Debt Recovery
Court Claims
These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.
| Debt value | Court fee | Our fee (excl. VAT) | Total |
| Up to £5,000 | £35-205.00 | Up to £1700.00 | Up to 1905.00 |
| £5,001 – £10,000 | £455.00 | Up to £3500 | Up to 3955 |
| £10,001 – £50,000 | 5% value of the claim | £17000.00 (or 33% value of the claim) | £(Total of our fees and Court fees) |
Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:
- The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor.
- Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost.
- The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt.
Our fee includes:
- Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
- Undertaking appropriate searches
- Sending a letter before action
- Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim
- Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgement in default
- When Judgement in default in received, write to the other side to request payment
- If payment is not received within X days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs
Matters usually take x-x weeks from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgement in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.
Civil & Commercial Litigation
In most matters, we will provide you with our Hourly rate and our cost-estimate at the out-set. However, this may be revised depending on the nature of the case.
Central London Office – Hourly Rates
| £150 plus VAT | Paralegal |
| £250 plus VAT | Solicitor (1-4 years experience) |
| £300 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (4-8 years experience) |
| £400 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (8+ years experience) |
Our fees includes:
- Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
- Undertaking appropriate searches
- Sending a letter before action
- Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if necessary, drafting and issuing claim
- Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgement in default
- When Judgement in default in received, write to the other side to request payment
- If payment is not received within X days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs
Crime Matters
For clients who are not covered under Legal Aid and instruct our firm on a private basis, our fee structure is shown opposite.
Our fees will continue to apply even where, during the course of your criminal proceedings, the prosecution decide to offer no evidence, discontinues your case, or you are acquitted (found not guilty) after your trial. Where an application is made for your Defence Costs – for example, when you are found not guilty after trial – and the court agrees to award your costs, you will be entitled to recover your legal costs. However, the amount awarded would be limited to the amount payable under specified Legal Aid rates which are lower than our private client rates.
This means that you are unlikely to recover the full legal representation costs you have paid to us. In some circumstances, the court may order you to pay the other party’s legal charges and expenses; for example court and prosecution costs. Our agreed hourly rate charges will cover all necessary preparation, research, and attendances (including correspondence, telephone calls, travel, and waiting). Please note that if any additional disbursements are necessary, like instructing a barrister, experts, or other expenses, we will advise you and discuss these charges with you before incurring them as they will be charged in addition to the fixed fees set out above.
We will make sure to update you after each hearing of our estimate of the costs on your case.
Fixed Fees
| £750 plus VAT | Disbursements for each day of trial at Magistrates Court |
| £1,200 plus VAT | Disbursements for each day of trial at Crown Court |
| £400 plus VAT | Disbursements for non trial hearing at Magistrates Court |
| £500 plus VAT | Disbursements for non trial hearing at Crown Court |
If your case is not considered to be eligible for fixed fee then our fees will be as follows:
Hourly Rates
| £100 plus VAT | Paralegal |
| £150 plus VAT | Solicitor (1-5 years experience) |
| £200 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (5-10 years experience) |
| £250 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (10+ years experience) |
Drink driving, Speeding and other Motoring offences, guilty plea
Our average agreed fee for these matters is £500 plus VAT
This fee includes:
- 2 hours attendance/preparation:
- considering evidence
- taking your instructions
- providing advice on likely sentence
Attendance and representation by our In House Solicitor, Solicitor-Advocate or Counsel at a single hearing at the Magistrates Court
The fee does not include:
- instruction of any expert witnesses
- taking statements from any witnesses
- advice and assistance in relation to a special reasons hearing
- advice or assistance in relation to any appeal
- Instructing/Briefing outside Counsel/Barrister
The key stages of your matter are based on the presumption that you have entered a guilty plea and have a date for your hearing.
- Meet with your solicitor to provide instructions on what happened.
- We will consider initial disclosure, and any other evidence and provide advice.
- Arranging to take any witness statements if necessary (this will have an additional cost, of X).
- We will explain the court procedure to you so you know what to expect on the day of your hearing, and the sentencing options available to the court.
- We will conduct any further preparatory work, obtain further instructions from you if necessary and answer any follow up queries you have.
- We cannot provide a timescale of when your hearing will take place, as this depends on the court listing for that day.
- We will attend court on the day and meet with you before going before the court. We anticipate being at court for [e.g. half a day].
- We will discuss the outcome with you. If advice is required on appeal, this will carry an additional cost.
Immigration Matters
In most cases, we are able to provide an agreed fee quote. These fees are based on the standard work required in most cases which includes:
- Attending clients
- Taking instructions
- Considering documents
- Providing advice on merits, timelines and outcome of application.
- Preparing statements of case (if necessary)
- Preparing and submitting application.
| Application Type | Fees |
| Entry Clearance application (e.g. Visit Visa, Family Reunion, Spouse Visa) | £1500.00 to £2500 |
| Applications for Leave to Remain (e.g. FLR (FP), FLR (M), EEA etc) | £1200.00 to £2000.00 |
| PBS Applications (Tier 1, 2 & 4) | £2000.00 – £3000.00 |
| PBS Dependant applications | £1000.00 |
| Settlement Applications | £1500.00 to £2500 |
| Nationality Applications (e.g. AN1, MN1, Form T etc) | £1500.00 to £2000.00 |
The price quoted will usually be within the range provided above. If your matter is complex then it usually will be the higher end of the range. For straight-forward matters (such as those where the evidence is promptly provided and does not involve lengthy correspondence between parties), the lower end will usually be quoted.
The above-prices do not include any disbursements. Disbursements are expenses paid out on behalf of clients. These would include, but are not limited to, UKVI immigration fees, translation/interpretation fees, travel costs, barrister fees etc.
The work in the Immigration Department will normally be conducted by a qualified Solicitor or an accredited caseworker from the Law Society. These caseworkers will usually be assisted by paralegals or trainee solicitors. The list of immigration staff members is provided on our website and further details will be provided upon instruction.
All applications are likely to vary and of course, we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.
We are also able to provide on-demand advice which includes consultation. This usually charged at a rate of £350 per hour for Directors and £250 per hour for Solicitors or Accredited caseworkers.
Central London Office – Hourly Rates
| £150 plus VAT | Paralegal |
| £250 plus VAT | Solicitor (1-4 years experience) |
| £300 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (4-8 years experience) |
| £400 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (8+ years experience) |
Other Offices – Hourly Rates
| £120 plus VAT | Paralegal |
| £175 plus VAT | Solicitor (1-4 years experience) |
| £200 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (4-8 years experience) |
| £275 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (8+ years experience) |
If you are unable to pay, we are able to assess you for Legal Aid at our offices. Please contact us to discuss your requirements. Please note that Legal Aid is not available for all cases and is limited to those who are eligible.
Private Family Matters
Fixed fee opportunities are available for;
| Petitioner in an uncontested divorce or dissolution of Civil Partnership |
£850 + VAT + Disbursements |
| Respondent in an uncontesteddivorce or dissolution of Civil Partnership |
£500 + VAT + Disbursements |
Non Molestation and Occupation Orders
| Initial consultation;preparation of the application to Court and attendance at the on notice first hearing | £1200 +VAT + Disbursements |
| Initial Consultation; preparation of the application to Court on an urgent basis and attendance at the ex-parte hearing | £1,500 + VAT + Disbursements |
Financial Matters
| Initial consultation (up to 30 minutes); letter to the other side setting out your position; referral to mediation and follow up advice (up to 30 minutes) |
£500 + VAT + Disbursements |
Children Matters
| Initial consultation (up 30 minutes); letter to the other side setting out your position; referral to mediation and follow up advice (up to 30 minutes). | £500 + VAT + Disbursements |
| Initial consultation (up to 1 hour); preparation of the Child Arrangement application to Court and attendance at the First Appointment | £1500 + VAT + Disbursements |
If your case is not considered to be eligible for fixed fee then our fees will be charged hourly. However, an estimated cost will be provided before taking instruction.
Hourly Rates
| £125 plus VAT | Paralegal |
| £175 plus VAT | Solicitor (1-4 years experience) |
| £200 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (4-8 years experience) |
| £250 plus VAT | Senior Solicitor (8+ years experience) |