Some comments from her feedback letters:
'It has been poetry in motion. We keep waiting for the behaviour that her previous school warned us of but nothing yet.'
'[Your daughter] has been our class captain of the week and has done a brilliant job and has really enjoyed having this role. [Your daughter] has also been very grown up this week and stayed in assembly everyday.'
'[Your daughter] has settled to sleep very well each evening and she has settled into the living area routine well and sometimes remembers more then the staff what to do next! [Your daughter] has eaten in the dining room every day and is eating very well at all mealtimes especially breakfast.'
[Your daughter] is off to her first birthday party this weekend - very exciting for her.
[Our daughter] is a different girl: enjoying reading and homework; loving all the activities in school; fully included and a leader in all she does. We would have never dared to dream that we would see this happen.
[Our daughter] will be home this evening and I can guarantee that by tomorrow morning she will be counting down the hours until she can go back to school again!
You and your team will always have a very special place in [our daughter's] journey. Thank you."
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"We cannot thank Douglas Silas and all of his hard working team enough for the wonderful Tribunal decision, which means that our daughter will now receive the support and therapy that she needs to progress in school. She is now so much happier and is enjoying school much more and is making good progress.
When we had our initial meeting with Douglas, we were so impressed with his friendly, personable nature, his empathy and his legal knowledge (not to mention his amazing ability to speed read documents!) that my husband and I both came out of the meeting agreeing that Douglas was "the man for the job" and we have never regretted that decision.
The only previous experience that we had of instructing a solicitor was when we bought our home! So deciding to take legal action against a large public body, with their own legal department, such as the County Council, was tremendously daunting, but we felt that we had no choice; we simply could not allow the Local Education Authority to let our daughter down.
We were even more daunted when we found out that the LA were going to be using a barrister, but we had no need to worry with Douglas Silas representing us!
Douglas Silas is a "new" type of solicitor, forget any idea of being staid and stuffy - Douglas has a wicked sense of humour! We also appreciated the transparent fee system - which was very reassuring to us. We trust the advice of Douglas absolutely - if you want the best person, then without hesitation, I would recommend Douglas and all of his team!
We wish you continued success!"
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"Dear Douglas,
Well, [our son] is all set to start [his new school] on [Monday next week] and we can’t quite believe it.
When I came for my first meeting with you I had already instructed a different solicitor to help me with [our son’s] case. However, I never really felt comfortable with my choice and I think in many ways that is what led me to you. I realised from our first meeting that I wanted to work with you although at the time I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. I remember coming home to [my spouse] and saying you really must meet this man he is fascinating. I think I sensed your talent straight away but you had a kindness about you that I was not expecting.
I realised in time that not only was I right to think that you are fascinating but you are kind, generous, funny and most of all very clever and well respected. I have always felt from the onset that I was in very safe hands, that whatever the final outcome we would have done our best for [our son] and that if we couldn’t win our case with your team we wouldn’t have been able to win it with anyone else. To go on to win it in the way that we did was amazing and probably the first time in the past two years that we felt [our son’s] situation had been clearly defined and was being fairly assessed.
Without exception everyone at Douglas Silas Solicitors has been efficient, kind, committed, sensitive (thanks for the tissues!) and approachable. There has never been a time when I did not feel I could trust your judgement and I always felt my opinions were being heard and understood. This made a huge difference to both of us.
We are looking forward to updating you on [our son's] progress.
With very best wishes and thanks"
Then sent a week later:
"I wasn’t expecting to have much of an update for you regarding [our son] this soon after starting [his new school]. However, I just have to let you know that he is a completely changed child. Relaxed, happy, well behaved (well most of the time!) and eager to learn. All of the logistical issues that we thought he would struggle with (early start, formal environment, his first ever school uniform, daily homework, being taken away from his friends) he has embraced with tremendous enthusiasm, we are very proud of him.
The defining moment for me came when on day 2 he signed up for an afterschool club. He had dropped out of all afterschool activities at his previous school and wouldn’t contemplate starting anything new unless he knew the other children attending. He now happily stays behind on a Thursday for War Hammer Club and [his sister] and I pop down on the tube to collect him. He is very, very happy. It is [his sister]and I who are struggling as we miss him when he is not here!
This is clearly going to be life changing for [our son] and we couldn’t have done this without you!
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"We could not have done this without the expertise of Douglas and his excellent team. They were always readily available for advice and help at a time that is an all consuming and painful experience. He is very well respected and has many connections and so was able to personally engage the many experts we would need for tribunal ,we found this extremely valuable. Our son will now receive the specialist education that he needs .”
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"Dear Douglas and Team,
We would just like to say a huge
thank you to you and your excellent team for your total support and expert guidance during our long and difficult journey.
We feel that you all have been so patient and understanding thoughout and truly care about what you do. The whole process has been very emotional for us and your whole team has been completely sensitive to this at all times.
No matter what the outcome of the Tribunal we know that with your help we have done our vey best for [our son] and will have no hesitation in recommending you. Thankyou."
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"Dear Douglas,
"Just a note to say thank you so much for all your excellent work on [our son's] case, and congratulations on another victory!
It has been a real pleasure working with you over the past 18 months. You have always dealt with our questions promptly and fully, and put our minds at ease on the occasions when we have had doubts or worries about the case.
Please also pass on our thanks to Laxmi and the rest of the team for all their hard work and support."
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“Dear Douglas and Team
My gratitude goes to all of you for the support throughout! [My daughter] is now 16 and a happy child overall thanks to ‘your’ help and support. Thank you for being in ‘our’ lives and managing to sustain us against all the odds. May you always be given the strength to carry on helping other families like ourselves and in return may God bless you and your family. Keep up the good work.”
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"I cannot thank you enough for all the support you have given me over the last couple of years. On many occasions 'you kept me going', I know that I have said it before, however, you truly are a very special team, in fact, unique. You have taught me a lot professionally (and personally), these tools are valuable and will no doubt assist me now and in the future."
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"Dear Douglas & All The Silas Team
We just want to once again thank you so much for all your hard work and fantastic input with our recent educational tribunal case. Things were not always easy or plain sailing but without you and all you superb advice, help, support and your recommendations to further specialist witnesses and all their reports, we simply would not have had the wonderful result we finally received and we would not hesitate to recommend you in the future."
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"Dearest Douglas and all The Practice
I apologise for taking so long to put pen to paper in order to thank you for your continued support through 2005-2006 regarding my fight for [my daughter's] education. I hope that you all realise how much you mean to me and also that you have given me my daughter back!!
Every day, I pray that your practice will grow from strength to strength ensuring that many who come through your doors are equally re-assured of your true professionalism and unconditional support. You are a very, very good man Douglas and are God-sent and blessed with exceptional passion and compassion for the job you do so well.
May the blessings from above always be there throughout your life and may those that you have to support you do your work be equally blessed. On many occasions I have felt like my entire life had taken a much deserved upward swing because of you touching [my daughter's]life and making sure it improves and sustains her throughout. But also knowing that you were the Guardians Angels’ sent to me to do the job well and with Grace"
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"Whether we win or lose, we know we had the best legal representation."
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"Thank you very much, again, for successfully securing a place at the school we wanted for our son with a good amended statement. He is deliriously happy to be back at school."
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"We could never have done this without you."
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"Dear Douglas,
I write to thank you for the commitment and drive you devoted to our son's case. Although the whole experience (of the High Court) was traumatic, your confident and competent manner was very reassuring. It was a fantastic feeling when the judge ruled in our favour.
We cannot thank you enough for this wonderful result. I know it was not an easy case to win, and that made success even sweeter. I would also like to thank all your staff for all their hard work, especially your secretary, Natasha, she is not only super efficient, but super friendly.
I would not hesitate to recommend your services, in particular to parents of children with special needs, as your empathy and compassion was very much appreciated. I and all my family thank you once again."
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"I trust you with my eyes closed."
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"I can’t tell you enough about what you have managed to do for my little boy."
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"Douglas, we write to thank you for your help, support and friendship during a very difficult and emotional time. Taking the LEA to the Tribunal itself was one of the most daunting and weighty things we have ever had to do. We were so pleased to have you with us. You felt like one of the family!
Prior to the day you told us what to expect and on the day you explained the complexities of events as they unfolded. In the months leading up to the hearing, we had followed your advice when preparing the case and during it we understood why you had previously asked us to consider certain points. They all in turn became relevant and we were pleased that you had anticipated their arrival and made preparations to cover them.
We felt we had gone in with the best possible case we could, orchestrated by you and your excellent team. Even if we had lost we would still have felt that you had told the members of the tribunal all the things we wanted to say but didn't know how to.
It’s not just your in-depth knowledge of education law nor the fact that you've got a great team behind you, but we feel you cared deeply about our plight and how important it was for our son to get the correct help he needed.
We know that everyone says you are the best at what you do - you are! But where the impersonal area of law meets the emotively charged area of the wellbeing of your child you understand both. We were both in tears when you told us that we'd won - we couldn't have done it without you."
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"I love my solicitor!"
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"Thank you for all you have done."
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"I just want to say thank you for pointing me in the right direction over [my son's] transport. I had a call yesterday and he will now be in a taxi. I'm surprised that they gave in so easily, but I'm sure that is partly because I knew what to say now and they knew that we have your support."
"I wish you lots of luck with your business, which I have no doubt will go from strength to strength."
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"Your advice has always been spot on."
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"Thank you for your support during this difficult case. I was despondent at times and appreciated your bolstering!"
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"Dear Douglas,
I thought I would just update you regarding the progress of our request for a formal assessment for our son, which you helped us to appeal when county refused to assess. The LEA withdrew their appeal before the tribunal and he has now been formally assessed. All of the professionals were clear he should have more help and we have also today received their proposed statement which includes OT treatment, ICT assessment and more help in the classroom.
I know that you weren't involved all along but we are very grateful for the time you gave us as it really helped - not least your advice to keep going as county may back down - which of course they did. The main thing is [our son] should now hopefully receive the helps he needs - so thanks!"
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"You are superb solicitor, thank you for supporting us so much, I’ve always felt our organisation are safe as your client."
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"Wow, total respect. I could never have done that."
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"Dear Douglas,
I can't thank you enough for what you have done for us so far and recommending us to (an educational psychologist) which as it turns out has been exactly what we needed in our case. Thank you also for managing our case in a manner which we could actually afford and has been best allround. That has saved us a tremendous amount of money and for that I thank you. I am more confident now that we can get a result and coming to you has been the best thing we could have done. I would certainly recommend you to anyone that has been in the same boat as us."
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Just to say "Thanks" for all your help and advice in helping us prepare for [our Tribunal], which is really greatly appreciated . We are all prepared and ready to go and will let you know how we get on.
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Dear Douglas,
We wanted to thank you so much for all you have done for us in relation to [our son's] educational provision.
It only seems like yesterday that we first appeared in your office! At each stage of the proceedings you have both advised and supported us, and we, and [our son], are very grateful indeed.
Today was a long day, but we were totally convinced by your closing statements and requests, so hopefully the tribunal will be as well!
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"I will definitely recommend you to anyone else who finds themselves in the same difficult situation as I was in."
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"I would like to add that we appreciate your comments and your advice as to whether to pursue our costs with the LEA and realise that we are going to have to let this drop. Still the ultimate aim was to get our son a statement and we really could not ask for more. His future is what is more important than anything and we think he is now going to be in the right environment with the help that he deserves at long last. It has only been as a result of your continued help coupled with that of the education psychologist that we have come this far, and we thank you for that.
We would finally like to add that we too have found you a pleasure to work with on this and thank you sincerely for everything.”
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"I am sorry it has taken me so long to say this but I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you did for our son.”
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"Dear Douglas,
I hope you appreciate that we are very very pleased with the way you and your team have prepared this tortuous case. Your advice throughout has been very clear and sound. Your preparation on the day was absolutely outstanding and the way you guided us through an eight and a half marathon was superb.
We don’t at this juncture know how things will turn out but we think that with you and your firm’s excellent assistance we have done the very best we can for our son. We have absolutely no hesitation in recommending you and your firm to other Special Needs parents who require specialist legal advice. Your counsel throughout has been authoritative, apposite and kind.
We also gratefully acknowledge the opportunity you provided us to pay for the tribunal on a fixed fee basis and we gladly enclose a cheque for the disbursements (direct debits will take care of the rest). This has been a very expensive and time consuming business for all of us, and your (in this case) self less guidance is very much appreciated.
I am very pleased that you and your firm accepted and have handled the case. And have handled it so very well.
We look forward to speaking when we have the ‘result’ and then discuss next steps.
Please accept our most sincere appreciation for everything that you have done for our son and ourselves.
We have all done our best. This is all we could have hoped to have done. "
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"Although we lost our case we feel it was a real privilege to work with you.’
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"I would like to finally finish this email in thanking you very much for everything you’ve done for us, for all the help and advice that you have provided along the way and also for getting an Educational Psychologist on board as well. I personally felt at the beginning that we wouldn’t be where we are now, I didn’t think we stood a chance, but you gave us the confidence to pursue this and to get a statement for our son after all this time. We can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done.”
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"You are so easy to work with and have always given such good advice. We really appreciate it.”
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"Dear Douglas,
A short note to wish your firm a happy second anniversary and to let you know that our son appears to be settling in quite well at his new school.
I hope the next year of you firm sees more success in the vein of our son. In his case, it was a long and tortuous path but with your expert guidance we got there. We wish you the same success in other cases-and we have every confidence that you will be successful.
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"Dear Douglas,
Thank you, as always, for your comprehensive, understanding, and honest appraisal of our situation.
Your comments have always been insightful, and helpful, and we appreciate the next steps that you suggest.
Certainly we feel much better informed, and capable of dealing with what lies ahead than when we first met you."
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“I want to tell you how very pleased I am with the way that you are handling my case in such a professional manner. There is no way we would have got to this stage without you writing our appeal.”
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"We are writing a little belatedly, to thank you very sincerely for all your help with [our son's] recent SENDIST case.
As you know we are tremendously delighted at the result of the SENDIST appeal. In many ways the journey has felt like a marathon, with our resolve and stamina being tested time and time again along the way.
Over the course of this journey, we really felt that your guidance and expert advice was absolutely first class. Whilst we have not experienced a SENDIST appeal before, we knew that the case was extremely difficult and complex and were well aware of the need to remain both flexible and consistent in our approach to the appeal. In difficult circumstances, your approach to this was really excellent.
We also knew that we needed a highly professional advocate and one which we could work together with as a team. We appreciated your very clear communicative style and your user-friendly and responsive approach. In fact, we have thoroughly enjoyed our dealings with you! We also knew that there would be some difficult decisions along the way and were truly grateful for your guidance and leadership at many crucial moments over the past 6-7 months or so. Whilst not wishing to dwell on what happened on the day of the tribunal, we also feel it to be essential to thank you for the huge amount of extra work that entering the final submissions to the panel entailed for you at what was obviously a very difficult and personal time and for that we remain extremely grateful.
As you know [our son] started at [his new school] last week. We are naturally thrilled at this and look forward to the positive changes this will undoubtedly bring. We very much hope that it will not be necessary to go back to Tribunal to justify [his] place, however, if the situation arises, we shall of course not hesitate to contact you.
Once again, many, many thanks for all your hard work."
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"[We] would like to pass on our sincere thanks to you and your team for all the hard work you have put into [our son's] appeal.
We are very pleased that [his] needs have finally been acknowledged by [the] LEA and are extremely grateful to you for helping to ensure that his package of support and provision has been increased so substantially and sensibly.
We have already met with the head teacher and the SENCO at [the school] and things are looking tentatively positive for the future. Lines of communication certainly seem open, which is a very good thing.
Thank you all, once again, and very best wishes for the future."
***
"I would like to thank you once again for the work you have done on your case thus far, and to offer you my very genuine best wishes for the future."
***
(Before)
"Dear Douglas,
Many thanks for sending these last pieces of advice for the Tribunal. They are helpful beyond your obligations and really very much appreciated.
Thank you also for your good wishes for the Hearing and for us. I will let you know the outcome as soon as I know it."
(After)
"Dear Douglas,
I wanted to let you know as soon as possible that we had a very successful, if not definitive outcome at our Tribunal today.
The outcome was that the panel ruled against [the LEA school] there and then. This was an absolutely massive relief.
We made great use of your Working Document, your advice about demonstrating how Parts 2 and 3 couldn't be fully met at [the LEA school], and so much of the work you've done. I want to thank you profusely for your help in getting us to the advantageous position we're in today."
***
"Dear Douglas, Erica and Natasha,
Just want to say a big 'Thank you' for your excellent hard work, support and effots. I know that we have all given the situation 100% and whatever the outcome I can be sure that we have done our best for [my daughter].
I left the Tribunal with a good feeling. I'm hanging on to it. Once again, thank you all for being there. I couldn't have got through it without you.
You really are a very special team."
***
"The whole team at Douglas Silas Solicitors were unfailingly supportive, friendly, and professional in the very fraught circumstances we faced in preparing for, and at, the Tribunal. I never had the slightest doubt that you were all doing your utmost to get the right result – and the right result is what we got. Many thanks to all of you."
***
“You’re expensive but you’re worth every penny!”
***
"Without Douglas and his team I am sure that my son would still not have the statement that he so desperately needed. He is now in the right kind of school for his needs and is blossoming. We are so grateful to Douglas and his wonderful team, not just for the legal expertise that they so clearly have, but also for their great personal kindness, good counsel and warm support. "
***
"Douglas has fought our case in all the Sendist hearings and worked tirelessly to find a solution to our situation. We owe him and his team so much and they have our heart felt thanks."
***
"I found your letter very clear and helpful, and very much enjoyed meeting you. I was greatly impressed by your considerable knowledge of your area, and by your genuine evident concern for your clients’ wellbeing."
***
"Thank you Douglas.
Once again, thanks for all your help. Your professionalism, tenacity, clarity and attention to detail gave us a great deal of confidence through the course of this process, and ultimately delivered a result which was better than we dared hope for. Most of all, [our daughter] is getting on *really* well in her new environment."
***
"Thank you for the letter updating me on [my childrs] statement. I am thrilled to see the excellent progress you have made with the LEA...
***
"I can honestly say that it is a pleasure to work with a legal team that I believe has the best interest of their clients at the heart of everything they do. Unfortunately this is not always the case with others. I wish you all the best [in] the great work you do in helping children recieve the provision they so desparately need. "
"I'd like to say thank you for all of your help and kindness in matters relating to [my daughter]. I really appreciated your help."
To find out more about What People Say, please click on an appropriate link below:
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