INTRODUCTION

The purpose of these General Terms of Business is to outline the framework within which Help Me Legal will provide services to you. It is important to clarify that your agreement is exclusively with Help Me Legal, a private legal service provider. Should there be any discrepancy between these General Terms of Business and any engagement letter we issue to you, the engagement letter will take precedence. All services rendered to you will be under these terms, unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Accompanying these terms, you will receive a Client Care letter / Letter of Engagement detailing the specific terms of our engagement and further elaborating on the following terms.

For ease of reference within this document, “we”, “our”, and “us” refer to Help Me Legal, and “you” and “your” refer to you, our client. The term “charges” is used here to denote fees, disbursements, and expenses collectively.

INSTRUCTIONS

The scope and objectives of your instructions to us are detailed in the Letter of Engagement. Any changes to these instructions will be discussed with you, and a new Letter of Engagement will be drafted as necessary. We will act based on the instructions received from you and rely on you to inform us promptly if there are any changes or inaccuracies in the information previously provided. We cannot be held responsible for failing to advise or comment on matters outside the agreed scope of your instructions.

The advice we provide is tailored to your instructions and is intended for your use only. It should not be used or relied upon for any other purpose or by any other individual without our explicit written consent.

Our rights under this contract may be transferred to any organisation that continues our practice in the future, with the understanding that such an organisation will assume our obligations. We will not transfer our rights without obtaining your written consent first.

Should we decide to cease acting on your behalf for any reason, we will provide you with reasonable prior written notice. If we are representing you in court, and such notice is given, it is your responsibility to arrange for another solicitor to file a Notice of Acting on your behalf, or to file a Notice of Acting in Person. Failure to do so will lead us to apply for removal from the record as acting for you.

PRINCIPAL AND EMPLOYEES – OUR LIABILITY TO YOU

To ensure our liability to you is fair and proportionate, we may include provisions in the Letter of Engagement that limit our liability under certain conditions. However, it is crucial to note the exclusion of liability for matters beyond our instructions. Nothing within this clause intends to exclude or limit any liability which cannot legally be excluded or limited.

You acknowledge that your contract is with Help Me Legal, a private legal service provider, and not with any of our individual employees or consultants. Advice provided by our employees or consultants is on behalf of Help Me Legal, and they do not bear personal responsibility to you for that advice. Therefore, you agree not to pursue claims against individual employees or consultants for any losses you incur in connection with our services. This does not limit or exclude our liability for our employees or consultants’ acts or omissions.

PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE

Information about our compulsory Professional Indemnity Insurance is available in hard copy at our office.

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

Help Me Legal is dedicated to promoting equality and diversity in all interactions with clients, third parties, and employees. Should you wish to view our equality and diversity policy, please contact us.

DATA PROTECTION, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND FILE VETTING / AUDITING

Help Me Legal is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998. The information you provide us is confidential.

We emphasise the utmost confidentiality standards. Our directors and staff are obliged not to disclose any confidential information to third parties without your authority. This confidentiality covers most client information, as well as the reports, letters, documents, advice, and fee agreements provided to you by us. We require you not to disclose these or any other confidential information obtained from us during our work without our prior knowledge. Nonetheless, we must comply with the Law Society rules and may be required to disclose certain information to comply with professional rules or the law.

In some instances, information or advice we provide may need to be shared with or used by a third party. In such cases, we reserve the right to specify terms regarding its use, or we may require the third party to enter into a direct agreement with us. When our advice is disclosed to a third party, we do not owe that third party any obligation.

Prior to commencing work, we will request your personal information, including identification documents, for compliance and internal decision-making purposes. We may conduct credit reference checks, the results of which will be kept confidential.

Your data may be used to provide legal services, manage your account, including debt collection, fraud prevention, client satisfaction, service improvement, and for the safety and security of our offices and staff.

OUTSOURCING OF WORK

We may outsource tasks such as typing, photocopying, call handling, or other services to ensure timely completion of work. Confidentiality agreements are secured with these service providers. If you prefer your file not be outsourced, please notify us as soon as possible.

STORAGE OF PAPERS AND DOCUMENTS

Upon the completion of our services, we are entitled to retain any papers, documents, or property if there is an outstanding balance on your account. Our files (excluding any documents you request back) are stored with the understanding that we have your permission to destroy them six years after our final invoice delivery.

We do not charge for retrieving stored documents for ongoing or new instructions. However, we reserve the right to charge for the time spent on related work.

JURISDICTION AND APPLICABLE LAW

These terms shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales. We retain the right to bring proceedings in any jurisdiction where we see fit.

FUNDING, FEES, AND COSTS RELATED MATTERS

Various funding options are available for your case, including self-payment or through Help Me Legal’s standard fee basis, which is fair and reasonable. Our charges are based on time spent on your case, including but not limited to document review, correspondence, meetings, and travel. Hourly rates are subject to periodic review.

ESTIMATE OF FEES

Fee estimates are provided as a guide and should not be considered a fixed quote unless stated otherwise. We will regularly review and update you on any changes to the original estimate.

CAP ON FEES

A cap on fees may be agreed upon, subject to the instructions and information provided. Expenses and disbursements are additional to any fee cap.

FIXED FEES

Fixed fee arrangements will be detailed in the Letter of Engagement, based on the scope of work agreed upon. Should circumstances change, we will discuss a new agreement or fee arrangement.

EXPENSES AND DISBURSEMENTS

In addition to our fees, disbursements and expenses incurred on your behalf will need to be reimbursed. Common disbursements include court fees, expert fees, and travel expenses. We reserve the right to request payment on account for such expenses.

DETAILED INFORMATION

Upon request, we will provide a detailed breakdown of fees and expenses incurred at any point in time.

PAYMENTS ON ACCOUNT

We may request advance payments to cover anticipated charges and disbursements. Interest earned on these payments will be credited to you. It’s important to respond promptly to any requests for payment to avoid any impact on your case.

INTERIM BILLS

Interim billing helps us manage our charges fairly among clients. If you wish to dispute an invoice, please contact us within 7 days of the invoice date.

DISBURSEMENT FUNDING

We may fund disbursements on your behalf, subject to agreement. If we borrow funds for this purpose, the lender will have a lien on your file until repayment.

INTEREST ON CLIENT MONEY

Client funds held by us will accrue interest in accordance with Solicitors’ Accounts Rules. Interest will be paid to you unless it amounts to less than £20.

COMMISSION

Help Me Legal is prohibited from receiving commissions for business placements on your behalf.

MONEY LAUNDERING LEGISLATION

We comply with money laundering regulations and require proof of identity before acting on your instructions. We are obligated to report suspicious transactions and may refuse to act if appropriate proof of identity is not provided.

IDENTITY AND DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS

By agreeing to these terms, you authorise us to disclose information related to your transaction to relevant parties. Withdrawal of this authority must be communicated to us, and we will inform other parties.