This communication is designed to explain to you the work we will undertake on your behalf in connection with the provision of that service and contains key information about our terms of business. If you have via the Website selected an additional optional service, any further information relevant to the provision of that additional service will be sent to you in writing separately.
Except where set out in this communication, any defined terms (words beginning with a capital letter) have the same meaning as given to them in the Terms of Use contained on the Website.
This communication sets out the terms of the Limited Engagement, which shall be deemed to include where the context shall so require the terms set out in the Terms of Use on the Website and any attached terms of business.
Your electronic acceptance of this communication electronically signifies your consent and agreement to them.
Subject to any information to the contrary relating to how our services will be provided ("the Service Levels") which are set out on the Website, as appropriate our work will cover:
- Review of the answers you gave the System;
- Review of any draft Document that has been produced by the System following your session on the Website;
- Communications with you electronically via email; where required, an interview to be conducted either over the telephone and/or in person subject to the service levels set out on the Website relating to the service you have purchased; confirmation to you based on such communications and/or interview that we are satisfied that the draft Document meets your requirements, as well as answering any questions you have may have raised when sending the Document to us for review;
- Any amendments that are required to the draft Document to ensure its suitability for your particular circumstances.
- The provision of telephone legal advice
- The provision of email legal advice
We will limit the time we spend in carrying out our work as set out on the Website relating to the service you have purchased ("the Limited Engagement").
Except in relation to specific email and/or telephone legal advice, the Limited Engagement is based on the assumption that all communications with us via email and/or telephone will be subject to the Service Levels set out on the Website, and will be limited to those of importance and those which are wholly necessary for the purpose of enabling the Limited Engagement to be carried out quickly and efficiently. We will endeavour to respond to such communications as fast as we can.
If we are of the opinion that we will be unable to complete our work within the scope of the Limited Engagement, we will advise you as soon as this information is available to us.
If you wish to continue to instruct us outside of the scope of the Limited Engagement we will agree with you the scope of the extra work you require us to carry out, and provide you with another engagement letter setting out the additional work we consider will be required, together with an estimate of our fees for carrying it out.
We will not undertake any work outside of the scope of the Limited Engagement without your express written authority.
As a result of the MLR and POCA, which apply generally to all solicitors, we are required to disclose to certain authorities any transaction which we have grounds to suspect may constitute money laundering i.e. the movement or holding of the proceeds of crime (including tax evasion).
We are also obliged in certain circumstances to verify the identity of clients (and, occasionally, others connected with clients) on the basis of documents, data or information obtained from a reliable and independent source, and to obtain information on the purpose and intended nature of clients' matters. If this obligation applies in your case, we will dispatch to you under separate cover our requirements in this respect, and will be obliged if you would kindly supply us with the information and documentation requested as soon as possible. We do hope that, in this event, the impact on you will be minimal and that you will promptly provide all documents requested by us so that we may complete our work on your behalf.
Where verification under the MLR is required, we are permitted by Regulation 9(1) of the MLR to commence work without verification under the MLR being completed, provided such verification is completed as soon as practicable after having accepted your instructions. Under regulation 11(1) of the MLR if we are unable to complete the verification process to our satisfaction, we are not permitted to complete our work for you and are required to terminate our relationship with you. If this should occur (unless as a result of any failure on our part to obtain the information), any payment paid to date will not be refundable.
Before we start work for you we will undertake a conflict check to ensure there are no reasons why we would not be able to act for you. We will let you know as quickly as we can if we are unable to do so. Should we be unable to do so we will credit in full the debit or credit card that you used to purchase the User Service.
We will advise you in due course of the name of the fee earner who will be assigned to doing most of the work as well as the identity of the partner ("the Client Partner") with overall responsibility for your business relationship with us.
From time to time it may be necessary for us to involve other staff, including trainees and paralegals, with different levels of experience or with other areas of expertise. If we consider it to be of importance in relation to our work for you, we will let you know in advance why we consider it necessary, what the area of specialisation is, and the name of that person or persons.
Please note that in some cases we may be already in possession, or come into, possession of information which could be relevant to you but which we are under a duty to keep confidential for another party. We shall have no obligation to disclose such information to you.
This firm is committed to providing a first class service to its clients but if you have any questions or concerns, or in the unlikely event that you have any cause to complain about our service (including a complaint about any bill delivered by us), please contact the Client Partner. We have a written complaints procedure to which we shall adhere when dealing with any complaint. A copy of our complaints procedure is available on request.
In relation to a complaint about any bill delivered by us, which we have not resolved to your satisfaction, there may be a right to object to the bill by making a complaint to the Legal Complaints Service, and/or by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. Please note, however, that if all or part of a bill remains unpaid we may be entitled to charge interest.
If you are not satisfied with our handling of your complaint, you can ask the Legal Complaints Service to consider the complaint. Contact details for the Legal Complaints Service are:
Website
http://www.legalcomplaints.org.uk/home.pagePostal address
The Legal Complaints Service
Victoria Court
8 Dormer Place
Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV32 5AE
enquiries@legalcomplaints.org.ukSwitchboard
Tel: 01926 820082
Thank you for instructing us.
Yours faithfully
Andrew Jackson