Motoring Offences

Type of Application: Drink driving offence, Guilty plea

Type of fee: Fixed Fee/ Legal Expenses Insurance

Costs: Average fee of £1200.00

Please check your car insurance policy to check whether you have Legal Expenses Insurance that may cover the costs. If you are unsure, please contact us, so we can check on your behalf.

 

Who will carry out the work?

• Solicitor
• Solicitor assisted by a paralegal

All work supervised by a Solicitor, who retains ultimate responsibility and conduct of matters

The Fixed Fee will depend on the circumstances in your case. Such as:

• The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
• The need for an interpreter (if required as well the need to instruct an expert)
• Whether it is a straightforward Guilty plea
• Unforeseen complexities

 

What services are included in this cost?

• 2 hours initial attendance to take initial instructions on what happened
• Considering initial disclosure and any other evidence and provide advice
• Providing advice on likely sentence
• Detailing the key issues
• If relevant meeting with you before your First hearing at the Magistrates Court
• Explaining the court procedure to you so you know what to expect on the day of your hearing, and the sentencing options available to the court
• Conducting any further preparatory work, obtaining further instructions from you if necessary and dealing with any follow up queries you have
• Attendance and representation at the First hearing at the Magistrates Court
• Discussing outcome of the hearing with you.

 

The costs quoted here do not include:

 

• Instruction of any expert witnesses
• Taking/preparing statements from any witnesses (this will depend on complexity of your case)
• Advice and assistance in relation to a special reasons hearing
• The cost of a specialist barrister to attend court on your behalf
• Our fee for attendance and/or preparation for any further hearings following the initial hearing (Approx. £600.00 per hearing)
• If relevant advice on any appeal. Separate fee can be agreed for:
• Dealing with any Appeal
• Drafting grounds of appeal
• The cost of fully preparing any appeal.

You will be informed as soon as possible if any of the above applies in your case.

 

Timescales

We cannot provide a timescale of when your hearing will take place, as this depends on the court listings

Please note the anticipated number of hours and fees are an estimate based on the facts above. All applications are likely to vary and of course, we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.

 

Immigration

Your matter may be worked on by a Solicitor, Trainee Solicitor or Caseworker, all Trainees and Caseworkers are supervised by a Solicitor. Solicitors will be supervised by a Partner

Estimated Fees

The majority of our case are agreed on a fixed fee basis. Where a fixed fee is not practicable, fees will be charged in accordance with our hourly rates and a fee estimate would be agreed. The estimate will be arrived at, having considered the facts of clients’ instructions.

• Home Office Applications & Visas from £1,250
• Appeals to the Appellate Authority (AIT) from £2500.00

• Specialist Visa Types from £2,500

• Judicial Review from £1,800 depending on the complexity.
• Asylum (Written Submissions) from £750

Please note that express work may attract higher fees, typically starting from £1500

Our fee is inclusive of the following steps:

1. Taking instructions from the client.
2. Providing advice letter and list of supporting documents.
3. Assisting with the collation of documents in support of the visa application.
4. Completing the visa application form for client’s review.
5. Liaising with relevant third parties and the UK Visas and Immigration on behalf of the client.
6. Providing submissions in support of the application.
7. General case preparation/management
8. Providing post visa grant advice and assistance; and
9. Reporting to the client.

Other services not included in our fee estimate:

1. Attending the Home Office interview with you;

1. Accompanying you and the barrister/counsel to your hearing (Court/Tribunal)
2. Hearing Representation

Should you wish to request for the above additional services, we would quote you a fixed fee based on your requirements.

Likely Timescales:

Timescales are dependent on the application type, circumstances of the application, complexity, and the visa expiration date (where applicable).

We aim for a turnaround of four weeks for straightforward applications (applications without additional complexities or complications) and, depending on the circumstances, a longer period of time (potentially a few months) for complex applications. We advise our clients on the anticipated time frame for each individual instruction at the outset confirm if an application was considered as complex. Please note that the time frame within which the application can be completed is dependent on the timely provision of the relevant information by the client. The UK Visas and Immigration department have set processing times based on the type of the application and method of submission: https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times

Disbursements

The disbursements are mostly Home Office Fees and it depends on the type of application.  The fees are subject to changes from time to time and are available on the UK Visas and Immigration website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table Disbursements may include courier fees and translation fees. These would be quoted for in each individual matter and agreed before proceeding.

 

 

Legal Aid

We provide Legal Aid for family law and housing law matters to clients who are unable to pay their legal costs.

Funding is granted and paid by the Legal Aid Agency.

Legal Aid is available for only certain types of cases. In family law matters it is available if children services are seeking to remove a child from your care, or if you have been a victim of domestic violence. In housing matters, legal aid is available if you face homelessness because your landlord intends to evict you or because your accommodation is unsuitable due to disrepair amongst other reasons.

This is not an exhaustive list and the Legal Aid guidance on the merit test are very complex. You can find more information on www.gov.uk/check-legal-aid however we advise that if you are seeking Legal Aid funding in the following areas, you contact us and a member of the respective team will be able to provide you guidance.

Documents We Require from you for your Legal Aid Application:

If you are in receipt of Benefits (Universal Credit, ESA, JSA, DSA) please provide the following:

Proof of Benefits e.g., a letter from the DWF

• The letter should not be older than 3 months and should include information as to whether your benefit is income or contribution based.
• 3 months bank statements from all your accounts (current, savings, credit card etc. Please note if you have a partner who you live you will need to provide their bank statements also.

If you are self-employed, please provide the following:

Evidence of your income

• Bank statements which span 3 months prior to our consultation which show your business income/expenditure and where relevant, your cash book for the last month.
• Your Profit and Loss accounts AND your most recent self-assessment tax return and tax calculation sheet.
• Your personal bank statements (current, savings, credit card etc.)

Expenditure – what you can deduct from your income in order to meet the requirements threshold.

• Evidence of your housing costs covering the last 3 months. (It is only possible to deduct rent, bills and council tax cannot be deducted. Where you are a homeowner and pay a mortgage, you will need to contact one of our advisors to discuss the documents required.
• Evidence of your childcare costs
• If you make child maintenance payments – evidence of your payments for the last 3 months.

If you are employed or unemployed and not in receipt of benefits

Evidence of your income

• Bank statements from all your accounts (current, savings, credit card etc.)
• Your most recent Payslips spanning 3 months (i.e., if paid weekly, your last 12 payslips or if paid monthly, your last 3 payslips) for each job you have
• If you receive any Benefits in Kind (please bring your P11D tax form)
• If you receive Tax Credits (please bring your most recent Tax Credit Award Notice
• If you receive any other income, please bring the following:
• Pension documents (private and occupational, showing gross figures and tax deducted separately)
• Letter of support from a family member or friend
• Student loan letter (awarding letter)
• Child maintenance received within the last 3 months.

Expenditure - what you can deduct from your income in order to meet the requirements threshold.

• Evidence of your housing costs covering the last 3 months. (It is only possible to deduct rent, bills and council tax cannot be deducted. Where you are a homeowner and pay a mortgage, you will need to contact one of our advisors to discuss the documents required.
• If you make child maintenance payments – evidence of your payments for the last 3 months.

 

Employment

Your matter may be worked on by a Solicitor, Trainee Solicitor or Caseworker, all Trainees and Caseworkers are supervised by a Solicitor. 

Estimated Fees

We undertake work in employment matters on both an hourly rate and fixed fee basis. Our hourly rates are dependent on the level of experience each fee earner has and are listed above. Please note that the fees quoted to you do not consider matters which may be complex, the complexity of your case is likely to increase your fees, however you will be advised if this is the case.

The following factors may increase the complexity of your case:

1. Defending claims that are brought or defended by litigants in person.
2. Complex preliminary issues in the ET such as whether the claimant is disabled (if this is not agreed by the parties).
3. Allegations of discrimination which are linked to the dismissal in the ET.
4. Appeals to the Employment Appeal Tribunal or Court of Appeal.
5. Being required to make or defend applications, including applications to amend claims or responses or to provide further information about an existing claim, costs applications, applications to extend time limits, for deposit orders, to withdraw a claim or strike out a claim or response or for a postponement, adjournment or stay of proceedings.

Our Fees Are Inclusive of the following: 

1. Completing a Claim form for Claimant (ET1)
2. Responding to a Claim form for Defendant (ET3)
3. First Hearing
4. Exchange of Witness Statements
5. Disclosure/List of Documents
6. Preparing of responding to bundle of documents
7. Exploring Settlement

Our Fees Are Exclusive of the Following: 

1. Advice from or Conference with Counsel
2. Counsel Representation
3. Additional Hearings
4. Mediation/ADR meetings or negotiations

Unfair and Wrongful Dismissal Cases

Our fees for these cases range between - £800-£10,000.  Our average fees for these matters start from £3500 . As outlined above, fees are determined on a case specific basis and are subject to increase depending on the complexity.

Where a client is unable to afford funding through our hourly rate or fixed fee, we may undertake work on a conditional fee agreement basis. If you would like your case to be dealt with on a CFA, please advise of this prior to your initial consultation so we may make an assessment as to whether this is the appropriate course of action.

Likely Timescales:

The timescales in your matter from the point of initial consultation to resolution are dependent on the state at which your case is resolved. Dependent on whether settlement is reached at an early stage or whether the matter proceeds to a final hearing at the Employment Tribunal or Court, this may take between a few weeks – a year.

This is an overall estimate, your advisor will be able to provide you will a more accurate timescale at the outset of your matter and as the case progresses.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Disbursements such as counsels’ fees for preparing and attending an employment tribunal hearing are dependent on the seniority and experience of the barrister(s) involved in your matter. Counsel’s fees are generally based on a “brief fee” – the charge for preparation and the first day in tribunal – and a “refresher” – the charge for any additional days in tribunal.

For a simple case, listed for a 1-day hearing, instructing junior Counsel is likely to cost between £1000 -£1250

For a medium complexity case, listed for a 3-day hearing, the brief fee is likely to be between £5,000  and £7,500 and the refresher for each of the additional days between £1,500  to £2,000

For a complex case, the hearing is likely to last up to around 10 days. We would tend to instruct senior counsel on such cases and the brief fee is likely to be between £15,000  to £25,000 with a daily refresher of between £2,500 - £3000.

It may become necessary to instruct counsel at an early stage to provide opinion on merits and prospect of success. This may costs between £1200 -£1500 depending on the level of counsel, complexities of the case as well as the volume of documents involved.

 

NB: Please note that at present, we are not VAT registered.