Fees
Initial Consultation
We offer an initial or a one-off consultation where you can discuss your case with us and we advise you on the strengths and weaknesses of your case and the possible ways forward.
Our fee for such a consultation, which would not usually exceed half an hour is £60 (including VAT where applicable. Cole & Yousaf Solicitors is registered for VAT and our registration number is 917 4323 29.).
Please note:
This does NOT cover: letters, telephone calls, making any applications etc it is pure and simple one off advice on that one occasion only. We will not take any action on your behalf but hopefully will be able to provide you with high quality sound advice on one occasion only.
It does NOT cover: assessing your entitlement for legal aid. Legal aid may well be available to you but will not be assessed during this short appointment. If you want to see whether legal aid is available you should make other arrangements to secure legal advice.
Remember before spending your money on this service that there is a lot of information available on the internet, and if you are just looking for general advice it may be that you are able to find what you need from one of the many good websites giving general information on immigration law.
Hourly rates and disbursements
Our fees are based on the amount of time we spend working on your case. Our charge rate depends on who is dealing with your case and the type of case it is but will usually range from £100-150 per hour. At the beginning of the case we will explain and agree with you the rate for your case.
In addition we will charge you for ‘disbursements’. These are additional expenses we have to pay out such as travel costs, Court fees, Home Office fees, interpreter fees, medical or other expert reports, courier fees.
All charges are exclusive of VAT. Cole & Yousaf Solicitors is registered for VAT and our registration number is 917 4323 29.
Basis of our charges
In most matters our charges are based on the time spent by the Solicitor or Caseworker(s) in dealing with your case. This includes such things as the time spent with you discussing your case, considering the issues, reading and preparing documents, attending Court, obtaining medical or other expert reports, travelling, drafting letters and emails, and making and receiving telephone calls.
Estimates
We will try to estimate the likely costs in your case at the beginning or as soon as possible. We can provide no guarantee that the final charge will not exceed the estimate particularly as there are many factors outside our control that affect the level of costs. It is often easier to estimate with greater accuracy the cost of a particular part of your case and we will do that where appropriate.
Pay as you Go and Bills
Before we begin working on your case we will ask for a payment to cover the work we are about to do. That money will be placed in our ‘Client Account’ and will be held there on your behalf.
At regular intervals we will send you an interim bill of costs for the work we have undertaken. When that bill is sent to you we will use the money held in the Client Account to pay the bill. If there is not enough in the Client Account we will ask you for the balance, and also for a further sum to be held in the Client Account for the further work to be undertaken. If there is additional money in the Client Account we will hold it there on your behalf.
Fixed Fees
In some cases where the work we are going to do is clearly defined we can offer a fixed fee. Where we can offer a fixed fee the amount we will charge for doing the work will be agreed with you in advance.
Payments
Payments can be made by cheque or cash or by way of on-line payments direct into our bank account.
Cheques should be made payable to Cole & Yousaf Solicitors.
If you wish to pay on-line we will provide you with the account details. It is very important that you provide your reference number when you make an on-line payment so that we can link the money we receive to your case.
We do not yet have a facility for credit card payments but we are looking into this.
Legal Aid
On the 1st July 2009 Cole & Yousaf Solicitors was awarded a contract by the Legal Services Commission to undertake legally-aided immigration and asylum cases.
Legal Aid is for clients who have a low income. The government pays the fees at a reduced rate subject to your case having sufficient merit. To see if you are financially eligible for Legal Aid, check the LSC’s Eligibility Calculator. If you do qualify, then please inform of us of this when first requesting an appointment since we are limited in the number of Legal Aid cases we can take on each year. Please note that in order to be granted Legal Aid you will need to provide documentary evidence of your income.
Satisfaction
We are aware that the most common cause of problems between solicitors and clients arise from disagreements or misunderstandings about fees It is important that we not only give full information about our charges but also that we give clear information.
If at any stage you are dissatisfied you can take the matter up with the Solicitor or Caseworker responsible for your case. If the problem cannot be resolved there we ask that the matter be taken up with Christopher Cole who is the Partner responsible for client care.
