Legal Costs
Fees
Are the charges (excluding disbursements) raised in respect of legal services rendered to give effect to a mandate received.
Disbursements
Are monies disbursed on a client’s behalf, and will include (but are not limited to) counsel’s fees, witness fees (including the charges of expert witnesses), travel expenses, sheriff’s charges, e-mail, revenue stamps, courier charges, photocopying faxing charges etc.
Miscellaneous charges/ Postage's and Petties: These are costs such as postage stamps and the cost (disbursement, not fees) of phone calls, all of which in the nature of things cannot be monitored or identified with absolute accuracy. These costs will be raised as a separate globular amount on a fees account in addition to our fees from time to time.
BILLING
I have a range of pricing models to tailor to your specific requirements. They include:
Billing Per Hour:
The hourly rates may be agreed upon guided by the Advocates (Remuneration and Taxation of Costs) (Amendment)Regulations 2018 and by the complexity of the matter.
Retainer:
I will charge you a fixed periodic fee (usually monthly) under either a global retainer covering all your legal work or a specific retainer covering identified aspects of the work.
The retainer fee may have carve-outs or exclusions. It is calculated to equate to the average value of the work over a long period, to smooth out the peaks and troughs and give you budgeting certainty. The retainer fee is reviewed regularly to ensure that it is pitched at a fair level in relation to the volume of work.
Litigation Retainer:
I charge a fixed retainer during the preparation phase of the litigation (i.e. up to but not including the hearing). This is calculated by working out the likely total costs and spreading that out over the period that we estimate it is likely to take before the hearing occurs.
I then charge a separate fixed fee per day during the hearing itself. I do this because the work involved during a hearing is substantially greater and more intensely concentrated than during the preparation phase. This way, I protect you from paying for the most expensive aspect (the hearing) if I help you to achieve an earlier settlement.
Fixed fee litigation:
I charge a fixed fee for the litigation matter, which is payable regardless of the outcome. This may be attractive in cases where there is a high likelihood that they will “go all the way” (i.e. to a final hearing). It provides certainty as to cost.
Fixed and Capped Fee:
I will quote and stick to a fixed fee for any transaction or other piece of legal work at your request. Alternatively, I will quote a capped fee which we will not exceed.
