Information about my services

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Regulation

I am a self-employed barrister in independent practice. Although for administrative purposes I practise with other barristers from 42 Bedford Row Chambers in London, I am the person with whom you are contracting and I will be personally responsible for the work to be undertaken. I am insured to provide legal services in England and Wales and the details of my insurance provider is the Bar Mutual Fund.

I am authorised and regulated by the Bar Standards Board and provide my services in accordance with (1) the barristers’ Code of Conduct which includes The Public Access Rules and (2) the Bar’s Written Standards for the Conduct of Professional Work. You can find the Code of Conduct together with the Rules and Written Standards by visiting the Bar Council website. You can also find information on the Bar Standards Board website about Public Access Guidance for Lay Clients.

Complaints

I hope you will be happy with the professional services I provide. However, if you are not satisfied, you should first refer the matter either to me or to my Chambers in line with my Chambers’ complaints procedure. If you would like a copy of the complaints procedure, please ask me. If you are not happy with my reply or my Chambers’ reply then you can contact the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman is a free, impartial and independent service set up by the Government which deals with complaints about the service you have received. You must complain to the Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final response to your complaint from myself or from my chambers (provided the response specifically notifies you of your right to complain to the Ombudsman and of the six month time-limit). A complaint to the Ombudsman must also be made not more than six years after the act or omission complained about or not more than three years from the date when you should reasonably have known that there were grounds for complaint. For further details about how to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, click here. For information about Legal Ombudsman decisions click here. 

Pricing and quotations 

I offer both hourly rates and fixed fees. You are entitled to contact me and I will provide you with a written quotation for legal services I provide within a reasonable period of time; normally 14 days.  Before I can provide you with a written quotation, I will need you to provide me with sufficient information for me to identify the scope of the work required. Quotations are always free of charge and  based on a number of variable criteria; for example the type of issue, the complexity involved, the value of the case and the time I would expect to spend on it. Quotations are thoroughly itemised and split into stages where appropriate. I am happy to answer any questions before we beginand will not undertake any chargeable work until you tell us to proceed. Occasionally there are matters unsuitable for a fixed fee agreement. In these cases, I will try to fix at least part of your service for greater certainty. The rest I will charge at an agreed hourly rate. Occasionally I may need to recharge you a direct cost, forexample if I have to travel to attend a court outside London, but that would be specified in my fee quotation.  All fees I charge are subject to VAT and my fees are payable before I start work. I will issue you with an invoice as soon as reasonably practicable upon payment of my fees. 

Timescales

I will always work to agreed timeframes and to deadlines where applicable. There are however a number of factors which might influence timescales including:

• My availability;
• The availability of the client or relevant third parties;
• The complexity of the case;
• The amount of papers I need to review;
• The need for additional information or documents;
• The approach taken by the other side;
• Third parties intervening in the case; and
• Court waiting times. 

Employment fees

In most employment tribunal work, I can agree a fixed fee arrangement with you, which means that I will charge you a set amount of money for a particular piece of work. All fees are subject to VAT.

Below I provide estimates based on the ranges of fixed fees which can vary greatly depending on the complexity of the work and time it will take to prepare the case. If you have a particularly complex case, your fees may also be higher than the estimates below. 

• Written advice......................................................................................£500-£2,500
• Advice in chambers meeting/conference ..................................£750-£2,500
• Preliminary hearing.............................................................................£500-£2,500
• Preparation of case..............................................................................£1,000-5,000
• First day’s tribunal appearance (1-2 day hearing only).........£1,500-3,000
• Tribunal appearances per day after the first day......................£ 750-2,500

All information is correct as of 1 January 2020, but fees are estimates only. For a quotation or estimates for hearings listed for longer than 2 days please contact me on tim.welch@42br.com or my chamber’s practice management team on 020 7831 0222 or clerks@42br.com.