We offer various ways of funding your legal advice.
Private funding
We appreciate that funding legal advice and representation can be challenging and that it is essential all our clients understand the costs of our services. It is not possible to provide simple, upfront costs estimates in most family proceedings because they are unpredictable. Our costs estimates are case specific and usually require an initial appointment so that we can tailor them to your circumstances.
For some types of work we are happy to agree a fixed fee. We only offer fixed fees for work that has a clear start and finish – a divorce, for example (but not the financial or children arrangements arising from a divorce) and advising on an application to revoke a care or placement order, or an appeal.
We offer an initial appointment for new clients for a fixed fee of £250. This includes VAT and anti-money laundering searches (which we are required to do).
If the work is not covered by a fixed fee we charge on an hourly basis. You are charged for time we spend working on your case – either in consultation with you, in correspondence with you or other parties, preparing documents, or representing you in court or other meetings.
Our partners and heads of department (Emily, Ruth, Irena and Helen) charge up to £350 + VAT per hour.
Our senior consultants (Ruth, Seona, Carrie) charge up to £330 + VAT per hour.
Our junior consultants (Amanda and Simone) charge up to £280 + VAT per hour.
Our junior solicitors (Beth) and paralegals (Kerri-Anne) charge up to £200 + VAT per hour.
You are welcome to choose the lawyer who manages your case but please bear in mind that not all our lawyers undertake all types of work and individuals have to manage the size of their case load and their capacity. You can find out who undertakes the type of case you have by looking on each subject specific page on our website.
In certain circumstances we can assist you in obtaining a loan for legal fees. You would need to speak to us about this as we would need to know a bit about your case to advise on eligibility.
Mediation
The costs of mediation are typically £270 + VAT per hour per couple.
Before mediation commences, each party will be offered a mediation information and assessment meeting – or MIAM – which is £160 inc. VAT each.
For matters where there is a dispute about children, or simply where arrangements need to be explored, the Government have introduced a voucher scheme to cover some of the costs of mediation. Please talk to us if this is of interest to you, as it is something we can offer.
We do not have a contract to offer legally aided mediation but can signpost you to organisations that do.
Legal aid
We hold a contract to provide legal aid family advice and representation. Find out here if you are eligible for legal aid.
In order to be eligible for legal aid you have to satisfy specific criteria that are set by the Government, not by us. You can read about these criteria at the link above but in brief: first and foremost, your case must be the type of case that is covered by the legal aid scheme; for most cases within the scheme you have to prove you are the victim of domestic abuse (perpetrated by the other party to the case) + you are financially eligible to receive legal aid + your case has merit. You must satisfy all these criteria, not just one.
If you are asked to provide proof of domestic abuse in order to get legal aid you will have to obtain a document that contains very specific wording. The Legal Aid Agency sets out here the various types of proof you can use.
There are some types of case (brought by the local authority) in which eligibility is automatic for parents or people with parental responsibility.
Local Authority (or other agency) funding
In a small number of cases, we offer to undertake work funded by a third party – a local authority or agency. If you would like us to consider doing that in your case its best to start by asking the agency to confirm what they are prepared to fund in writing.