It arrived mid-morning. Nothing unusual - the same type of package as every parcel we have received before: tracked delivery, properly packaged, correctly addressed.
Our office manager took it, signed for it, and opened it.
Imagine the confusion when we found out that it was One Single Potato.
No covering letter.
No note.
No explanation.
Not marked for the attention of any particular solicitor.
Just one potato. There was a pause - I dare say a very long pause - and you could almost hear the collective brain of the office engage in an investigation into one single potato.
As a busy UK law firm handling property transactions, conveyancing matters, and client enquiries daily, we receive all sorts in the post - contracts, deeds, ID documents, signed transfer forms, and occasionally a bundle secured with an impressive amount of tape.
But this is the first time we have opened a parcel to find a solitary root vegetable staring back at us.
And so the investigation began - as Sherlock Holmes would say, “The game is on.”
Was this symbolic?
Was it a coded message?
Was it evidence?
Was it… organic payment on account?
All those questions were asked by everyone in the office. We considered induction - perhaps this was part of a wider pattern. Had anyone else received agricultural produce recently? Had we missed something?
But, unfortunately, even the sharpest legal reasoning has its limits.
Without context, a potato remains - legally speaking - just a potato.
Why Clear Instructions Matter in Legal Practice
Behind the humour sits something important: clear instructions about what you want and the goal you are trying to achieve really matter when dealing with solicitors and legal practice.
In conveyancing and wider legal practice (wills, trusts, LPAs, litigation, divorce, etc.), clarity is everything.
A solicitor cannot:
• Act without clear authority
• Guess a client’s objectives
• Infer legal instructions from silence
• And, last but not least, interpret agricultural produce
A potato - however thoughtfully packaged - does not tell us:
• Whether you are buying, selling, or remortgaging
• Whether there is a property dispute to resolve
• Whether there is urgency
• Whether funds are being sent on account
• Whether you need to update your will or are in need of a Lasting Power of Attorney
• Whether an estate is being administered
• Whether a will is being challenged and it is a contentious probate dispute requiring immediate action
• Or whether we are simply being encouraged to improve our diet
Without context, we cannot act.
A Brief (and Necessary) Note on Client Account Payments
For completeness, we did briefly consider whether this might constitute money on account from an agricultural client.
Regrettably, our client account can only accept pound sterling.
Whilst we are open to many forms of communication, root vegetables do not currently fall within the Solicitors Accounts Rules.
And the important takeaway is this: clear communication protects you.
Clear instructions allow a solicitor to:
• Protect your legal position
• Progress your conveyancing transaction efficiently
• Avoid delay and misunderstanding
• Deliver the outcome you actually want
Ambiguity creates risk.
Assumptions create delay.
Unclear communication costs time - and sometimes money.
Whether you are buying or selling a property, planning your estate, navigating a family change, managing a business matter, or resolving a dispute, clear instructions allow us to protect your position and move things forward without unnecessary delay.
If the sender of our recent agricultural delivery happens to be reading this, we would genuinely invite you to get in touch to clarify your instructions.
We stand ready to assist.
We will simply need slightly more information than a potato.
Get in touch now - complete this form.
Alternatively, you can visit our offices in Bexley, Pembury, Hailsham, Chatham and Walderslade, drop us an email, or call us.
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