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What can I expect from Sandhill Solicitors
First Interview
At the first appointment, it is our aim:
To discuss with you the matter for which you have sought our
advice or assistance. It is possible that the member of
Sandhill Solicitors you first see will not work in the
department that specialises in that type of work and
therefore you may be asked to see another member of the
practice. This is not to inconvenience you but to enable us
to utilise our specialist lawyer on your behalf.
You will be advised of the person who will be dealing with
your case and whether or not he/she is a solicitor and
additionally whether any other member of the practice will
need to work on your behalf and if so whether it is possible
to give you details of that person at this stage. For
example, it may well be that a specialist advocate will be
required for any trial or tribunal hearing.
To discuss with you how we can assist with regards to the
particular matter for which you have sought our advice and
the cost of doing so. In addition, to review with you
whether legal aid will be available or any other method of
covering your legal fees and to determine during the course
of this meeting the manner in which you will meet the costs.
We will tell you the likely cost of the work to be
undertaken and whether it will be necessary to engage the
services of any other firm/agency (for example experts or
barristers) who might assist you with regards to your case.
To tell you how long the matter is likely to take to
complete.
After the first meeting we will send to you these terms and
conditions.
First half hour of the first interview is free of any
charge.
Funding your case
We will discuss with you at the onset of your case how to
fund your case. It may well be that you qualify for legal
aid, in which case we will refer you to solicitors in the
area who are contracted out to carry our legally funded
work.
Your Household Insurance Policy may also cover you for your
legal costs. It is therefore, advisable that you bring along
with you such policy at the first meeting.
It may also be possible to take out after the event
insurance policy to cover your legal costs. Again we will
discuss this option with you at the onset however, it will
depend on the strengths of your case whether any insurer is
willing to take the risk.
Legal Aid
Solicitors are under a duty to consider and advise the
client on the availability of legal aid where the client
might be entitled to assistance under the Legal Aid Act
1988. If it appears that you qualify for legal aid we will
provide you with a list of solicitors holding contracts. You
can also obtain further information from the Legal Services
Commission website direct (leaflets are available for
download in easy to understood languages)
http://www.clsdirect.org.uk/index.jsp.
People Responsible for your work
We will insure that there is a member of staff that carries
out the seeing of your work. We will also inform you about
the staffs grade of fee which he earns and which area of law
he or she specialises in. You will also be told about the
person who supervises the employee and there status and who
is ultimately responsible for your matter.
Times
Sandhill Solicitors is based in
34-36 Wilmslow Road
Manchester M14 5TQ. The normal hours of our office are from
9am to
5pm Monday to Friday. Appointments can be arranged outside
these hours when essential for the interests of the client.
Emergency numbers will be provided for access to one of our
lawyers in an urgent situation.
Calculation of Fees/Billing
Our charges will normally be calculated by references to the
time spent in dealing with your case or transaction unless
otherwise indicated to you in writing. All fee earning
members of staff are required to record any time they spend
in working on your case or transaction and this would
include attending upon you and others, perusing and
considering documents, correspondents, telephone calls,
travelling and waiting time. Letters written and telephone
calls are usually charged on the basis of six minute units
and should, for example, a telephone call last more than six
minutes then the charge will be increase based upon
increments of further six minute units. Each fee earner at
this practice has been given hourly rate and these rates are
reviewed annually every September. The hourly rate includes
am estimate of the uplift for what is generally called the
"care and conduct" aspect of the charge. This may vary and
is usually dependant upon;
The degree of urgency in your case or transaction
The complexity of your case or transaction
The importance of your case or transaction
The amount of any money involved in your case or
transaction
The skill and experience of the solicitor
Each
fee earner's hourly charging rate at this practice is
exclusive of VAT and this will subsequently be added to all
invoices.
Confidentiality
Sandhill solicitors is under the duty to keep confidential
to his or her firm the affairs of client and to ensure that
the staff do the same. If we are to release any confidential
information which is unauthorised then this can lead to
disciplinary action against us. The duty of confidentiality
applies to information about the client's affairs and
general information.
It is likely that during the course of the work we undertake
certain information may have to be disclosed to the third
parties, for example, experts reports. We will only disclose
such information having discussed the matter with you,
having obtained your consent to disclose information or
where we are under a professional obligation to do so.
Interpreters
Often some of our clients will have difficulty in
understanding or speaking English. If you feel this is the
case then please let us know so that we can make
arrangements for an interpreter. If you wish to nominate a
family member or friend who could translate and communicate
with us on your behalf then please let us know. You do not
have to nominate any person but it would be helpful
so that we know the advice being given is understood
and is clear.
Lien
In plain English it simply means that a solicitor is
entitled to hold on to a file; documents; and any
other property belonging to the client until such time all
moneys owed to the practice has been paid in full.
Lien is a passive phrase which means the solicitor is not
entitled to sell or dispose of the clients property, without
his/her knowledge.
At the end of your case
Once all of the work required on your file has been
completed we will write to inform you that the matter has
been closed and placed in storage. It is our firm's policy
in this respect is to store all files for for period of 6
years and in some cases longer after which time the file
will be destroyed. If we are holding any papers which belong
to you and which you would like to have returned to you,
then you may make a request within one month from the date
of our letter. A subsequent request to return documentation
will involve both expense and delay due to our having to
retrieve it from archiving and storage.
If, for any reason, you do not want your file to be
destroyed in accordance with our procedure, then we must be
notified within a reasonable period from the date we inform
you of your file closure.
What is Money Laundering
'All professionals who deal with clients' money and property
could be targets for criminals wishing to launder money.
Professionals are now seen as 'gatekeepers' who can
facilitate or block the entry of 'dirty money' into the
system. In the UK and Europe, new legislation will increase
the responsibilities of solicitors to act as barriers to
suspicious transactions'
The Law Society, February 2002.
The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 ('POCA'), which became law in
February 2003 introduced a new series of criminal offences
which apply to solicitors and their staff in relation to
dealing with 'criminal property'.
If found guilty, individual solicitors or their
staff could be fined or sent to prison. We are obliged to
report to the police any circumstances in relation to any
matter we are conducting for clients, where we suspect that
criminal property is somehow involved. There are very
limited exceptions, for example, where we are advising
clients in relation to criminal charges involving
allegations of money laundering.
'Criminal Property'
is property which is or represents a person's benefit from
criminal conduct and the alleged offender knows or suspects
constitutes or represents such a benefit. It could therefore
include, for example, property, in the form of any assets
including money, of a client who has evaded tax, illegally
claimed a grant or other benefit, or dealt in stolen
property or drugs.
The Money Laundering Regulations 2003, which came
into force 1 March 2004, place virtually all, if not all
the work that is carried out by Sandhill Solicitors within
the 'Regulated Sector' referred to in the POCA
and places obligations on all firms of solicitors to obtain
IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS from all clients,
even those of longstanding
Complaints
The Office of the Supervision of Solicitors (OSS),
is the Law Society's independent complaints handling arm. It
also deals with the a number of related regulatory matters.
The powers of the OSS derive from the statute and the
Society's Charter.
What we expect from our clients
We expect the best of co-operation from our clients as
dealing with the case may be a lengthy process and we will
insure that we keep you notified upon what is happening with
your case until further notice. If you would like to talk to
a department staff then please book an appointment. But
please be aware this will stop the staff from carrying out
work. The other way in which you can contact a member of
staff is by writing into Sandhill Solicitors or sending an
e-mail which will be replied to as soon as it is
received.
All information held will be confidential within the practice
and will not be exposed to third parties the
Law Society is the governing body which regulates and
check that these procedures are being carried out.
Sandhill Solicitors will charge on a hourly basis which will be
given to you when you come for an interview and stated in a
letter which you will receive through the post.
To book a free interview then please contact Sandhill Solicitors
on the following number.:: Tel: 0161 249 2280
PLEASE NOTE THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS ARE SUBJECT
TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE AND IS AT THE SOLE
DISCRETION OF SANDHILL SOLICITORS. |
