fees & payment

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In relation to all my work I will try and agree a fixed fee with a client. In doing so I will make an assessment of the likely amount of time that I will need to spend in preparing a client's case and carry out any research and drafting. In the event that it is not possible to agree a fixed fee then I will charge my time by the hour plus VAT. VAT is currently set at 20%. My hourly rate is £250 plus VAT. 

The fee for attending Court or a conference has to take into account preparation for the hearing or conference along with travel to and from Court or the location for the conference.

Prior to the commencement of any work I will either agree with a client a fixed fee or agree that I will charge on an hourly basis.

Payment for work is required in advance. I will draft a full written agreement setting out the work I am to do along with standard terms and conditions that are recommended by my professional body.

If you are a solicitor and wish to instruct me then we will agree a fee for the work you want me to carry out. Payment for the work carried out is due 30 days after receipt of my fee note.

In the event that a Court case is adjourned or a case settles then I do reserve the right to charge for any work carried out in preparation for the case and cancellation to my diary. In the event that a case adjourns or settles the level of any charge will depend upon how close to the actual hearing date the case adjourns or settles. If, for example, a case settles one or two days before its scheduled date then I would usually charge 75%-100% of my agreed fee, but if there is a settlement or adjournment in excess of 14 days prior to any hearing then I will ordinarily make no charge.

Conditional fees  are commonly known as "no win no fee".  I do not carry out work on a conditional basis or contingency basis e.g. damages based agreement. My reason for this is that I do not believe that I as a barrister should have a financial stake in the outcome of your case or be entitled to any element of damages that a client is awarded by a Court or in a settlement.

The scope of public funding for civil law is virtually non-existent. When I first qualified civil legal aid was widely available. Sadly that is no longer the case. If you are able to obtain public funding for your case then I am happy to receive instructions on a publicly funded basis.

In exceptional cases I will always consider assisting a client on a pro bono basis, that is to say without any fees being charged. If I am unable to assist for free then I will try and assist you with other organisations who may be able to assist you at less cost or for free.