Buckles Connect

Buckles
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Buckles Connect

Welcome to BUCKLESconnect, a bespoke and free membership service for law firms and other professionals who do not specialise in certain areas of law and who wish to refer their clients, where appropriate to a reputable and reliable firm that has the necessary experience.

BUCKLESconnect is part of Buckles, a full-service law firm with particular expertise in the Private Wealth sector including international matters and services highlighted below.

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French law

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Spanish law

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Employment

BUCKLESconnect is based on a referral system and has been providing invaluable support to its members since 2016 with members safe in the knowledge that:

They can refer Clients thereby promptly sourcing the right legal support for their Client’s needs
Their clients receive a first class, professional service
They retain the Client relationship as BUCKLESconnect operates on a non-compete basis

To see how BUCKLESconnect may help you please see some of the key Services highlighted below.

By becoming a member you can also benefit from the Buckles network of overseas legal resources with coverage in over 150 jurisdictions.

We also offer a competitive fee sharing arrangement typically up to 10% of our costs or if you prefer this fee can be passed on to the Client by way of a discount to their fees.

Services

Contentious Probate

Our experienced team prides itself on providing expert advice on all areas of contentious probate including challenging a Will and making a claim against an estate.

What contentious probate support do you need?

As an experienced lawyer, there may be a time when you need assistance with contentious probate issues. Our dedicated team prides itself on a providing expert advice on the options to challenge or respond to a challenge against a Will or an estate. Our team provides an empathetic service to lay clients and deals with all matters in a clear and straightforward way.

How can BUCKLESconnect help?

At BUCKLESconnect we can provide advice in the following areas:

Care home fee advice
Challenges to a Will, including validity, capacity, knowledge and approval, mutual Wills and estoppel
Challenges to an estate, including to the action of executors and claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975
Challenges to the administration of trusts
Subpoenas, citations, caveats and subsequent actions, applications for accounts, removal of PRs and rule 64 applications
Retrospective claims for NHS Continuing Healthcare

Construction

Our Construction & Engineering team offers expert advice on procurement solutions and dispute resolution to clients in the private and public sectors.

What construction support do you need?

As an experienced property or dispute resolution practitioner or where you are representing developer or contractor clients, there may be times when you need dedicated assistance with construction or engineering related matters. Our specialist team can advise on all construction & engineering issues, whether relating to residential developments, commercial and industrial projects, student accommodation, funding due diligence, the supply and installation of plant or machinery, refurbishment works or any other construction operations.

How can BUCKLESconnect help?

At BUCKLESconnect we can:

Help drive the project forward from acquisition and planning, through the construction phase to disposal
Get the professional team in place to ensure buildability and allocation of design responsibility
Assist with early building contractor involvement
Prepare or review construction documentation for inclusion in tender packs or for negotiation – whether design & build, traditional, or partnering using standard industry forms or bespoke contracts for a particular project
Ensure adequate security is in place whether by way of guarantees, bonds and/or collateral warranties
Provide ongoing advice on contract interpretation and implementation

As part of our service, we also help to manage and resolve disputes by providing commercially focused advice using our Case Management process. Where formal dispute resolution is required, we ensure the most appropriate method is chosen, which may include:

Adjudication
Arbitration
Court proceedings in the TCC
Early neutral evaluation
Expert determination
Mediation
Pre-Action Protocol for construction & engineering disputes

French Law

Our in-house French team is able to provide bilingual assistance in relation to all aspects of French property and succession law, and more.

What French legal support do you need?

As an experienced lawyer, there may be times when you need assistance with the French legal system. Our experienced team provides expert advice on all aspects of French property law for individuals and property-owning companies.

Whether your client is non-French speaking or more familiar with France and its legal system, we provide bilingual advice from our offices in the UK. As well as dealing with French property, we can also advise on Wills, succession matters and assist with French litigation.

How can BUCKLESconnect help?

At BUCKLESconnect we can provide advice in the following areas:

Buying and selling a property in France
Transferring ownership of a French property
Administration of a French estate
Estate planning for property and assets in France
French Wills
Disputes and litigation in France
Gifting a French property
French marriage regimes and their impact on French property ownership
Cross border capacity: using LPAs and Deputyship Orders in France
UK resident minors inheriting or disposing of assets in France

Spanish Law

Our dual-qualified Spanish lawyers are able to provide bilingual assistance in relation to all aspects of Spanish property and succession law, and more.

What Spanish legal support do you need?

As an experienced lawyer, there may be times when you need assistance with the Spanish legal system. Our experienced team provides expert advice on all aspects of Spanish property law for individuals and property-owning companies.

Whether your client is non-Spanish speaking or more familiar with Spain and its legal system, we provide bilingual advice from our offices in the UK. As well as dealing with Spanish property, we can also advise on Wills, succession matters and assist with Spanish litigation.

How can BUCKLESconnect help?

At BUCKLESconnect we can provide advice in the following areas:

Buying and selling property in Spain
Transferring ownership of a Spanish property
Administration of an estate in Spain
Estate planning for property and assets in Spain
Spanish Wills
Spanish gift and inheritance tax advice
Powers of Attorney
Spanish immigration services; nationality, golden visas and other residence permits

How it works

Fee sharing

A great advantage of BUCKLESconnect is that members benefit from our competitive fee sharing arrangement. This is based on a percentage of our costs dependent on the area of the law. Any repeat instructions will also qualify for the same fee sharing arrangement.

Our payment terms are very simple – once your client has paid us, we pay you.

If you would prefer us to pass the referral fee on to your client in the form of a discount, we would be happy to discuss this with you.

Competitive fee arrangements

Services are offered on the same fee terms available to clients who instruct us direct, regardless of the fee share we offer you, ensuring value for money for your clients.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER

Membership is completely free of charge. If you wish to become a member, we will ask you to enter into our Membership Terms and Conditions which set out the requirements for referring Clients, the fee sharing arrangement together with regulatory obligations

Please contact us if you would like further information or for a copy of our Terms and Conditions please click here.

If you would like to receive more information about BUCKLESconnect, or would like to discuss becoming a member, please email bucklesconnect@buckles-law.co.uk or call us on 0330 123 4423 to speak to a member of our team.

Other services you may be interested in

Regulatory compliance

You may also be interested in our preferred supplier How Compliance, a specialist legal compliance firm offering important regulatory and compliance training and support.

Optimising your Will/LPA banks

Manging and optimising your Will/LPA bank can present a challenge, particularly where large numbers of documents are involved. Categorisation is a powerful tool to fine tune and target your services to specific situations your clients may face. Buckles is happy to share its best practices to help firms resolve these potential issues and to ensure the data can be used to effectively support their clients requirements now and in the future.

Advantages to categorising Will/LPA banks are:

Greater flexibility in organising data
Enable you to update old fashioned wording in documents
Minimise risk by updating documents in line with changes to the law
Reduce your professional indemnity premiums’

Meet the Team

Duncan Jackson

I became Buckles’ first ever CEO in April 2018, taking up the role after serving the firm for more than...

Greg McCusker

I am a Relationship Manager for BUCKLESconnect, a role dedicated to developing our support for members of the network which...

Testimonials

Anonymous, 2026

Thank you very much indeed for all your work on this matter. We have been very grateful for the pace at which you have driven this forward as this has allowed us to complete more quickly than would otherwise have been the case. We are also grateful for your explanations, as lay people it has been a huge learning curve for us all. I speak for all my sisters when I say we now feel much better informed should we need to go through the process again.

Damien Maltby, 2026

Over the last two years I have used Buckles Law for two significant matters in my life. Firstly, my divorce, during which I was supported by Lyn Brisley, who provided an excellent service and was a great help throughout. More recently, I have been represented by Amy Knowles in a child contact matter. These past two years have been some of the most stressful and emotionally challenging times I have ever faced. I was prevented from contacting my son and denied access without any legitimate reason. It was an incredibly painful period, and at times I truly felt hopeless. Amy changed that. She has worked tirelessly to achieve an outcome I honestly didn’t believe was possible. Her dedication, clarity, and professionalism have been outstanding. Amy gave me reassurance when I needed it most and helped me keep faith in the process even on the hardest days. She has always been honest, clear, and concise, offering impeccable advice and a realistic perspective at every step. What stood out most was Amy’s empathy and her ability to really listen. She understood the importance of what I was fighting for, and she approached everything with patience, compassion, and unwavering determination. I genuinely feel that she went above and beyond to support me, all while maintaining complete professionalism and impartiality. I sincerely hope that no one I know ever has to face what I have experienced. However, if they did, I would recommend Amy Knowles without hesitation. She is an absolute credit to her profession and to Buckles Law. In my opinion, Amy deserves recognition for the exceptional professionalism, care, and commitment she has shown throughout my case.

Anonymous, 2026

I would like to thank and commend Amy Knowles for the professional way she dealt with my daughters unfortunate circumstances. When I contacted Buckles Solicitors the staff were respectful and soon allocated the relevant solicitor to deal with my concerns re my daughter. My daughter suffers with her mental health and Amy dealt with the whole matter with empathy and respect for her condition. She listened to all our concerns and dealt with all the issues in a professional manner but at the same time made us both feel at ease. The letter that was sent to my daughters ex partner was excellent and covered all issues raised. A very polite, professional young lady. I would not hesitate to contact her again should the need arise.

Carolyn

I recently updated my Will with Buckles and saw Rebekkah Cooper. I always felt fully informed at all stages in the process of producing my new Will which involved detailed planning. Rebekkah has excellent communication skills, evident through meetings, phone calls, e mails and written feedback. The written feedback provided a very detailed record of items covered in meetings/phone calls, along with advice and action plans. I always felt that the production of my Will was a collaborative approach and Rebekkah always took my views and opinions on board. Rebekkah listened carefully to what I wanted to incorporate into my Will giving advice as the discussions continued. Rebekkah gave very good advice and I always felt confident in her decisions based on her excellent legal knowledge and expertise. I would highly recommend Rebekkah to anyone wishing to write a new Will or update an existing Will. She did an excellent job and I am extremely happy with my Will, it is exactly as I want it to be. Thank you Rebekkah.

Anonymous

Amy (Knowles) put me at ease from our first meeting, ensuring that I had legal guidance through an emotional and difficult situation. It felt like she was part of my support network.

Anonymous

We have been notified that our LPAs are now registered and I am emailing to thank you for your professional advice and guidance throughout this process. We both appreciate your care and attention.

Beckie Maclellan

Very helpful and quick service for our commercial tenancy. Knowledgeable and approachable, paid attention to detail and helped us through the process.

Anonymous

I couldn't have wished for a more friendly and supportive ally (or service). Mary was an excellent guide throughout the process involved with my flat sale and and gave me the confidence to stay unfazed by the twists and turns along the way. She showed exemplary understanding of the situation. Communication was also excellent. I would most definitely seek Mary's help again should the occasion arise.

Maria Muñoz

Lola Pacheco has been assisting me with regards to obtaining Spanish nationality. During the long and tedious process and despite all the obstacles faced, Lola has been professional, proactive, responsive, persistent, and thorough throughout. If it wasn’t for Lola’s help, I suspect that I would still be fighting to obtain my nationality. It was a real pleasure to work with Lola and I would highly recommend her without any hesitation.

Tracey Moore

When we’d decided to move to Spain in December 2022, we were advised that Lola Pacheco was the person we needed. Lola gave us confidence from the very beginning due to her helpful and efficient approach. Firstly, we want to see if we would be eligible for Non-Lucrative Visas in the first place. We asked Lola to prepare a short report on our situation, including finance, to see if we were eligible. She prepared a short summary for us, which was exactly what we wanted. Lola then guided us through the whole process of obtaining a Non-Lucrative Visa. Her project management skills were excellent and she understood our timelines. We needed to have Non-Lucrative visas by the beginning of December; they came through at the end of November, which was perfect for us. During the whole process, we had questions now and then, which Lola answered promptly. Lola made us feel like we were the only people she was dealing with, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.