SRA Transparency Rules

Professional Indemnity Insurance

We are a freelance solicitor providing reserved legal services under regulation 10.2(b) of the Authorisation of Individuals Regulations, and we are not required to meet the SRA’s minimum terms and conditions in respect of the professional indemnity insurance.

Please note that alternative insurance arrangements are in place and if requested by the client, we will provide information about the cover provided. This requirement applies whether the client is purchasing reserved or non-reserved legal services according to rule 4.3 of the SRA Transparency Rules.

Our professional indemnity insurer is ARCH INSURANCE (EU) DAC.

Our professional indemnity insurance cover does not extend to damages or other monetary awards, judgments or negotiated settlements or claims made or suits brought before any arbitrator, tribunal or court in the following countries: Canada.

We do not accept liability for any loss or damage caused by negligence, non-performance or breach of duty to a value in excess of £1 million unless we have made a special arrangement with you at the outset of your matter.

No member or employee of our firm will be liable to you for breach of contract or negligence in their personal capacity.

Other than in respect of liability arising from fraud, personal injury or death, we do not accept liability for claims received more than 12 months from the conclusion of our work or, if not apparent within that time, more than 6 months after it becomes apparent.

Your statutory rights remain unaffected.

Data Protection and General Data Protection Regulation privacy notice

We use the information that you provide to us primarily for the provision of legal services to you and for related purposes including:
(a)       Updating and enhancing client records;
(b)       Analysis to help us manage our practice;
(c)       Statutory returns; and
(d)       Legal and regulatory compliance.
Our use of that information is subject to your instructions, the Data Protection Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation and our duty of confidentiality.
The Data Protection Act 2018 requires us to advise you that your particulars are held on our database and from time to time we may use these details to send you information which we think might be of interest. If you do not wish to receive that information please notify our office in writing. We do not make such information available to any other provider of products or services.
If you are an individual you have the right under the Data Protection Act 2018 to obtain information from us, including a description of the data that we hold about you. Should you have any queries concerning this right please contact our data protection officer Mauro Narduzzo.
Handling your personal data
We confirm the following:
-               The fee earner handling your matter, their secretary and any legal assistant within the firm may handle your data.
-               Your personal data will remain confidential.
-               Your personal data will be used to carry out an identification check as is usual in this type of transaction, to make contact with you for the duration of the matter and to ensure that funds are sent or received to facilitate the transaction.
-               The processing of your personal data is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the firm or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the interests or fundamental rights and freedoms of an individual which require protection of personal data, in particular where the individual about whom data is held is a child.
-               It may be necessary to provide third parties with your data to effect the transaction, namely other law firms, search providers, government departments including HM Revenue & Customs, the Land Registry and IT service suppliers.
Fair and transparent processing
We confirm the following:
-               Your personal data will not be retained for any longer than is necessary to fulfil the firm’s statutory obligations.
-               Upon signing the client care documentation provided to you at the outset of the matter you will be confirming that the contract which exists between us gives us the right to process your data in relevant and applicable ways.
-               You have the right to request from the firm access to and rectification or erasure of personal data or restriction of processing concerning your personal data.
-               You have the right to object to processing.
-               You have the right to data portability.
-               You have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office in relation to any concerns you may have with regard to the processing of your personal data.
By accepting our Client Care and Terms of Business you agree to provide personal data and consent to our use of it accordingly.

Compliance

We are committed to high quality legal advice and client care. If you are unhappy about any aspect of the service or about the bill, please contact Vania Marinello so that we can do our best to resolve the problem. If you still have queries or concerns, please contact Vania Marinello who is the client care partner to whom any final issues can be reported.
We are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and complaints and redress mechanisms are provided through them and the Legal Ombudsman.
All law firms are obliged to attempt to resolve problems that clients may have with the service provided. It is therefore important that you immediately raise your concerns with us.
If we are unable to resolve any such concerns to your satisfaction within eight weeks you are entitled to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman: www.legalombudsman.org.uk or PO Box 6806 Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ.
The Legal Ombudsman investigates complaints about legal services. Normally complaints need to be made to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving our final written response to your complaint.
Complaints about a client’s rights under the General Data Protection Regulation must be submitted to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk.
Any disputes or legal issues arising from our Client Care and Terms of Business will be determined by the laws of England and Wales and considered exclusively by the English and Welsh courts.

Our Costs

Immigration: Our fixed fees professional costs may vary from £1,200 to £2,500 depending on the type of visa application and the hourly rate is £340 per hour. Legal costs include meeting with client, correspondence with client and H.O. , perusing of documentation, drafting the application, revisions and lodging the application to H.O.

Please note that VAT is currently not applicable to our fees.

Any likely disbursements can be found in the government website at Visa Application Fees (visa-fees.homeoffice.gov.uk)

and they do not attract VAT.

Family, Wills and Probate, Lease contracts: Our hourly rate is £340. Depending on the client we can also offer fixed fees agreements which amount may vary. We are happy to discuss the agreement with the client.

Some examples below.

Divorce proceedings: we offer a fixed fee of £700 plus court fees of £593;

Financial proceedings: we offer a fixed fee of £1,200 plus court fees if the parties are in agreement otherwise, we apply our hourly rate of £340 as per above.

Commercial Lease contracts (hospitality): we offer fixed fee agreements from £1,200 to £2,500 depending on the type of deeds are requested and the amount of the annual rent.

Commercial Lease contracts (registration): we offer a fixed fee of £400 plus registration fees which amount may vary.

Probate (UK): in some cases, we can offer fixed fee for our service and the fee is graduated and based of the value of the gross assets we are dealing with from 3% to 5% of the value of the assets with a minimum starting amount of £4,000.

The estates for which we offer a fixed fees agreement are where:

there is a valid will; there is no more than one property; there are no more than four bank or building society accounts; there are up to six beneficiaries; there are no disputes between beneficiaries on division of the assets. If there are disputes, this will increase the costs and we will apply our hourly rate; there are no claims made against the estate.

In the other cases, we apply our hourly rate of £340 per hour.

Please note, our fixed fees agreement includes the transfer of the assets to the beneficiary but not the sale of the house or other property which will be charged separately.

Cross border family, probate or commercial matters: depending on the case it may be a percentage of the gross value of the dispute or the value of the estate or the value of the property or a fixed fees. We are happy to discuss it with the client to calibrate a fair agreement.