CLIENT CARE AND TERMS OF BUSINESS
This is intended to show the Client Care and Terms of Business of Keerat Khalsa:

Click Here to Download the PDF

1. 1. RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WORK
      The solicitor who will deal with the work is Keerat Khalsa. Keerat Khalsa has ultimate responsibility for these matters.

1. 1. CHARGING RATE
      Our charges will be calculated mainly by the reference to the time spent by the “fee earner”dealing with this matter. This includes advising, attending on you and others, preparing documents, letters in and out, telephone calls in and out, travelling and waiting time. In addition to time spent, we may take into account a number of factors which include the complexity of the issues the speed at which action must be taken and the expertise of specialist knowledge that the case requires.

As we have said Keerat Khalsa will carry out the work in this matter, her charging rate is £270 per hour,. Letters and telephone calls (incoming and outgoing) are charged at £27.00 each. We will not add VAT as we are currently not registered to charge for it.

These charge rates are reviewed annually and if this matter has not been concluded before the next review will take place they may arise. We shall let you know the rates that will apply to work done from then on as soon as they have been sent.

3. 3. ESTIMATE OF OVERALL COSTS
      We are unable to give an accurate estimate of the costs at this stage. The amount of work that will have to be undertaken depends upon the time spent and the attitude of the other party and whether or not agreement can be reached at an early stage.

Please note that the costs are not limited and they will continue to increase unless you specifically instruct us in writing to stop acting for you.

We confirm that this is private practice and we have fully informed you that we cannot offer access to public funding. We confirm that the implications of this have been fully discussed with you and that you have chosen to instruct Keerat Khalsa on a private basis anyway.

4. 4. TERMS OF BUSINESS
      Payment on Account
      We require you to make an advance payment on account of disbursements.
      This helps to avoid delay in the progress of your case. Please note we are under no obligation to act for you should you not comply with such requests.
      We undertake time recording in respect of all work done on your matter. At the end of each month we send out a breakdown of the costs incurred to date.
      Accounts should be settled within 14 days. Interest will be charged on unpaid bills at 8%. We will send a final bill after the completion of the work.
      In the event of a payment not being made we reserve the right to decline to act further and the full amount of the work done up to date will be charged to you.
      Payment to Third Parties
      There may be occasions during your case when it is necessary for a third party, such as a barrister, an expert witness, or a valuer to be used. You may be requested to pay the third party directly.

4. 4. BILLING
      It is our intention to be as clear as possible in relation to our costs on all work undertaken by Keerat Khalsa. Below, you can find extensive details about the way we charge, what we charge and tips to keep the cost down.
      How we charge
      As a basic starting point, as solicitors, we charge for our time. That is published as an hourly rate, but actually accrues, or builds up, in units of 6 minutes (known as “a unit”). The reason for this is that it is easier to monitor costs building up in hours that are divisible by 10. (10 x 6-minute units are 60 minutes). In this way, you can monitor your own time accrual according to the hourly rate of the solicitor that is working for you.
      Here is an example:
      The solicitor’s hourly rate is £200 per hour, so every unit cost £20.
If the solicitor spends 6 minutes on work for you, this will be transferred to a bill of £20.
If the solicitor spends 12 minutes (that’s 2 units), then it turns into a bill for £40 and so on.
      It is our aim to be completely transparent with our charges and below, you can find our hourly rates:
      Keerat Khalsa – £270
      Important Things to be Aware of:
      The smallest unit of time that is on sale within this practice is 6 minutes. Therefore, if you engage in a 2-minute conversation, that will be recorded as one 6-minute unit. The same applies if you spend 3, 4 or 5 minutes on that call. If you spend 7 minutes, then it counts as two units.

4. 4. TERMINATION
      You may terminate your instructions to us in writing at any time. We will however be entitled to keep all of your papers and documents while there is money owing to us for our charges and
      expenses.
      As previously mentioned we may decide to stop acting for you if for example you fail to comply with a request for advance payment or if you fail to meet a bill.

4. 4. CHALLENGING A BILL
      If you require clarification regarding the final bill you should contact Keerat Khalsa who will address the issue. If you remain unsatisfied you may apply to the Court for the bill to be “assessed”. This
      is the process whereby a District Judge assesses the work done and certifies the amount due.
      You must make the application to the Court at your own cost.

4. 4. COMMUNICATION/COMPLAINT
      During the course of the case if there are any matters that concern you please contact Keerat Khalsa in order to have the matter resolved quickly. Keerat Khalsa will
      investigate the matter and a prompt response will be made to you. In the event that you are not
      satisfied with our response, we confirm you are entitled to contact the Legal Ombudsman. The
      time limit for contacting them is six months. Alternatively, we can arrange for your complaint to be
      dealt with by a local independent solicitor.

4. 4. PERSONAL DATA
      In order to comply with the requirements of the General Data Protections Regulations (GDPR) we
      have prepared a Privacy Notice, which provides our client with additional information regarding the
      way we collect, store and utilise your personal data. We will forward hard copy to you upon request.

4. 4. FREELANCE SOLICITOR/SRA COMPENSATION FUND
      A freelance solicitor who only provides non-reserved legal activities will not need to have their practice as a freelance solicitor authorised, but will need to notify the SRA.
      ‘Reserved legal activities’ are defined by section 12 and Schedule 2 of the Legal Services Act 2007. Freelance solicitors are not required to hold professional indemnity insurance.

A freelance solicitor’s clients will have access to the SRA Compensation Fund if the solicitor:

• • is self-employed

• • does not have any employees

• • has their fees paid directly to them, and

• • meets the conditions in the SRA Compensation Fund Rules 2021
    However, they will not be covered for civil liability losses, such as damages, judgments, and court orders to pay compensation for a contravention of any laws.

11. AGREEMENT
As confirmation that you would like us to proceed on this basis, we should be grateful if you would please click here to download and sign the enclosed copy sheet and return it to us at keerat@keeratkhalsa.com. This is an important document; please keep it safe for future reference.