+44 (0)20 8572 9867
info@bhogalpartners.co.uk

Our Pricing

The prices listed below are for guidance only. We will give you an accurate quote reflecting the complexity and urgency of your case in advance of any work undertaken.

All Prices are subject to VAT @ 20%

Motoring Offences (Summary Offences)

Our charges:

Our overall fees vary depending upon how complex your case is and what you would like us to do. For a free quote specifically tailored to your circumstances please call on 02085729867. We would be more than happy to discuss your case.

To give you an idea of how we charge however, and to comply the SRA price transparency rules, we have set out below details of our typical charges.

Our charges are made up of:

  1. our fees for the legal work; and
  2. ‘disbursements’ – disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to other people, such as fees for bailiffs. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Where VAT is referred to below please note that this will be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.

Our fees

Our fees will either be agreed with you as a fixed sum at the start of your case or based on how much time it takes to deal with your case.

Hourly rate work

If we charge you based on an hourly rate, please note that our standard hourly rates are:

  1. Partners £300 per hour plus VAT
  2. Solicitor with over 4 years’ experience £265 plus VAT
  3. Solicitors with less than 4 years’ experience £225 plus VAT
  4. Trainee solicitor and paralegals £165 per hour plus VAT

Fixed fee work

Ordinarily however, we charge for summary only motoring offences on an hourly basis. In simple cases involving the following motoring offences to which you plead guilty to, our fees would range from:

  • drink driving: £800 – £1500 plus VAT;
  • speeding: £800 – £1200 plus VAT;
  • using a mobile phone while driving: £800 – £1200 plus VAT;
  • any additional fees as relevant.

Legal aid is not normally available for these types of cases and so clients typically pay these fees themselves. If you are likely to be eligible for legal aid funding, we may be able to refer you to another firm, but we as Bhogal Partners do not deal with legal aid work.

Our fee includes:

  • Up to 3 hours of support to you including:
    • Discussing what happened with you;
    • Reviewing the evidence in the case;
    • Giving you advice on the possible outcomes in your case;
    • Giving you advice on how to best mitigate your circumstances;
  • Attending and representing you at one hearing at a Magistrates Court local to us. This would be one of our staff members – not by an external barrister, sometimes known as ‘Counsel’.

It will not always be possible to help people in drink driving cases for this fee as some cases are more complicated. For example, this fee does not include additional work which might be needed in more complicated or contested cases such as:

  • The cost of instructing an expert witness;
  • Taking statements from witnesses;
  • Advising on or assisting with a ‘special reasons’ hearing;
  • Advising or assisting with any appeal.

If you contact us, we can you give you a quote for your particular case.

Other costs to consider

The costs set out above do not include:

  • any fines or costs you become liable for as a result of the offence committed;
  • appeal costs;
  • the cost of taking witness statements, which are charged at an additional rate of our hourly rate;
  • obtaining expert witness evidence if required;
  • disbursements

Disbursements

If a barrister is required to be instructed in your matter, we shall provide you with a quotation for their services. These fees will be discussed with you before instructing the barrister, so you are fully aware of the fees being charged.

Depending on the experience of the barrister and their expertise, in our experience, the initial fee known as a brief fee will be in the region of £750 – £2500 plus VAT. There will be further fees required should the matter proceed further. This fee is likely to include the barrister representing you at hearing and their travel. You may incur further additional charges such as travel costs for us to attend meetings and hearings. This will be informed to you in advance.

If you require a more experienced barrister, the costs are likely to be more.

Should there be a need to require a medical report or other expert fees, on some occasions this may be required, a cost of these reports range from £1000 – £2000 plus VAT.

Key stages of your case

The fee above is intended to cover all of the key stages of a summary motoring offence case:

  • Meeting with your and finding out what happened;
  • Advice on your case;
  • Considering initial disclosure and evidence in your case;
  • If necessary, taking witness statements (which carry an additional cost of our hourly rate)
  • Explaining the procedure and next steps to you;
  • Attending Court with you;
  • Helping you understand the outcome of the case and your options for appeal if appropriate (appeal costs are separate).

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

How long will my case take?

Generally speaking, cases of this nature are not made up of a lot of different stages and are concluded on the day of your Magistrates Court hearing. The Magistrates Court date is normally set by the Police after your arrest or in the Court summons so hopefully you are aware of when your case will be concluded. If we are working together and you are not sure of your Court date, please just ask us and we would be very happy to confirm.

Who will be dealing with my case?

Your case will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced team who are, generally speaking, qualified as a solicitor specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you, we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications.  Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team are available on our website including the types of work normally undertaken.

Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by one of our partners.

Probate (Uncontested)

Applying for the grant of representation, collecting and distributing the assets

We anticipate this will take between 10 and 20 hours’ work at an average of £265 + VAT per hour, depending on the complexity of your case and who works on it. Our legal costs are estimated to be between £3,000 and £6,500 +VAT. Alternatively, we may charge based on a percentage value of the net estate, such as 1.5% of the net estate.

No two estates are the same; the exact cost will depend on the individual circumstances of your matter. An estate in which there is only one beneficiary and there is no property would incur costs at the lower end of the scale. However, if there are several beneficiaries, property, bank accounts and other assets, the costs would be at the higher end of the scale.

In each circumstance, we would prefer to talk to you about what you need us to do and then we can agree on what work we would carry out and what would be required of you. In this way we can look at setting out a clear and informed budget from the outset. Of course, events may take place during the administration of the estate and adjustments to the work that may subsequently be required, and additional fees, would be discussed with you. At all times we would aim to administer the estate in accordance with your instructions.

The estimated legal fees (above) are for estates where:

  • There is a valid will
  • There are no unusual funeral requests in the will
  • The personal representative(s) are willing and able to act in the administration of the estate
  • There are no claims against the estate by relatives, creditors or others and no caveats lodged at the Court
  • There is no more than one property
  • There are no more than 4 bank or building society accounts
  • There are no shareholdings (stocks and bonds) in the estate
  • There are no other intangible assets
  • There are no more than 6 beneficiaries
  • There are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of assets. If disputes arise this is likely to lead to an increase in costs
  • There is no inheritance tax payable and the executors do not need to submit a full account to HMRC
  • If your case is more complex than the above example, we can give you a more accurate estimate of these costs once we have more information
  • The estate is solvent

If the scope of the work required is beyond what is listed above, we would seek to provide you with an estimate after you have provided more information to us.

Some additional likely estimates of expenses (for all estates):

  • Probate application fee of £273 plus £1,50 per copy for any additional copies of the grant of representation required
  • Around £92 for placing an advert in The Gazette and additional fees for a local newspaper
  • Between £350 -£550 for property valuation fees

These additional expenses are costs related to your matter that may be payable to third parties, such as court and any expert fees, as required.

Dealing with the sale or transfer of any property in the estate is not included but we do offer a Conveyancing service and so can help you with this.

Time frames

On average, estates that fall within the above range are dealt with within 6 months, subject to submitting inheritance papers to HMRC. Typically, obtaining the grant of representation takes 12-20 weeks from obtaining approval from HMRC as to the estate’s inheritance tax status.

Collecting in the majority of the assets (i.e. closing bank accounts and selling shares) generally takes up to 12 weeks after the obtaining grant of representation.

After all the liabilities of the estate have been paid and any cash legacies distributed (provided we are not awaiting any clearance from HMRC, we are usually in a position to distribute the estate within 10-15 weeks of collecting in the assets of the estate.

Immigration

Our Charges

Our overall fees vary depending upon how complex your case is and you would like us to do. For a free quote specifically tailored to your circumstances please call 02085729867. We would be more than happy to discuss your case.

To give you an idea on how we charge and to comply with the SRA transparency rules, we have set out below details of our typical hourly rates and fees.

Our charges are made up of:

  • Our fees for the legal work; and
  • ‘Disbursements’ – disbursements are costs related to your matter which are payable to third parties such as barristers’ fees, home office fees, experts fee etc. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf, to ensure a smoother process.

Where VAT is referred to below, please note that this be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.

Our fees

Our fees will either be agreed with you as a fixed sum at the start of your case or based on how much time it takes to deal with your case.

If we charge you based on an hourly rate, please note that our standard hourly rates are:

  1. Partners £300 per hour plus VAT
  2. Solicitor with over 4 years’ experience £265 plus VAT
  3. Solicitors with less than 4 years’ experience £225 plus VAT
  4. Trainee solicitor and paralegals £165 per hour plus VAT

Fixed fees would typically fall within these ball park estimates also.

On average, an immigration application takes between 4-12hours to complete depending on the complexity on the matter. This means that on average costs are between £660 to £3600 plus VAT.

The exact time spent, and fees charged will depend on the circumstances in your case. Such as:

  • how straightforward your case is in terms of the law;
  • whether it is necessary to appeal;
  • the amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider;
  • which language(s) you speak;
  • whether you are applying with other dependants.

If you are able to provide enough evidence early on in the case and it is obvious that you meet the legal tests for your immigration application then the cost is likely to be at the lower end of the price range given above. If the case is more complex and proceeds to an appeal then the costs of your case will likely exceed this price range.

Service/Applications 

  • Initial consultation (up to 15 minutes)- No charge

British Citizenship

  • Adult Naturalisation or Child Registration (under 18)- £600- £1,000
  • British Overseas- £800- £1,200
  • UK born stateless person- £1,200- £1,500

Leave to remain as a Partner or Parent

  • UK in-country- £1,500- £1,800
  • Abroad- Entry Clearance- £1,500- £1,800

Leave to remain under other categories

  • Family or private life route- £1,200- £1,500
  • Child of a person who is settled in the UK/has limited leave to remain- £1,200- £1,500
  • UK born stateless person (not eligible for British nationality)- £1,200- £1,500
  • Outside the immigration rules applications- £1,500- £1,800
  • Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa- £4,000- £5,000
  • Tier 2 (General) visa- £1,500- £2,000

Entry Clearance under other categories

  • UK visitor visa- £1,000-£1,500
  • Adult Dependant Relative- £1,500- £1,800
  • Returning Resident (who has indefinite leave to remain in the UK)- £1,200- £1,500
  • Child of a person who is settled in the UK/has limited leave to remain- £1,200- £1,500

Indefinite leave to remain

  • Partner or Parent (5-year route)- £1,200- £1,500
  • 10 years’ long residence- £1,500- £1,800
  • Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) visa- £1,500- £1,800
  • Tier 2 (General) Migrant visa- £1,500- £1,800

*Attendance at a one-day Premium Service appointment at the Home Office (based on eligibility) – £500 plus travel expenses

EEA Applications

  • Unmarried Partner of an EEA national- £1,200- £1,500
  • Spouse of an EEA national- £1,200- £1,500
  • Retained rights of residence- £1,400- £1,600
  • Registration Certificate as an EEA national- £1,000- £1,200
  • Permanent residence for EEA/Non-EEA nationals- £1,500- £1,800

Appeals

  • Lodging initial grounds of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal- £600
  • Representation at the First-tier Tribunal- £1,500- £2,000
  • Lodging grounds to the Upper Tribunal- £600
  • Representation to the Upper Tribunal- £1,000-£1,500
  • Representation at Case Management Review Hearing- 600

Judicial Review

  • Lodging a Judicial Review claim at the Upper Tribunal- £2,500- £,3,500
  • Representation at a Judicial Review Permission Hearing at the Upper Tribunal- £1,000- £1,500
  • Lodging a Judicial Review claim at the High Court- £1,200- £1,500
  • Representation at a Judicial Review Permission Hearing at the High Court- £1,500- £2,000
  • Judicial Review Injunction to prevent removal directions- £1,500- £2,000

Other Applications

  • Temporary Admission request- £600
  • Bail application to the First-tier Tribunal- £1,000
  • Representation at a bail hearing- £600
  • Deportation appeal- £1,500- £2,000
  • Administrative review- £800- £1,200

Disbursements

You will need to pay for ‘disbursements’ in addition to our costs as described above. In an immigration matter the most common disbursements tend to relate to counsels’ fees. This is in addition to our fees as set out above. It is difficult to estimate what overall counsel’s fees would be without knowing about the detail of your case. Please contact us for more information.

In most cases we do not need to instruct a barrister (specialists in attending and arguing at Court) on your behalf. If a barrister is needed then the hourly rate is likely to be depending on the experience of the barrister. Immigration applications will normally require between 3-6 hours of the Barrister’s time (if applicable), depending on the complexity of your case.

The typical disbursement for the need to require a barrister will include;

  • Representation at Court, this will include; briefing the barrister, CMR, First-tier Tribunal hearings and Upper Tribunal hearings. If a barrister is required to be instructed in your matter, we shall obtain the barristers fees, and these will thereafter be discussed and finalised before instructing the barrister on the matter, and fees will be updated along the way. Typical range will be in the region of £350 – £2500 plus VAT.
  • There are further fees such as skeleton arguments and grounds of appeal, which can typically range from £450 – £1500 plus VAT.

If you require a very experienced barrister, then the cost is likely to be more. You may also incur additional charges such as travel costs for us to attend meetings and hearings.

If there is an interview with the immigration authorities and you ask us to attend with you, there will be further disbursements for our travel costs.

Other costs to consider

The costs quoted here do not include:

  • The Home Office fees regularly change, and the link for this can be found: Home Office fees for making an immigration application;
  • Interpreter fees – you will be responsible for the costs at the interpreter’s hourly rate. Our firm has no control or input into setting interpreters’ fees, which may change from time to time. A typical hourly rate for interpreting to and/or from English to the required language range £50 – £75 + VAT plus any travel costs if required. The number of hours an interpreter may need to work to provide their services will vary on the complexity of the case.
  • Advice and assistance in relation to any appeal if your application is refused. This rate will depend on the amount of work required; however standard grounds can vary from £500 – £1000. A complex matter, there may be further fees;
  • Medical report/expert report –we do not usually incur costs of preparing medical/expert report for every application, but should these fees incur, we will let you know in advance. These fees can range from £500 – £2800.

Key stages of your case

The examples of typical costs above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages an immigration application:

  • discussing your circumstances and options throughout the process;
  • giving you advice about the requirements of the Immigration Rules and whether you meet the criteria;
  • if you do not fulfil certain criteria, whether this can be overcome and how;
  • considering the supporting evidence, you have provided;
  • where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;
  • preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf;
  • giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

How long will my case take?

Unfortunately, we do not have control over how long the Home Office take to process applications. However, you can view the current processing times online.

In terms of submitting your application to the Home Office we can normally achieve this within 1-4 weeks of you instructing us, again depending on the complexity of the matter and whether there are any timeframes or deadlines to comply with.

Who will be dealing with my case?

Your case will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced team. We have a number of qualified lawyers in the team as well as experienced trainees specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you, we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications.  Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team are available on our website including the types of work normally undertaken.

Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by one of our partners.

Conveyancing

Our charges: buying and selling residential property

How much do we charge?

You can find full details of how we calculate our conveyancing charges below. For a quote specifically tailored to your case please give us a call on 02085729867 and we can give you a quote.

Our charges are made up of:

  1. our fees for the legal work;
  2. ‘disbursements’ – disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to other people, such as Land Registry fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process; and
  3. for property purchases, Stamp Duty Land Tax (see below).

Where VAT is referred to below, please note that this will be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.

Our fees

Our fees for selling and buying a property are fixed and are based on a number of factors including the value of your property. The range of fees are listed below:

Property price                                     

(For Sale and Purchase)

Up to £250,000 £750.00 – £900.00
£750.00 – £900.00£950.00 – £1200.00
£500,000 to £750,000£1200.00 – £1350.00
£750,000 to One Million£1500.00 – £2000.00
Transfer of Equity£450.00 – £650.00
Re-Mortgage/Mortgage£750.00 – £900.00
Transfer and Re-Mortgage£850.00 – £950.00

The appropriate fee within the above ranges will depend on a number of circumstances including;

  • Whether the property is Leasehold and/or share of Freehold;
  • Whether the property is a new build;
  • Whether there is a defect in title or indemnity insurance is required;
  • Whether there is a service charge payable on a Freehold property/and or a resident’s company;
  • Whether there is more than one seller;
  • Whether there is more than one mortgage to be redeemed;
  • Whether a mortgage company or lender is separately represented;
  • Whether the title is unregistered;
  • Whether a Licence to assign is required;
  • Whether the property is comprised within a single title or not.

If you are buying and selling a property then a charge would be made for both the sale and the purchase.

Please note that VAT of 20% is also charged on all of our fees or legal work.

If at any point during the transaction, money needs to be sent by telegraphic transfer, we charge a fee of £25 excluding VAT.

If you are buying a property, we will complete the HMRC stamp duty form on your behalf and submit it at the completion of the transaction. For this we charge a fee of £50 excluding VAT.

Disbursements

The ‘disbursements’ which you pay will depend upon; whether you are buying or selling property or both, whether you are buying a freehold or leasehold property and the location and type of property concerned. Properties in certain locations for example need more searches and checks than others.

Normally, all clients who are buying a ‘freehold’ property will need to pay the following disbursements:

  • Search fees £500 excluding VAT (this is an estimate and depends on the property being purchased);
  • HM Land Registry fee £TBC. This depends on the purchase price and the HMLR fee scale applies;
  • Land Charges Search £2 per name;
  • Land Registry Search £3.90 (however this is subject to renewal until registration is complete) per title number.

Depending upon the type of property you are buying and where it is located you may also need to pay:

  • Management company fees/costs.

When selling a property, you will ordinarily need to pay the following disbursements:

  • Land Registry Office Copy Entries and Title Plan £7.80 per title number.

If the property is a ‘leasehold’ property then the disbursements will be different and normally consist of:

  • Notice of Transfer fee – This fee if chargeable is set out in the lease. The fee varies.
  • Notice of Charge fee (if the property is to be mortgaged) – This fee is set out in the lease. The fee varies.
  • Deed of Covenant fee – This fee is provided by the management company for the property and can be difficult to estimate.
  • Certificate of Compliance fee – To be confirmed upon receipt of the lease.
  • Leasehold Management Pack – This fee is chargeable when selling a leasehold property. The fee varies.

If you are simply re-mortgaging then we do not anticipate you incurring any disbursements except for Notice, Deed of Covenant and Certificate of Compliance fees in line with the above for leasehold properties only.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

If you are buying a property, you will also need to pay stamp duty land tax. The amount which you need to pay to the government depends on the price of the property.  You can calculate the amount you will need to pay by using HMRC’s website (or if the property is located in Wales by using the Welsh Revenue Authority’s website).

Other costs to consider

If you have a mortgage on the property or have incurred an estate agent’s fee money, we would also typically need to pay the money owed directly to your lender and agent as needed from the sale money we receive for you.

You should also be aware that if you are purchasing a leasehold property then ground rent and service charges are likely to apply throughout your ownership of the property. We will confirm the ground rent and the anticipated service charge as soon as this we receive this information.

Examples of our charges

The table below is a typical example of what charges we would make to the client selling a freehold property for £300,000.00:

££ VAT
Our legal fees of £950.00190.00
Lenders Legal Costs150.0030.00
Post Completion Costs

70.0014.00
Telegraphic Transfer Admin Fee (assuming only one transfer)25.00 plus TT 17.005.00
Office Copy Entries6.00
AML Search Admin Fee (per name)7.20
TOTAL: 1,225.20239.00

Whereas the table below is a typical example of what charges we would make to a client selling a property for £200,000.00 and buying a new property for £350,000.00:

££ VAT
Our legal fees of £950.00190.00
Lender’s Legal Costs150.0030.00
Search fees500.00 Estimated
Telegraphic Transfer Admin Fees25.00 + 17 TT Fee5.00
AML Search Admin Fee (per name)7.20 AML Fee
Stamp Duty Land Tax Admin Fee50.00 10.00
Land Registry Fee (assuming benefit of LR online discount)150.00
Post Completion Fees70.00 14.00
Land Registry Search12.00
Land Charges Search2.00 per name
HMRC Stamp Duty2500.00
TOTAL:4,433.20249.00

How long it will take from your offer being accepted to completion will depend on a number of factors. The average process takes between 8 and 12 weeks.How long will my house sale / purchase take?

It can be quicker or slower, depending on the parties in the ‘chain’. For example, if you are a first-time buyer, purchasing a new build property with a mortgage in principle and the transaction goes smoothly it could take as little as 6 weeks. However, if you are buying a leasehold property that requires an extension of the lease, this can take significantly longer, between 3 and 6 months. In such, a situation additional charges would apply.

What legal work will you be doing for me?

The precise stages involved vary according to the circumstances. However typically in a property sale we need to do the following:

  • Take your instructions and give you initial advice
  • Receive and advise on sale contract documents where applicable
  • Carry out searches on the property you are buying where appropriate
  • Give you advice on all documents and information received
  • Send final contract to you for signature
  • Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
  • Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
  • Complete the transaction

In a property purchase we need to do the following:

  • Take your instructions and give you initial advice
  • Check finances are in place to fund purchase where applicable and contact lender’s solicitors if needed
  • Carry out searches on the property you are buying where appropriate
  • Obtain further planning documentation if required
  • Make any necessary enquiries of seller’s solicitor where applicable
  • Give you advice on all documents and information received
  • Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you
  • Send final contract to you for signature
  • Agree completion date (date from which you own the property)
  • Exchange contracts and notify you that this has happened
  • Arrange for all monies needed to be received from lender and you
  • Complete purchase
  • Deal with payment of Stamp Duty/Land Tax
  • Deal with application for registration at Land Registry

If we are simply helping you to re-mortgage your property then we would generally speaking only need to:

  • Take your instructions and give you initial advice
  • Carry out searches on the property you are buying where appropriate
  • Obtain further planning documentation if required
  • Go through conditions of mortgage offer with you.
  • Send final documents to you for signature
  • Apply for mortgage advance.
  • Redeem any previous mortgages
  • Deal with application for registration at the Land Registry.

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

Who will be dealing with my matter?

Your conveyancing transaction will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced conveyancing team specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you, we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications.  Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team are available on our website including the types of work normally undertaken.

Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by one of our partners.

Debt recovery (business to business)

Our charges:

Our overall fees vary depending upon how complex your case is and what you would like us to do. For a free quote specifically tailored to your circumstances please call 02085729867. We would be more than happy to discuss your case.

To give you an idea of how we charge however, and to comply the SRA price transparency rules, we have set out below details of our typical charges.

Our charges are made up of:

  • our fees for the legal work; and
  • ‘disbursements’ – disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to other people, such as fees for bailiffs. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Where VAT is referred to below please note that this will be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.

Our fees

In debt recovery work the legal fees often vary depending upon how much work we need to do to recover the debt. We therefore tend to charge fees for each stage of the recovery process and only charge clients for the parts they need:

Our fees in relation to debt recovery will depend on the amount of work that is required, and the amount. The fees will generally include; taking detailed instruction whilst reviewing the documentation, undertaking appropriate searches, sending a letter before action, receipt of payment if actioned within the letter before action or if the debt is still owed issuing a claim, where there has been no acknowledgment of service or defence, we shall write to the court to enter Judgement in default, when Judgement in default is received we can write to the other party to request payment and recover the debt, and if payment is not received within 14 days, we shall provide you advice and costs as to the next steps.

How long a matter will take from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side depends on whether it is necessary to issue a claim and whether the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgement.

If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.

Court Claims

These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not required.

If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs, if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed. As an indication, the fees would be;

Debt valueOur fee (excl. VAT at 20%)
Up to £5,000£1,300 - £2,000 +VAT
£5,001 - £10,000£2,300 – £4,300 +VAT
£10,001 - £50,000£5,000 (or X% value of the claim) + VAT

The amount of court fees that are applicable will be dependent on the value of the claim, and whether the case will be held on paper or oral hearing. The court fees are not included within our legal fees.

For those considering to proceed with a claim, the following should be taken into account;

  • The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor.
  • Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost.
  • The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is required to collect your debt.

Disbursements 

You will need to pay for ‘disbursements’ in addition to our costs as described above. In a debt recovery matter, the most common disbursement is the Court fee and the cost for these depend on the value of the claim. If we need to proceed to Court, then a barrister is often used to deal with the hearing. This is not common. Barrister’s fees tend to be in the region of £500 – £1500 plus VAT. We will however guide you on this as and when such costs need to be incurred.

Other costs to consider

The costs set out above do not include enforcement action such as for bailiffs to go and collect the debt on your behalf.

Key stages of your case and our fees include:

The costs described above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages a debt recovery process:

  • Discussing your case with you and, where appropriate, reviewing documents you provide;
  • Performing relevant checks and searches;
  • Sending a letter before action;
  • Receiving payment and forwarding payment to you or, if a debt is not paid, drafting and issuing court proceedings;
  • If no response is received, applying to the Court for Judgment in Default, subject to the additional costs for doing so as detailed above being paid;
  • If Judgment in Default is received, writing to the other side to demand payment
  • If payment is still not received within the specified timescale, providing you with guidance on the next steps and likely costs

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

How long will my case take?

In terms of the overall time the debt recovery will take, if a debt is not disputed it can take a certain number of weeks from sending the letter before action to receiving the Judgment in default. A debtor with sufficient funds will often pay upon being sent the Judgment in Default and so matters can quickly be resolved after obtaining a Judgement in Default.

If the debt is disputed, defended or enforcement action is required, the matter will ordinarily take longer than this to resolve and involve additional costs which will be discussed with you in advance.

Employment

Our Charges

Our overall fees vary depending upon how complex your case is and you would like us to do. For a free quote specifically tailored to your circumstances please call 02085729867. We would be more than happy to discuss your case.

To give you an idea on how we charge and to comply with the SRA transparency rules, we have set out below details of our typical hourly rates and fees.

Our charges are made up of:

  • Our fees for the legal work; and
  • ‘Disbursements’ – disbursements are costs related to your matter which are payable to third parties such as barristers’ fees, home office fees, experts fee etc. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf, to ensure a smoother process.

Where VAT is referred to below, please note that this be charged at the applicable rate, which is currently 20%.

Pricing

Our fees will be agreed with you as a fixed sum at the start of your case or based on how much time it takes to deal with your matter.

One of the crucial factors for a firm to provide an indication of costs will depend on the length of the trial. This can vary from one case to another, and can range from 1-7 days, and at times even longer.

However, we have based our costings on approximates according to the amount of work required.

Employment legal costs usually cover taking initial instructions, considering ACAS and preparing the claim, which includes taking detailed witness statements, list of issues, instructing a barrister etc.

The time spent on a case and our costs can vary significantly depending upon how complex a case is.  A case is likely to be more complex (and so incur more time) if:

  • It is necessary to attend a long hearing;
  • it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to provide further information about an existing claim;
  • it is necessary to defend claims that are brought by litigants in person
  • it is necessary to make or defend a costs application
  • there are complex preliminary issues such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties)
  • the number of witnesses and documents is high
  • it is an automatic unfair dismissal claim e.g. if you are dismissed after blowing the whistle on your employer
  • there are allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal.

Cost of Settlement

These costs are usually incurred where an employer and employee have reached some sort of Settlement Agreement, and is normally paid by the Employer. This can range from £250 – £500 plus VAT.

Disbursements

You will need to pay for disbursements in addition to our fees as described above. In an unfair or wrongful dismissal, the most common disbursement is for barrister’s fees. A barrister is often used to deal with a Tribunal hearing if your case is not settled before this time (which can often occur).

A reasonably standard case of 1 day hearing for an unfair dismissal hearing can range from £3000 – £5000 plus VAT. Counsel fees for a 1day hearing can range from £2000 – £4000 + VAT.

A more complex matter which requires a 7 day hearing will certainly cost more than £13,000 + VAT. Counsel fees can be fixed for a longer trial. However, whilst it is difficult to estimate Counsel fee, it will normally be in the same region of our fees.

Other costs to consider

Usually, you will not have to pay your opponent’s costs in an employment claim. However, should this arise, we will guide you further if we feel that you at risk of this at any stage.

Key stages of your claim

The examples of typical costs above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of an unfair dismissal or wrongful dismissal case:

  • Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on your prospects of success in the claim and the likely compensation, although this is likely to be revisited throughout the case and subject to change.
  • Entering into pre-claim conciliation with ACAS where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached.
  • Preparing your claim or response.
  • Reviewing and advising on the claim or response from the other party.
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating a 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 bundles of documents for the final hearing.
  • Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements.
  • Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list.
  • Preparation and instructions to the barrister (if this is not being done in-house by us) for the final hearing.

The stages set out above are an indication only and if some of the stages are not required, the fee may be reduced. Some clients may wish to attempt to handle some parts of a very straight-forward matter themselves and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages.  This can also reduce the cost if your case is one where we’re comfortable that this is a sensible approach to take.

It would not normally be necessary to undertake other work or incur other costs other than those described above. However, we would be very happy to provide you with a more tailored quote for all stages of your particular case once we know about your specific circumstances.

How long will my case take?

The time it takes from your initial instructions to the end of your case depends largely on the stage at which it is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim discussions, your case is likely to take 3 – 4 weeks. If your claim proceeds to a final hearing, your case is likely to take 18 – 36 weeks. This is just an illustration and we will be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information from you and as the case progresses.

Who will be dealing with my case?

Your case will be handled by a trusted member of our experienced team. We have a number of qualified lawyers in the team as well as experienced trainees specialised in this area of law. Once we know who will be handling your case for you, we will introduce you to them and provide you with full details of their background and qualifications.  Full details of the experience and qualifications of our team are available on our website including the types of work normally undertaken.

Regardless of who is working on your case the matter will be supervised by one of our partners.