Before we meet, when we meet and fees:
Before we meet you will receive our Terms of Business and this will outline details of how the firm operates and details of our charges. Many of our charges are fixed so you will know what to expect. We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and are required to comply with their code of conduct.
At the initial meeting you will be expected to provide identification, usually your passport or driving licence, and a utility account not less than three months old. This is a legal requirement under the money laundering rules which were introduced in March 2004 and as amended by subsequent EU Directives.
The costs for our initial meeting will be included in the fee for any work that is covered by our fee sheets. For other matters or work which does not proceed then our charge will be based on the time spent on the matter in accordance with our hourly rates detailed in our Terms of Business.
The following pages give details of our fees in relation to the various types of work that are dealt with by the office and are provided so that you have a good idea of what is involved and what you will be charged.
However some matters do not fit into a box and the hourly rate has to be charged. Consideration is given to the following when charging hourly:
- You will be given a chance to decide how much you want to spend on a matter
- We will give you an idea of what we can do for that amount
- We will advise whether it is worth pursuing a matter that is 'open ended'
- A record will be kept of the time spent and what it is spent on and you can ask for a copy of this record if you are unsatisfied with the final amount
- You will be given an opportunity to pay that bill by monthly, quarterly or six monthly instalments, with a final bill rendered setting out what was done
- We will always be prepared to discuss fees before, during and at the end of a matter
- How we work together and what are our responsibilities - and yours - are discussed at the first interview.