Instructing your solicitor

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Instructing your solicitor

Introduction
Government and professional regulations provide a monopoly that prevents competition in most areas of legal work. Clients are often unaware however that compliance with the mass of professional regulations is extremely expensive. That may be why architects, accountants, and others make a similar living at far lower charging rates. Within the monopoly, solicitors are extremely competitive. Shop around to find a solicitor! Legal assistants may be charged out from £60 to £100 per hour. Non-solicitor fee earners from £80 to £120 per hour; solicitors from £90 to £180 per hour; for London rates add 50%. Firms vary greatly in the extent to which they use non-solicitor staff for dealing with clients. You will often have preliminary information from your solicitor giving the name of that particular solicitor as the person incharge of your case, but then the work will be actually handled on a day-to-day basis by someone who is not a solicitor at all. Our advice is to avoid all “assistants” under the age of 25 and avoid trainees. That leaves you with “real” solicitors and experienced “legal executives”. Business start up - Instructing your solicitor Net Lawman will provide advice, draft or assess documents. If you need additional legal services you should approach a high street solicitor. These notes are intended to assist you in making that choice Find a specialist solicitor in business law In a big firm this will be very expensive, so make sure you get some estimates on hourly rates. In a smaller firm the price may be much lower. Don’t wait until you have a problem If you urgently need advice you will not have time to find a solicitor who will meet your requirements, so get someone in place now. Try to find and interview at least three “commercial” specialists. Choose someone who seems sharp rather than someone who shares your sporting interests! Solicitors’ firms will be reluctant to spare you time for this process, but if they are not interested in your business now, they may well have no time for you when you need them. Provide full instructions This is by far the single most important factor in keeping your legal bills down. There are two reasons for this:
In the first place, to pay somebody £2 a minute to write down your name, address, and business details is definitely more expensive than to do it yourself; Secondly, there is an old saying "a solicitor is only as good as his instructions". Give full background of your company or business, including brief financial details and product details. Give the full history of your present problem, dispute, or requirement. Ask for an estimate of cost, and who precisely will be on the team dealing with your work, and also, how long it will take.

While your case runs Answer your solicitor’s questions fully and promptly. Remember that a reminder telephone call or letter will go down on her time sheet as a six-minute unit - costing you £12 or so! Pay bills promptly. You can then see where the money is going and avoid that feeling of foreboding when you do not know what to expect. Warning signs Solicitors are expensive, so you should not accept a second rate service. Because they know the law and you don't, it is difficult for a client to assess quality of service. Here are a few red warning flags:
Letters you cannot understand (muddled thinking); Letters with extremely long sentences (inability to see the basic problem / solution); Failure to report to you at pre-agreed times (over-worked or inefficient); Lack of progress (incompetent).

You may need to instruct another solicitor, but before you do, make an appointment to see this one. Express your concern clearly and boldly, and assess the reply. Either your informal complaint will clear the air and give your solicitor the clear message that you seek the service you are paying for, or alternatively it will convince you that you really should go elsewhere. If you move to another firm you will have to pay the first solicitor's bill to date. The odds on your being able to recover any part of that bill on account of the solicitor's poor work are stacked heavily against you. Find the right solicitor and stick with them.

If by chance you find any error in this information page, do please tell us. We should also welcome your suggestions for new subjects for information pages. These notes:
Do not provide a complete or authoritative statement of the law;
Do not constitute legal advice by Net Lawman;
Do not create a contractual relationship;
Do not form part of any other advice, whether paid or free.