Guide to Legal Fees
Legal fees are not one size fits all. Your legal fees will be dependant on your individual solicitor and services. When in doubt, you should always ask your solicitor to understand the legalities of your case.
Solicitors are subject to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s (SRA) Price Transparency Rules. The rules require firms to publish price and service information on their websites for certain areas of practice:
- Conveyancing (residential)
- Probate (uncontested)
- Motoring offences (summary offences)
- Immigration (excluding asylum)
- Employment tribunals (unfair/wrongful dismissal)
- Debt recovery (up to £100,000)
- Licensing applications (business premises)
Solicitors are also required to publish their complaints procedures and to display a digital badge to show they’re regulated by the SRA. These rules were introduced to help potential clients make informed decisions in legal situations.
So, what can your solicitor charge for? What types of bill can you be given and, most importantly, is there any way to get help towards your legal costs? Let’s find this out below in our comprehensive guide to legal fees.
What can your Solicitor Charge For?
Your solicitor, whether you are getting legal advice or representation, will charge you for their time and services amongst other things.
A solicitor can charge you:
- Basic fee.
- Expenses.
- Success fees. A success fee is an additional cost if your case is successful and you have a conditional fee agreement previously discussed with your solicitor.
- Disbursements. These could be for getting medical records or land registry fees as an example.
- After-the-event insurance or other legal insurance expenses.
- Miscellaneous fees such as barrister and court fees.
All solicitors should be clear and upfront about their costs and keep you updated throughout the process.
Your solicitor should:
- Tell you at the outset how much your case is expected to cost.
- Update you throughout the case with additional costs.
- Give you a comprehensive final bill after your case outlining what work was done, when it was done and how much it costed.
Now that you know what your solicitor could charge you for, you will need to know how to pay them…
What Payment Options Are Available?
Solicitors will not all be able to offer you the same payment options therefore being clear about your needs is vital. Your solicitor may be able to offer you:
- Free/one off payment advice.
- No win, no fee agreements.
- Damage-based agreements.
These are the main 3 types of payment options which will be available to you and each is important to understand fully. Below we have short descriptions of the 3 main payment types, these should be discussed in detail with your solicitor to find the best option for you.
Free/one off payment advice: Depending on your solicitor and case, some solicitors will offer free or one-off payment sessions. If you are not involved in a legal case but need legal advice, you can call a solicitor’s office to find out if this is a service they can offer you.
No win, no fee agreements: This is the most well-known form of payment option, especially in personal injury claims. In this agreement, you will only pay if you win your case. This is unique to all agreements, in some cases you will still have to pay if the agreement is ended by you or your solicitors before the case finishes.
Damage-based agreements: In this agreement, you will agree to pay your solicitor a specific percentage of the compensation you will receive in a successful case.
After your case, you will receive the bill for your legal fees…
Types of Bill
Depending on the nature of your case, there are multiple types of bill which you could be presented with.
The type of bill will depend on whether the work:
- Involved the courts (contentious)
- Or did not involve the courts but may include a tribunal (non-contentious)
Contentious bills
If your case did go to court, your solicitor will give you a detailed breakdown bill and a summary bill.
If you only receive a summary bill and require a detailed breakdown bill, then you can ask for it within 3 months of receiving the summary bill. This detailed breakdown bill will then replace the summary bill. It should be noted that if a solicitor is suing you for an unpaid bill, they do not need to give you a detailed bill.
Non-contentious bills
If your case did not involve going to court then you solicitor will give you a summary bill, they are not required to give you a detailed bill however they may provide you with one if asked.
Help With Legal Costs
If you need monetary aid to help pay your solicitors fees, you may be able to get some form of legal aid or legal help, this will depend on what your legal issue is and what your income/savings are.
Means testing works out if you’re financially eligible for legal aid. It means that the following are considered when deciding whether you can get legal aid:
- Income
- Family circumstances, such as how many children you have
- Living costs such as rent or a mortgage
There are two types of legal aid for civil and for criminal cases. Click here to search for legal professionals who accept legal aid.
If you are in need of legal support and want a solicitor you can trust, get in touch now to find out about my legal fees. We can represent you in the following areas:
- Defendant personal injury
- Regulatory and compliance
- Divorce and family
- Claimant personal injury
- General court work or litigation.
Just Call Harry now to find out if I can help you.
