Fees and costs

All fees we charge are subject to VAT. SSL does not and cannot hold client money on account. The effect of this is that fees are agreed and paid before we begin work in the following ways:

  1. A "Fixed Fee" paid in advance. Fixed fees may be agreed if we can determine the amount of time it will take to complete the work and agree on the fee. In this case, you will not pay more than the fixed fee for that element of work, although subsequent work is often required, thereafter.
  2. A "Fixed Minimum Fee" paid in advance; meaning the minimum fee payable for the work, where additional work may be required and charged at an hourly rate. Fixed Minimum Fees are not refundable if the work is completed more quickly.
  3. "Brief fee plus refreshers"; for multi-day trials, SSL may agree to charge a "brief fee" which represents preparation for the case and the first day of trial, plus, a "refresher" fee, which is a lower fee, chargeable for each subsequent day of trial, thereafter. This is not to be confused with a "Fixed Minimum Fee", where a fixed fee is quoted for all days and is non-refundable if the case settles on day 1.
  4. Work on an hourly rate. If we cannot determine the full extent of the work required, we will charge you for a number of hours upfront and you will top up the hours as we progress the case, as required. In the unlikely event that we complete the work in less time than you have paid for in advance, we will refund the balance to you; in this case, you agree that we are not holding the balance on trust for you.
  5. Similarly, SSL cannot pay/receive disbursements on your behalf and you must arrange for these to be paid/received separately. E.g. court fees, expert fees.
  6. When you engage SSL, if you are a lay client, we will ask you to sign an Engagement Letter and agree to its terms. If you are a solicitor, we will confirm the instructions in writing.
  7. Thereafter, each element of work will be detailed and billed in a Fee Note, to be paid in advance of the work undertaken.

Additional costs

There may be additional costs to those quoted above. These include:

  • court filling fees - see here: https://www.gov.uk/court-fees-what-they-are
  • application fees - ranging between free and approx GBP 680, payable directly to the court. (https://www.gov.uk/court-fees-what-they-are)
  • there is risk in any litigation and you may have to pay the other party's costs if you lose your case.

Motoring

Stage of case

Ranges of fixed fees (all fees are estimates and subject to VAT)

  • Written advice on your case
  • Letter to rebut Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty (subject to having a conference and/or advice, and, there being a defence available to rebut the alleged offence)

GBP 250 - GBP 1500

GBP 250 - GBP 850

Preparation of case, including conferences with you and assistance with drafting of court documents

GBP 500 - GBP 2500

Guilty pleas

GBP 250 - GBP 850

First appearance (pre-trial court appearance)

GBP 150 - GBP 500

First day of trial

GBP 500 - GBP 1500

Court appearances per day, after the first day of trial

GBP 300 - GBP 1500

Contact Us

All information is correct as of 5.7.19, but fees are estimates only. For the most accurate fixed fee estimate, please contact the clerks on 02033 939 585, or e-mail clerks@shensmith.com