We are pleased to have an initial free discussion with you
We are pleased to have an initial free discussion with you by telephone or to respond to an initial email enquiry.
However, if you need more advice, if your matter is complex or we need to look at documents related to your matter, then this will be subject to a charge.
There is no legal aid for employment law so we are only able to act for clients who are able and willing to pay for advice. We may require a payment on account from you before commencing work.
We will provide you with an estimate of our costs
We will do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the costs you may incur, both at the time that you first instruct Spencer Shaw and at appropriate intervals whilst we work for you.
Ways of paying
The way in which the work that we do for you may be funded depends upon the type of case and our agreement with you. The following options are available:
Payment by hourly rate;
Payment by agreed fee;
Payment by legal expenses insurance;
Payment by contingency fee agreement or conditional fee agreement (types of no win, no fee agreement).
As a specialist in employment law, our hourly rate may be higher than some other providers. However, we are likely to complete the work required in less time than a non-specialist.
You may be aware of some providers who offer legal advice for free, or for a small or modest cost. For example, some organisations offer to do pro bono work; this is work done voluntarily and without charge. We do not currently take on pro bono work.
If you are a member of a union, you may be entitled to free legal advice. If you are in receipt of certain benefits you may be eligible for legal aid. We will advise you if we think that any of these funding methods are applicable in your case.
Payment on account
In some cases we will ask you to make payments in advance to cover any anticipated fees or disbursements (ie: payments made on your behalf). These advance payments are deposited into our Client Account and are governed by rules set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority's Accounts Rules. We will pay interest on the average balance that was held for you providing the interest accrued amounts to £20 or more. Interest is calculated at the rate available on an instant access savings account from Barclays Bank.
We are required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to deposit monies in instant access accounts only. This means that the interest rate paid on money in our Client Account may not be as high as you can achieve by placing the money in a savings account yourself.
Other costs
The cost of legal advice and representation often includes more than a charge for work done by a solicitor. Apart from our work it may be necessary to incur expenses (often called disbursements) when preparing a client’s case. For example:
In a claim to an employment tribunal we may recommend the use of an expert witness;
During a claim in the civil courts (County Court or High Court), court fees almost always have to be paid to the court at various stages of the case;
We may recommend the use of a barrister to help with your case; to prepare a claim or defence, to give a legal opinion or to appear as your advocate at a hearing.
All of these are expenses/disbursements. There may be others that are necessary for your matter and we will tell you about them separately.
We will advise you of the likely amount and nature of fees and expenses that you may incur whilst we work for you and we will update that information as your case progresses. If you would like more information about costs, please don’t hesitate to ask.