As a basic starting point, as solicitors, we charge for our time. That is published as an hourly rate, but actually accrues, or builds up, in units of 6 minutes (known as “a unit”). The reason for this is that it is easier to monitor costs building up in hours that are divisible by 10. (10 x 6-minute units are 60 minutes). In this way, you can monitor your own time accrual according to the hourly rate of the solicitor that is working for you.
The solicitor’s hourly rate is £200 per hour, so every unit cost £20.
If the solicitor spends 6 minutes on work for you, this will be transferred to a bill of £20.
If the solicitor spends 12 minutes (that’s 2 units), then it turns into a bill for £40 and so on.
The smallest unit of time that is on sale within this practice is 6 minutes. Therefore, if you engage in a 2-minute conversation, that will be recorded as one 6-minute unit. The same applies if you spend 3, 4 or 5 minutes on that call. If you spend 7 minutes, then it counts as two units.
VAT is applicable to all charges at whatever rate the government sets it at. Currently that is 20%. Therefore, if you are a consumer (not VAT registered and able to claim back the tax), then you should include the extra 20% in your calculations. Using the example above, the hourly rate INCLUDING VAT becomes £240 per hour, not £200 per hour. VAT is chargeable on all our services without exception.
For example, if you are bringing a claim for Unfair Dismissal, try to discuss only relevant facts instead of spending unnecessary time informing us of how you could have earned more money working for a different employer (which is irrelevant). We see it as our duty to try to guide you as to what is and what isn’t relevant, but we will still charge you if you wish to talk about how your dog is losing weight now that you have more time to walk him!
We understand that instructing a solicitor can be nerve racking, especially if it’s your first time, and this can make you second guessing our advice at every turn. It is your right to do so and we will never object or take issue. However, this will force us to spend more time on your case, answering those questions, leading to a higher cost.
Try sending us only documents relevant and necessary for your case. If you are unsure about whether a document needs to be read by us, you can ask us before sending it. Sometimes it’s not possible to tell whether a document is relevant from just a description of it and we will have to read it as it would be our fault if we missed something. However, we will try our best to guide you.
For example, if you need to send a doctor’s note to your employer, you can ask us to send it or send it yourself. Also, if you wish to return goods to your business or employer, you can ask us to return them or return them yourself. The latter will be less expensive as you will be doing the task and we won’t have to spend any time. If you instruct us to deal with these though, they are not dealt by senior lawyers in the practice but by paralegals with a lower hourly rate.
We always ask our clients to meet us in our premises. This is because we charge for the time we spend travelling to and from your home/ office.
As Solicitors, the value we have is based on our knowledge, qualifications and experience. We therefore make a business out of selling that knowledge and experience. In effect, we apply what we know to your own situation, for money. That is the very essence of being “Professional” and we are not ashamed of it.
As it is impossible to quantify knowledge in a way that could translate to understandable charges, we charge for the time we spend on matters. We try our best to classify our time spent, but whatever classification that time has, the charge is the same. Some of the more frequently used classifications are:
Telephone calls: time spent discussing your matter, with you, or with others such as lawyers, on the telephone, whether we make the call, or receive the call
Letters: the same as emails, but on a more formal basis and whether or not these are sent in the post (snail mail) or electronically.
Research: this refers to time spent looking up legal points which we might want to be sure of, or sometimes even don’t know off the top of our heads. It does happen.
Consideration: this is a solicitor’s way of saying “thinking time”. Time spent thinking about your case, and its consequences for you.
Emails: time spent reading or writing emails concerning your matter. This is not simply a typing cost, it includes those pauses for thought that inevitably take place when dealing with legalities, and often the pauses can be longer than the actual time spent hitting the keyboard.
Drafting: this refers to composing and writing legal argument. This can be to the court or tribunal and to other lawyers, and again might include time spent thinking.
Attendance: this refers to time spent in meetings, usually with you, but sometimes with other parties (witnesses in tribunal proceedings and litigation) or colleagues if necessary.
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