General Engagement Terms
These are our general engagement terms. If LB & Co Solicitors has issued you an engagement letter for your matter, the terms of that letter take precedence wherever they differ from these general terms.
Initial consultation
The consultation fee is a fixed charge of £400.00 plus VAT, totalling £480.00 where UK VAT at 20% is chargeable, for a consultation lasting up to one hour. This is the minimum consultation charge and will not be reduced if the consultation lasts less than one hour, for example, 45 or 55 minutes. Any consultation extending beyond one hour will only incur an additional charge where this has been agreed with you.
If you instruct us following a consultation
The following charging rates will apply to any work that you instruct us to undertake following the consultation, unless we expressly agree a different charging arrangement with you in writing. Where we issue a separate engagement letter providing for different rates or a fixed fee, the terms of that engagement letter will prevail to the extent that they differ from the rates set out below.
Fees are charged using a unit-based system. The applicable unit rate is dependent on the person conducting your matter. Each unit represents six minutes of work or part thereof. The number of units allocated per task is set out below. Where a task is not specifically listed, charges will be based on the actual time spent.
| Fee earner | Six-minute unit | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Partner / Senior Solicitor | £40.00 | £400.00 |
| Solicitor | £35.00 | £350.00 |
| First-year Trainee Solicitor | £28.00 | £280.00 |
| Second-year Trainee Solicitor | £32.00 | £320.00 |
| Administrative Staff | £25.00 | £250.00 |
All rates exclude VAT. Each six-minute unit is one tenth of the applicable hourly rate.
1. Units allocated to each type of work
1.1 Meetings and all work not otherwise specified in these terms will be charged in units according to time, with each unit representing six minutes or a portion of six minutes. For example, something in which we are engaged for nine minutes will be charged as two units. The number of units is then charged at the applicable unit rate to produce the charge for that work.
1.2 Framing and drawing deeds (including court documents and adjustments or amendments to court documents) will be charged at five units per sheet or part thereof, each sheet being 250 words. The charge will apply to all documents other than letters (but no charge will be made for file notes). Revising deeds prepared by another will be charged at half rate.
1.3 Copying will be charged at 0.02 units per page, but all copying charges will be waived should there be fewer than 50 pages copied in the entire file. Should there be more than 50 pages copied, there will be a charge for all copies, not just those in excess of 50 pages.
1.4 Time spent conducting a trial, proof, formal debate or hearing (including waiting for the hearing) will be charged at ten units per hour, with a minimum charge of ten units. Travelling time to the court or tribunal will be charged on the same basis, but without the minimum charge.
1.5 Letters, whether sent by post, fax or electronic means (including emails, text messages, WhatsApp, WeChat or similar platforms), will be charged at one unit per sheet of 100 words or part thereof. Charges for formal or administrative correspondence, for example simple acknowledgements or letters enclosing payments without substantive content, will be reduced to one-half of the standard charge as a gesture of goodwill. Where the same letter is sent in identical terms to multiple recipients, the first will be charged at the full rate and each subsequent copy at half the standard rate. Due to the ease and frequency with which clients now use digital messaging platforms, we emphasise that all such communications are chargeable. Each email, message or text sent or received is treated as chargeable correspondence. You can be charged for both sending and receiving such communications, and this includes every separate item, regardless of length or substance. We encourage clients to minimise fragmented communications and, where possible, to consolidate queries into a single message to reduce costs. For matters requiring extensive discussion, a scheduled telephone or video consultation (for example, Zoom or Microsoft Teams) may prove more cost-effective and efficient than multiple short exchanges. Although these methods of communication are convenient, they give rise to real time costs and are therefore subject to the same charging principles as traditional correspondence.
1.6 Time spent perusing or reviewing documents received from you, opposing parties, the court or any third party will be charged based on the time required to read and analyse the content. This will be calculated using the standard time-based unit system at your applicable unit rate. Where appropriate, we may apply a standard rate of 1.25 units per sheet of 125 words or part thereof for routine or straightforward documents. However, for documents that are legally or factually complex, lengthy or require detailed analysis (for example contracts, court pleadings, medical or expert reports), the charge will be calculated according to the actual time taken to complete the perusal. This charge is in addition to any fee for providing advice, opinion or response based on the content of the document.
1.7 Telephone calls will be charged at 1.25 units for each six minutes or part thereof. For example, a nine-minute telephone call will be charged as 2.5 units.
1.8 Any work not specified here will be charged on the basis of the time taken to complete it.
1.9 Should it become necessary to undertake work on an emergency basis, there may be a surcharge for that work of up to 50%.
1.10 Posts and Incidents: A flat charge of 5% of total time-based fees will be applied to cover incidental costs, including postage, file maintenance, telephone usage and administrative overheads.