Fees
Private Cases
Because we have a contract with the Legal Services Commission we can offer some legal services free of charge. You can find out more about legal aid here.
In most other cases we charge for our services.
Initial Consultation
We offer an initial or a one-off consultation where you can discuss your case with us and we advise you on the strengths and weaknesses of your case and the possible ways forward.
The standard fee for this consultation (which would not usually exceed one hour) is £145 plus VAT (a total of £170.38).
In cases involving personal injury/compensation claims where it appears someone else was at fault we will offer you an initial consultation free of charge.
Basis of our charges
In most matters our charges are based on the time spent by the solicitor or caseworker(s) in dealing with your case. This includes such things as the time spent with you discussing your case, considering the issues, reading and preparing documents, attending Court, obtaining medical or other expert reports, travelling, drafting letters and emails, and making and receiving telephone calls.
Hourly Rates and Disbursements
Our fees are based on the amount of time we spend working on your case. Our charge rate depends on who is dealing with your case and the type of case it is but will usually range from £100-200 per hour. At the beginning of the case we will explain and agree with you the rate for your case.
In addition we will charge you for ‘disbursements’. These are additional expenses we have to pay out such as travel costs, Court fees, Home Office fees, medical or other expert reports, courier fees.
All charges are exclusive of VAT.
Estimates
We will try to estimate the likely costs in your case at the beginning or as soon as possible. We can provide no guarantee that the final charge will not exceed the estimate particularly as there are many factors outside our control that affect the level of costs. It is often easier to estimate with greater accuracy the cost of a particular part of your case and we will do that where appropriate.
Pay as you Go and Bills
Before we begin working on your case we will ask for a payment to cover the work we are about to do. That money will be placed in our ‘Client Account’ and will be held there on your behalf.
At regular intervals we will send you a bill for the work we have undertaken. When that bill is sent to you we will use the money held in the Client Account to pay the bill. If there is not enough in the Client Account we will ask you for the balance, and also for a further sum to be held in the Client Account for the further work to be undertaken. If there is additional money in the client account we will hold it there on your behalf.
No Win no Fee
We are pleased that in some cases, particularly those involving compensation for accidents, we can offer what is known as a Conditional Fee Arrangement. This means that if we take on you claim we will make no charge for doing so. We will seek to recover all of our costs, including any payments to medical experts or court fees, from the other side and no deductions will be made from your compensation. We shall also take out insurance on your behalf to protect you against the risk of having to pay the legal costs should you be unsuccessful with your claim. We will pay the insurance premium on your behalf.
Fixed Fees
In some cases where the work we are going to do is clearly defined we can offer a fixed fee. Where we can offer a fixed fee the amount we will charge for doing the work will be agreed with you in advance.
Contentious Matters
If your case involves a dispute with someone else and you are successful you might be able to get the other side to pay some or all of your legal costs. The rules relating to this are quite complicated and if it is not clear you should ask the solicitor or caseworker to explain it fully.
On the other hand, if your case goes to court and you are not successful you might be ordered to pay some or all of the other side’s legal costs. These might be as much or even more than your own legal costs. This is usually something which has to be thought about very carefully and you will need to discuss it with your solicitor or caseworker.
Standing Orders
We are usually happy to have an arrangement whereby you spread out your costs and make your payments on account by way of a standing order to your bank to make regular payments into our Client Account.
Payments
Payments can be made by cheque, cash, debit/credit card or by way of on-line payments direct into our bank account.
Cheques should be made payable to Turpin & Miller.
Debit/credit card payments can be made in person at our office or by telephoning our Accounts Department.
If you wish to pay on-line we will provide you with the account details. It is very important that you provide your reference number when you make an on-line payment so that we can link the money we receive to your case.
Satisfaction
We are aware that the most common cause of problems between solicitors and clients arise from disagreements or misunderstandings about fees It is important that we not only give full information about our charges but also that we give clear information.
If at any stage you are dissatisfied you can take the matter up with the solicitor or caseworker responsible for your case. If the problem cannot be resolved there we ask that the matter be taken up with Clare Miller who is the Partner responsible for client care.
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