A large and growing number of our clients pay us directly for the legal advice we provide them. In all cases we take great care in assessing client needs and we will advise you from the outset as to the likely cost. We will keep you informed of progress throughout your case and let you know immediately if we have to revise the estimate of costs that we have given you. We will bill you at regular intervals so that you can track the costs that are being incurred on your behalf and we have a number of options for making payment, including the use of credit cards.
Legal advice can seem very expensive but we are confident that our team of leading experts provides great value for the costs incurred.
In some areas of family, we can act on legal aid, which means that the cost of your case is wholly or partly paid for from public funds. Legal aid is only available to those with limited means and with the approval of the Legal Aid Agency (the government body which runs the scheme). However, different rules apply for care cases. Your solicitor will explain how the Legal Aid schemes work and whether you are eligible.
Legal Aid funding is automatically available for:
· Care & Supervision Proceedings
· Emergency Protection Order Proceedings
· Public Law Outline (PLO) Proceedings
Legal Aid funding is available (subject to merits assessment) for:
· Adoption Proceedings
Legal Aid funding is available (subject to financial/merits assessment) for:
· Non-Molestation Orders
· Occupation Orders
· Discharge of care order/Contact in care proceedings
· Special Guardianship
Private Law Orders such as Child Arrangements (who the child(ren) may spend time with or live with) if there is evidence of domestic abuse or child abuse (known as gateway evidence)
If you have been the victim of domestic abuse by the other parent/relative, you should qualify for legal aid, subject to being able to provide satisfactory evidence of the same. There is no longer a time limit on when such domestic abuse occurred. Below is a list of the most common examples of gateway evidence that the Legal Aid Agency will accept:
1. Protective injunction such as Non-Molestation Order, Restraining Order or Undertakings.
2. Letter from an independent domestic abuse or sexual violence organisation such as Refuge or Woman’s Aid.
3. Letter from a health professional, such as your GP confirming that they have examined you and assessed your injuries/ psychological stress as being consistent with domestic abuse (this can now be from an online assessment)
4. Letter from an expert service such as; CAFCASS.
5. Letter from a multi-agency such as; police, social services, health visitor, MARAC
6. Police caution (for the proposed respondent) for domestic violence or criminal proceedings which have not yet concluded or criminal conviction for domestic violence or police bail for domestic violence.
Child Protection
If there has been no history of domestic abuse but there has been a history of child abuse concerns, involving the other parent/relative, you should qualify for legal aid, subject to being able to provide satisfactory evidence of the same.
Below is a list of the most common examples of gateway evidence that the Legal Aid Agency will accept:
1. Children services letter confirming Child Protection Plan/risk of abuse
2. Prohibited steps order
3. Formal caution letter from the police
4. Arrest for child abuse
5. An unspent or spent conviction for child abuse
The above evidence is guidance only. Should you have other forms of evidence not listed, please call us and we would be happy to discuss this with you, along with all other evidential requirements.
For cases which are dealt with in the Magistrates’ Court, we charge on the following basis.
Please note if you have been charged with a driving offence that can be dealt with in the Crown Court (an either way or indictable offence), the charging structure set out below does not apply.
We usually charge for the work carried out on a case on an hourly rate, and according to the number of hours worked on the case.
The hourly rate charged varies according to the complexity of the case and the seniority of the solicitor handling it. Our hourly rates generally range from £200- £230 per hour for a solicitor, £280- £295 per hour for an associate solicitor to £325 per hour for a partner.
We usually work on an hourly rate basis to provide advice about evidence and plea and sentence, and the prospects of a successful exceptional hardship or special reasons finding to avoid disqualification, preparing the case including considering prosecution evidence, obtaining defence evidence and representation at court. The number of hours involved in any case will depend on a number of factors, the most important being intended plea, the amount of evidence to consider, the time spent attending you and advising you, and any witnesses (including experts), the time spent drafting documents and the time spent at court.
There are a range of possible charges just as there are many different types of driving offences. In general, for simple, single hearing cases (usually guilty pleas) fees would generally be between £1500 to £5000. That would typically include:
1. Routine correspondence with you
2. Perusal of a prosecution evidence
3. Advising you on the strength of the evidence, plea
4. Taking your instructions
5. Representing you at one hearing
6. Typically, single hearing cases end on the day of the first hearing
There are many variables for more complex or longer cases that go to trial or have multiple hearings.
We will provide an estimate when we have the necessary information about the type of charge, volume and nature of evidence, intended plea, and circumstances that gave rise to the allegation. When we have more information about the nature of the case, we will also be able to provide further details about timescales.
If you ask us to instruct a barrister to represent you at court the barrister’s fees will be charged in addition to our fees. We will notify you in advance what those fees will be. For low level driving offences barrister’s fees generally range from between £500 and £5000 plus VAT but much will depend on the nature of the case and the seniority of the barrister.
In some cases, an expert witness will need to be instructed. The expert’s fees will be in addition to this firm’s fees. Again, we will let you know what those fees will be in advance. These generally range from between £1000 and £4000 plus VAT.
You may be responsible for additional costs that are incurred by us on your behalf from another organisation. In addition to barrister and expert fees as referred to above, this could include interpreter/translation costs, travel costs if we have to travel outside our office on your behalf, and courier costs. Whether or not disbursements will be incurred on your behalf will depend on the nature of the case.
You will be kept appraised of your costs throughout your case.
Value Added Tax (VAT) is required to be added to our fees and all disbursements. This applies if your usual place of residence is the UK. Details of the current rate of VAT which will be applied. If you are not resident in the UK, you are not liable to pay VAT.
Our charges range from £175 per hour to £350 per hour (plus VAT), depending on the seniority of the solicitor dealing with your case. In some limited cases we can offer a fixed fee once we have reviewed your circumstances. This means that we will charge you a fixed amount, even if the work on your matter takes longer than anticipated, provided that there are no unforeseen complications or significant changes to your instructions.
All fees quoted are estimates and are dependant on the particular circumstances of your case.
We normally estimate for two to three hours to review your paperwork and have an initial consultation at which we can then give you some initial advice and an estimate of the likely costs for your entire case. This initial work will be charged at the solicitor’s hourly rate.
In some limited cases once we have reviewed your situation, we will be able to fix the costs of your case. This means that we will charge you a fixed fee for your case, even if the work on your application takes longer than anticipated, provided that there are no unforeseen complications or significant changes to your instructions. Cases where we may be able to offer a fixed fee include:
· Settlement Agreements;
· One-off advice on a particular employment matter;
· Grievance or appeal document drafting based on clear and concise instructions.
Given the nature of the work involved, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer a fixed fee for cases that are likely to proceed to a hearing at the Employment Tribunal or court.
The fixed fee will not include any disbursements, such as court fees or VAT, or Counsel’s fees.
If the matter is terminated before completion (for example if you are unable to provide documents requested or you withdraw your instructions) we will charge for the time already spent at our usual hourly rates. Any additional work required outside the scope of the fixed fee will be charged on an hourly basis unless otherwise agreed. If such work is required, we will inform you and provide an estimate.
Value Added Tax (VAT) is required to be added to our fees and all disbursements. This applies if your usual place of residence is the UK. Details of the current rate of VAT which will be applied. If you are not resident in the UK, you are not liable to pay VAT.
You may be responsible for additional costs that are incurred by us on your behalf from another organisation. These are called ‘disbursements’. Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, for example barrister or expert fees. We will let you know in advance of any costs being incurred.
Where your matter proceeds to an Employment Tribunal or Court, Counsel’s fees will also be incurred for preparation and attendance at the hearing. These depend on the experience of the advocate.
Travel costs may be incurred if we travel outside the office on your behalf to a Tribunal and/or Court, depending on whether you want us to also be in attendance with Counsel.
It is very difficult to estimate the total costs for bringing and defending claims for unfair or wrongful dismissal as this can vary greatly depending on the complexity of the case. In our experience the total cost for these claims range upwards of £15,000 (excluding VAT and disbursements).
Following an initial consultation and review of any paperwork that you have relating to your case, we will be able to provide you with a detailed estimate of how much your particular case is likely to cost.
Factors that could make a case more complex and therefore do not fall within the price band above:
· If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim;
· Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person;
· Making or defending a costs application;
· Complex preliminary issues for example whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties);
· The number of witnesses and documents;
· If it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer;
· Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal;
· A stand-alone discrimination claim such as harassment/victimisation
For the more complex cases that have the above factors, we will provide a separate fee quote.
There will also be an additional charge if the solicitor is required to attend a Tribunal Hearing. This will be charged at the solicitor’s hourly rate (plus VAT) unless otherwise agreed.
The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
· Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation (this will be revisited throughout the matter and subject to change);
· Entering into pre-claim conciliation as this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached;
· Preparing claim or response;
· Reviewing and advising on a claim or response from another party;
· Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process;
· Preparing or considering a schedule of loss;
· Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing;
· Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents;
· Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses;
· Preparing bundle of documents;
· Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements;
· Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list; and
· Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel
The stages set out above are merely an indication. Some of stages above may not be required depending on your circumstances and there may be additional stages which are unique to your own circumstances.
You may wish to handle aspects of the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged depending on your individual needs.
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the particular details of your case and the stage at which your case is resolved. There are some matters outside of our control which may impact the time that your case takes to be resolved, such as how long it takes for your case to be listed by the court or Tribunal.
Where it proceeds to a full hearing at the Employment Tribunal, it is estimated that an unfair or wrongful dismissal case will cost at least £15,000 (excluding VAT & disbursements) to reach resolution. However, this is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.
Our fees reflect and depend on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to:
· whether you are already living in the UK or are abroad,
· any previous immigration history,
· the amount of supporting evidence we have to consider,
· the urgency of your case,
· whether you are able to provide the documents necessary for your application speedily,
· the complexity of your case and
· Home Office processing times, which vary greatly according to the type of application
All fees ranges below are estimates and our actual fees will depend on the particular circumstances of your case. The ranges below are for guidance purposes.
Our hourly rates range from £150 per hour to £325 per hour, depending on the seniority of the person dealing with your case. We can also offer fixed fees for certain applications, once we have reviewed the position and circumstances.
Our fees will not include any disbursements, such as Home Office fees, and are exclusive of Value-Added Tax (VAT). If a matter is terminated before completion (for example if you are unable to provide documents requested or you withdraw your instructions) we will charge for the time spent at our usual hourly rates. Any additional work required outside the scope of any fixed fee will be charged on an hourly basis unless otherwise agreed. If such work is required, we will inform you and provide an estimate.
We normally charge 2-4 hours for an initial consultation including written follow-up advice, after which we then can give you an estimate for your case, or a fixed fee as appropriate.
In many cases, once we have initially reviewed the position and your situation, we can offer a fixed fee. This means that we may be able to charge you a fixed
amount if there are no unforeseen complications or significant changes to your instructions.
We can provide a matter-specific estimate of our legal fees before commencing any instruction, based on the expected amount of work and our hourly rates.
The quotation will take into account the particular circumstances of the work to be undertaken, whether it is an initial or extension application, the estimated complexity of the matter, the type of matter, the number of applicants involved, and other relevant factors.
We set out below a range of our likely charges:
· Consultations – between 2-4 hours at the relevant hourly rate
· Visitor visa – £1,500 – £6,000
· Student visa – £2,000 – £3,500
· Family visa, such as a fiancé, spouse, partner (civil or unmarried), child, adult dependant relative – £1,500 – £7,500
· Settlement applications – £1,500 – £7,500
· Long Residence/Private Life applications – £1,800 – £7,500
· Naturalisation or Registration as a British citizen applications – £1,000 – £5,000
· Sponsor Licence Applications – £4,000 – £12,000
· Skilled Worker /Senior or Specialist Worker Visa – £1,250 – £4,500
· Innovator visa – £5,000 – £15,000
· Start up visa – £5,000 – £15,000
· Scale up visa – £5,000 – £10,000
· Investor visa – £5,000 – £20,000
· Entrepreneur or Representative of an Overseas Business extension visa – £3,000 -£10,000
· Expansion Worker licence and visa – £4,000 – £6,000
· Global Talent Visa – £3,500 – £12,000
· Creative Worker visa – £1,500 – £3,000
· Graduate Visa – £1,500 – £3,500
· High Potential Individual visa – £2,000 – £3,500
· Administrative Review – £3,000 – £5,000
· Advice and representation at the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in relation to appeals against Home Office visa or immigration decisions – £4,000 – £30,000
We cannot change the Home Office fees or other fees associated with the submission of an application.
Value-Added Tax (VAT) will usually be added to our fees and some disbursements. This applies if your usual place of residence is the UK, including if you had permission to stay in the UK but overstayed. If you are not resident in the UK, or you entered the country without permission or as an asylum seeker and do not yet have permission to stay, you are not normally liable to pay VAT.
In addition to our costs, you will be responsible for paying costs payable to another organisation which are incurred by us on your behalf, such as, and not necessarily limited to:
· Home Office application fees,
· the Immigration Health Surcharge (if applicable),
· Tribunal and Court fees,
· barristers’ fees,
· expert report fees,
· interpreter/translation costs,
· our travel costs (if we have to travel outside our office on your behalf, for example to a Tribunal hearing or to the Home Office) and
· courier costs
Home Office fees For information on the Home Office fees please see here. For information on the Immigration Health Surcharge see here.
Tribunal appeal fees For information on Tribunal appeal fees see here.