Our Fees Legal Aid is available to some clients facing criminal and motoring allegations
REPRESENTATION AT THE POLICE STATION
Legal aid for advice and assistance when you are arrested or attend voluntarily at a police station for an interview under caution, is not means tested but is free to all.
Every person in this situation is entitled to free and independent legal advice, this is paid for by the Legal Aid Agency under the Police Station Advice and Assistance scheme.
REPRESENTATION AT THE MAGISTRATES COURT AND / OR CROWN COURT
Legal Aid is available for representation at court, but it is means and merit tested. If your income is over a certain level or if the offence is not regarded as serious enough, you may not qualify for legal aid. In these circumstances we can still represent you but on a privately funded basis.
We can agree a fixed fee with you for guilty pleas involving a single hearing or we can provide an estimate of our costs for matters that need to go for trial.
Fees for representation in Employment cases. Our hourly rate is £250 per hour for our Grade A solicitor who has
been qualified for over 34 years.
Assistance with Settlement Agreements These agreements can usually be concluded within 2 to 3 hours, our
usual fee would be £500 and in most cases the Employer will make a
contribution to the cost of you obtaining legal advice for such an
agreement.
Taking a case to the Employment Tribunal The cost of taking a case to the Tribunal can range from £5000 to
£15,000 depending on several variables: -
Whether you are bringing or defending a claim. Complexity of the case. If it involves any kind of discrimination claim. The number of witnesses and documents involved. Our fees will cover the key stages of a claim.
Taking your initial instructions, reviewing any papers and
advising on the merits of the case. Discussions with ACAS. Preparing your claim or response. Reviewing and advising on response from other party. Considering and negotiating possible settlement of the case. Interviewing witnesses and drafting statements. Preparing and exchanging bundles of documents. Preparing a schedule of loss (claimants). Instruction of Counsel. Preparation and attendance at final hearing. Disbursements These are costs payable to third parties, for example experts or
Counsel. Counsel’s fees vary according to their level of experience
and can range from £1000 to £3000 per day for any hearings. We will
of course obtain quotes in advance and discuss these with you before
incurring any costs on your behalf.
Timescale Claims that proceed to a tribunal hearing can take up to 10 months to
conclude depending on the complexity of the case. Straightforward
cases can conclude in a shorter time span. These are estimates.
Fees
for Representation in Private Motoring Cases Guilty Pleas Representation in the Magistrates Court on a guilty plea will cost
£800+
VAT (all references to VAT will be at the current standard rate of
20%).
This will be for one appearance in the Magistrates court, any
subsequent
appearances will incur an additional fee in line with our hourly
rates.
This fee will cover the initial consultation, correspondence,
telephone
calls, and obtaining the prosecution papers, considering those
papers
with you and representation at court.
Exceptional Hardship/ Special Reasons Exceptional Hardship/Special Reasons arguments attract a fee of
£1000+
VAT. This covers the initial consultation, obtaining the prosecution
papers, considering those papers with you, obtaining evidence to
support
your argument, and representation at court.
Trials Any matter that is listed for Trial will incur a fee between the
range
of £1500 - £3500 dependant upon the complexity of the case, location
of
the court dealing with the trial and the grade of fee earner working
on
the case. The work involved for a trial includes matters mentioned
above
plus preparation for trial, making written representations to the
prosecution and other liaison with them and the courts. We can agree
a
fixed fee in some cases, and this would be discussed at our initial
consultation with you.
Disbursements Disbursements may also be incurred, for example CCTV, experts reports
or
counsel fees. The costs of these fees are variable, and quotes will
be
obtained and provided to you before they are incurred.
The cost of CCTV discs starts at £80; Experts reports £500 to £1500,
and
Counsel’s fees range from £300 up to £1000 per day depending on the
level of experience.
Please note that most of these disbursements will incur VAT at the
presiding rate.
Time Estimate How long a case takes to go through the court system is dependent
upon
the courts, but a trial can be heard anywhere between 2 to 4 months
after the first appearance at court.
OUR HOURLY RATES
Senior Solicitors - £250 per hour
Associate Solicitors - £220 per hour
Legal Clerks - £150 per hour
We can also agree payment plans if you wish to spread your payments over a period rather than making a single lump sum payment.
Please contact Velma Ferdinand for an initial discussion as to how your case can be funded.
