A guide to keeping control of your legal fees
We understand that costs can be a concern, so we want to help you keep them under control.
We will do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the likely cost of your case, both at the time that you first instruct Spencer Shaw and at appropriate intervals whilst we work for you.
We've also created this guide to help you understand your fees, and work with your solicitor to make the most of your budget.
Understanding your fees
Your solicitor will have provided you with an estimate of our fees, having considered the circumstances you described to them and using their professional knowledge and experience to assess how long they will need to complete the work. Although we try to be as accurate as we can when giving estimates, the estimate may vary once we begin work, for example if the case becomes more complex or takes more time than expected.
The best way to keep control of your costs is to support your solicitor to work efficiently, helping your solicitor to save time on some tasks so that they can spend that time where it will make the most difference to your case.
Our aim is to apply our knowledge, expertise and experience to the task you have instructed us to complete, as efficiently as possible.
In simple terms, we charge you for the time we spend working on your matter. This will include:
acquiring information and reviewing documents
applying the law and producing analyses and opinions
meeting with you and other relevant individuals
communicating with you, our opponents, tribunals or courts, ACAS and others
preparing documents such as claims, responses, witness statements, schedules of loss and legal submissions
appearing at hearings on your behalf
negotiating settlement.
Litigation fees
Litigation is the legal process for resolving a dispute in the Employment Tribunal or the Civil Courts. This guide will help clients considering litigation to udnerstand the work involved and how we charge.
How to help your solicitor work efficiently
Discussions with your solicitor
Conversations with your solicitor are charged according to the time that they take. We want you to provide us with all the information we need and full details about your matter but keeping the information clear and concise. The following tips may help:
Before you speak to your solicitor make a list of things you want to discuss so that you make best use of the time talking about your case.
Stay focused. Keeping discussions on topic will save a lot of time, and therefore costs. We understand that legal issues can be stressful or upsetting, and we want to support you by offering the best legal representation we can. Listen to your solicitor and follow their guidance. Our solicitors are specialist in Employment Law. They know from experience what needs to be done.
Make your documents easy to manage
Most of the documents we receive are in electronic format, often sent by email attachment. Reduce the time your solicitor spends on organising documents by making them easy to manage.
Send documents in Pdf or Word format, rather than picture formats such as jpg files.
If you have many documents to send to your solicitor, explain the relevance of each document to the work in hand.
Use the following format to name the electronic files you send us: YYYY-MM-DD followed by a description of the document (eg: 2021-03-25 Payslip of Joe Bloggs). This is the format we use to organise our files.
Ask your solicitor about Clio Connect, an online tool we use where you can view your invoices, send secure messages and upload documents. This cuts down on chargeable emails and makes communication quicker.
Emailing your solicitor
It takes time for your solicitor to read and deal with emails, and emails received are charged at a minimum fee of three minutes per email. Let’s say your solicitor’s hourly rate is £300 per hour including VAT. Sending six very short emails in succession would incur a minimum total fee of £90. Combining those messages into two emails could reduce the fees by up to £60.
Avoid sending numerous short emails where you can.
Be concise when you correspond with your solicitor. Take a few more minutes to make sure you have included everything you want to say without repetition or information that isn’t relevant to the matter. Try to be as clear as you can when writing. Short, separate paragraphs for each point are helpful.
Remember that reading, absorbing and understanding technical or complex points will take even a skilled solicitor a minute for every 50 to 75 words (or 5 to 6 minutes per page)
Effective and upfront
Good and effective service, clear and upfront about all arrangements and costs. Thank you
Jean
GET IN TOUCH
Do you have a legal matter you'd like to discuss with us? Get in touch using the details below or use the form here and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss your enquiry.
Address: Spencer Shaw Solicitors Limited
St Mary's House, 68 Harborne Park Road,
Harborne, Birmingham, B17 0DH
Opening hours:
Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays - Closed
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