Legal Fees

Immigration Fixed Fees

We have helped you by setting out the details of the fixed fees that we offer to deal with straightforward cases.

There may be an additional cost for travel depending on the location of Immigration Tribunal. The core cost to you will remain the same but a higher fee will be fixed including travel costs.  We aim to make our specialist immigration advice and representation available at more distant tribunals.

Each fixed fee set out below is inclusive of VAT and includes preparation for the Tribunal hearing (where applicable) including advice and collation of evidence, representation at tribunal by one of our specialist solicitors and advice on appeal if that is necessary.

Initial Consultation

Costs
£50 -£100

Types of Application/Claim (Excluding Appeals & Advocacy)**

Level 1 Applications:

Travel Documents

Replacement Residence Permits (BRP, NTL)

Costs
£300-£500 Inclusive

Level 2 Applications:

Visit Visa

Naturalisation/Citizenship

EEA/EU residence and permanent residence

Costs
£500-£800 inclusive

Level 3 Applications:

Family reunion

Spouse, partner, civil or unmarried partners of non-EU nationals

Parent route applications

Dependent child Visas

Student Visas

Long residence in the UK

Costs
£600-£1200 inclusive

Level 4 Applications:

Adult Dependent Relatives

Points based system applications

Immigration Bail

Costs
£800-£1500 inclusive

Level 5 Applications:

Asylum claims

Human rights applications

Costs
£1000-£1200 inclusive

Level 6 Applications:

All other applications including –

Deportation

Judicial Review upto permission stage on that papers (excluding Counsel’s fees)

Costs
£1000-£1200 inclusive

Appeals

Completing and submitting an appeal form

Costs
£600 inclusive

Completing and submitting an application for Administrative Review

Costs
£400-£600

All Appeals – preparation of case (excluding advocacy)

Costs
£800-£1500

How long will your immigration case take?

The length of the case varies from person to person, varying from a couple of weeks to months. BMS Solicitors will make sure that your immigration case is dealt with as quickly as possible, and will offer assistance throughout the entire time so that you feel secure and supported. We understand that every case is individual, our solicitors can use their extensive immigration law knowledge to help speed up your application process as much as possible, enabling you to get back to your day to day life in no time. As a minimum immigration cases can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months for standard cases and 6 months to 1 year for more complex matters. The length of time a case takes is highly dictated by the decision maker at the Home Office and/or other parties involved.

 

 

Anticipated Disbursements

Anticipated Disbursements Vatable/Non Vatable
Home Office immigration and nationality fees 8 October 2018 – Various depending on application and where application made. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visa-regulations-revised-table/home-office-immigration-and-nationality-fees-2018 Non-Vatable
Interpreter fees – various Vatable
Courier fees – various Vatable

Key stages of the matter and likely timescales for each stage

Descriptive Example:

Hourly rate: Please refer to our Hourly Rate table below. The hourly rate ranges between £150 – £500 per hour.

The range of fees is provided above based on our experience in dealing with these matters.

The exact cost of the service depends on the number of hours it will take which depends on the circumstances in your case. Such as:

  • The amount of supporting evidence that we need to consider
  • Which language(s) you speak
  • Whether you are applying with other dependants

 

If you are able to provide sufficient evidence at our first meeting and clearly meet the applicable Immigration Rules, the cost is likely to be at the lower end of this range.

 

The work will involve:

  • discussing your circumstances in detail and confirming whether this is the most appropriate application for you to make and what other options may be available to you;
  • giving you advice about the requirements of the Immigration Rules and whether you meet the criteria.
  • if you do not fulfil certain criteria, whether this can be overcome and how;
  • considering the supporting evidence you have provided;
  • where necessary, helping you obtain further evidence (such as medical records and bank statements), including taking statements of any witnesses;
  • preparing your application and submitting it on your behalf;
  • Attendance at a Home Office interview: if the Home Office ask you to attend an interview, we will give you clear advice (and discuss the possibility of us attending with you) at the appropriate time.
  • giving you advice about the outcome of the application and any further steps you need to take.

 

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as visa fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

 

Disbursements can include:

  • Interpreter/ translator fees. If a translator/ interpreter is required we will obtain a quote/ estimate first and obtain your approval before engaging them.
  • Independent expert reports e.g. medical experts. These are not required in many cases: we will let you know as soon as possible if we consider an expert report is necessary.
  • If there is an interview and we do attend with you, there will be additional disbursements in respect of our mileage/travel expenses.

The costs quoted here do not include:

  • Any Home Office fees for making the application. You will pay this to the Home Office directly as part of the application process.
  • Where the Home Office refuse your application, advice and assistance in relation to any appeal

We cannot guarantee how long the Home Office will take to process your application.

Read the current processing times. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about-our-services

 

We will normally be able to submit this type of application within 2 to 4 weeks of you instructing us, but we will let you know at the earliest opportunity if it is likely to take longer than this. If the matter is urgent, please also let us know. However, an urgent application may mean that our fees and disbursements are higher.

 

Please note the range of fees are an estimate based on the facts above. All applications are likely to vary and of course, we can give you a more accurate estimate once we have more information about your specific case.

 

 

 

 

 

Motoring Offences Fixed Fees

Where legal aid is not available, we have helped you by setting out the details of the motoring offences fixed fees that we offer to deal with straightforward cases before the Magistrates’ Courts.

There may be an additional cost for travel depending on the location of courts. We are still able to represent you if your case is being heard at a court The cost of our representation will be based on these motoring offences fixed fees.  The core cost to you will remain the same but a higher fee will be fixed including travel costs.  We aim to make our specialist motoring law advice and representation available at more distant courts.

Each fixed fee set out below is inclusive of VAT and includes preparation for the Magistrates’ Court hearing including advice and collation of evidence, representation at court by one of our specialist solicitors and advice on appeal if that is necessary.

Representation at court upon Guilty plea with sentence at a single hearing
£500 plus vat  inclusive

Representation at court upon guilty plea with sentence at a separate hearing
£600 inclusive

Not guilty plea and half day trial
£1200 inclusive

Not guilty plea and full day trial
£1800 inclusive

Additional day or part day of trial
£600 inclusive

Exceptional hardship argument to avoid disqualification
£600 inclusive

Special reasons argument to avoid disqualification
Fees as for trials
Half day – £1200 inclusive
Inclusive Full day –  £1800 inclusive
Inclusive Additional day of part day – £600 inclusive

Appeal to the Crown Court 

Appeal against sentence – £1200 inclusive

 

 

Additional Expenses 

In addition, some trials will involve the instruction of experts to provide reports such as ‘back calculations’ where you are alleging post-driving consumption of alcohol.  The fee for these reports is not included in the fixed-fess set out above, and there will be an additional cost, often in the region of £300 inclusive.

Representation at a more distant court will incur an additional expense of £60 per hour inclusive travel time.  Any mileage to more distant courts will be at the inclusive rate of £0.54 per mile with additional disbursements such as parking.

Although unlikely, some cases may be particularly complicated and therefore unsuited to a fixed fee approach.  We will identify such cases immediately and provide you with separate advice as to the likely cost to conclusion.

 

 

 

 

 

The Benefits Of Our Expert Representation For Your Motoring Law Case

Although there may be a temptation to represent yourself, bearing in mind the cost of legal fees, our solicitors are experts in securing the best result for you.

They each have an excellent tactical awareness of how to best put your case before the Magistrates’ Court and will present any argument in a convincing, persuasive and compelling way.  They will ensure that any necessary supporting documentation is before the court.

The effect of a conviction and driving ban can acutely effect both you private and work life, so you may wish to think very carefully when choosing whether or not to have legal representation.

 

Our Motoring Law Solicitors

We believe that it is important that you are able to see the experience of our solicitors who will represent you at court for road traffic matters.  As a result we have published full profiles for all of our lawyers.  You can read about the solicitor dealing with your case by following the link to the team here.

How long will your motoring offence case take?

Many motoring offences are summary only which means they can only be tried in a magistrates’ court. These are subject to an overall time limit within which to bring proceedings of six months. There are some statutory exceptions to this and this time limit may be extended for certain offences and in certain limited circumstances.

Not Guilty Plea estimates based on first hearing and maximum one day trial. Estimates do not include additional disbursements such as travel costs and expert report fees (as mentioned above)

Guilty Plea prices include:
• Initial meeting to ascertain the facts of your case and take instructions.
• Any necessary correspondence and contact with your lawyer.
• Reviewing evidence necessary to your particular case
• Advice regarding the case, the Court process (if necessary) and what to expect
• Meeting at court prior to hearing
• Representation in Court hearing
• Any necessary advice & assistance post hearing

Employment Law Fixed Fees

 

No win no fee

If you would like to have your situation assessed call us on 0161 236 6816, our advisers will find out a little more about your claim before passing this on to our specialist solicitors who will confirm whether or not we can assist you on a no win no fee basis.

If we can assist you on a no win no fee basis, we will guide you through the ACAS Early Conciliation, tribunal and court process to help you achieve the best resolution of your claim.

For cases run on this funding basis, there is a maximum deduction of 35% payable to BMS Solicitors which is governed in accordance with the Damages Based Agreement Regulations 2013.

Clients are only liable for our fees in these circumstances:

Where we have acted for you under the agreement and you end the agreement where:

  • You have secured a settlement or obtained a successful judgment;
  • Your opponent admits liability;
  • It is within a week of trial and you end the agreement; or
  • It is deemed that as the client you behaved unreasonably (i.e. rejecting a reasonable offer of settlement or failing to co-operate regarding orders of the tribunal).

 

Work included and key stages           

The precise work and stages involved in defending an unfair or wrongful dismissal claim vary according to the circumstances. However, we have set out the key stages involved in a typical claim:

  • Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits and likely compensation.
  • Entering into pre-claim conciliation where this is mandatory to explore whether a settlement can be reached.
  • Preparing your response.
  • Reviewing and advising on the claim from the other party.
  • Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process.
  • Considering a schedule of loss.
  • Preparing for (and attending) a Preliminary Hearing.
  • Exchanging documents with the other party and agreeing a bundle of documents.
  • Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses.
  • Preparing bundle of documents.
  • Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements.
  • Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or cast list.
  • Preparation and attendance at Final Hearing, including instructions to Counsel.

 

Services excluded

Our services (within the scope of this costs information) will not include any of the following:

  • Advice or assistance in relation to any appeal.
  • Advice relating to tax i.e. the tax treatment of any settlement; and
  • Advice relating to pensions.

 

Approximate/ average timescales

The time that it takes from your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved. If a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation, your case is likely to take 5 -10 weeks. If the claim proceeds to a Final Hearing, your case is likely to take 6 – 18 months. This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as your case progresses.

 

 

Payment on an hourly rate

A solicitor’s hourly rate usually reflects their level of experience and seniority. Paying a solicitor on an hourly rate to deal with the whole of a claim in the tribunal or court is the most traditional method of funding. It secures you comprehensive assistance from day one, but you will need to consider whether the cost of proceeding with a claim outweighs the value of it. Typically speaking, a claim for unfair dismissal will cost at least £3,000 plus VAT and associated costs, such as barristers and tribunal fees. Fees in civil claims can exceed this amount. However, if your claim far exceeds the value of the estimated fees to be incurred and you are prepared to accept the risk that it may not succeed, then this could be a good method of funding for you. You should however be aware that only in a small minority of cases are legal costs recoverable from your opponent in tribunal proceedings

From the outset we will outline the potential costs that you are likely to incur to take your claim to an Employment Tribunal or County Court. We will fully outline any risks to you and discuss the options available to you to successfully resolve the claim. We believe in transparency of costs and therefore provide regular updates as to the costs you are incurring on a monthly basis.  We believe in taking a pragmatic approach to resolving complaints before proceeding with litigation and therefore will discuss all options available to you.

If you wish to pursue a claim and want to know more about costs of doing so, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0161 236 6816.

 

Our Hourly Rates

 

A Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years’ experience £500.00
B Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience £350.00
C Other solicitors or legal executives and fee earners of equivalent experience £275.00
D Trainee solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners £150.00

 

 

Insurance policy

Everyone who owns a house will have taken out buildings insurance, and as part of this type of cover you may also have the benefit of a legal expenses insurance policy which can sometimes cover legal assistance in the Employment Tribunal or County Court. You can check this by looking at your policy terms, or contacting your insurer directly.

You do have freedom of choice to select the solicitor you would like to instruct, and we have extensive experience of acting for clients with this type of policy. Upon becoming aware of a claim, you should contact your insurance company as soon as you can and advise that you wish to instruct your own solicitor to assist with the claim. We are able to liaise with insurers on your behalf to quickly secure cover.

If you believe you have the benefit of a legal expenses insurance policy, please contact us on 0161 236 6816 and we will deal directly with your insurer to arrange cover so that your claim can be dealt with as soon as possible.

 

Fixed price employment law advice

If you are experiencing difficulties at work we can provide you with practical advice on the options available to you as well as advice on potential claims. For a fee of £100 plus VAT we can provide an initial face to face meeting to discuss your concerns and identify the steps you can take to resolve these. For that fee we can consider documentation you have received from your employer and following the meeting provide you with a written advice outlining the options available to you. We often continue to advise clients following the meeting by looking to resolve the issue on their behalf.

 

Fixed fee discrimination law advice

If you believe that you are experiencing discrimination from a service provider, public body or private club or association then we can offer bespoke fixed price services at various stages of any complaint or claim.

 

How much does representation at an employment tribunal cost?

 

Unpaid wages/breach of contract – Average £2,000 plus VAT and disbursements.

 

Unfair dismissal claim – Average £4,000 plus VAT and disbursements

 

Discrimination claim – Between £6,000 – £8,000 plus VAT and disbursements

Prices quoted are for representation throughout the full stage of proceedings up to a final hearing. Work would include the draft of initial pleadings, attendance at a preliminary hearing to discuss case management, dealing with the case management orders including; preparation of a schedule of loss; dealing with disclosure of documents/preparation of a bundle and drafting of witness statements. We would also instruct and liaise with a barrister for any final preparations before attending the final hearing.

Disbursements including a barrister attending the hearing can range from £400 – £2,500 plus VAT depending on the length of the hearing and experience of the barrister. Clients will be informed as early as possible about the costs of the barrister.

On average an employment tribunal can take up to 6 months though this depends on each case.

 

What qualifications do the team hold?

All employment law work is supervised by a qualified solicitor. Specific experience can be seen in the individual staff profiles.

Debt Recovery Fees

Debt Recovery Claims

These costs apply where your claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed. If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which could be on a fixed fee (e.g. if a one-off letter is required), or an hourly rate if more extensive work is needed.

Stage 1 – Sending a standard letter before claim

Debt Owed Our Fee
Up to £1,000 £100 + VAT = £120 (additional £25 +VAT for each extra defendant)
£1,001 – £10,000 £150 + VAT = £180 (additional £45 +VAT for each extra defendant)
£10,001 + £200 + VAT = £240 (additional £150 +VAT for each extra defendant)

Stage 2 – Issuing a Court claim

Debt Owed Our Fee Court Fee
Up to £1,000 £200 + VAT = £240 (additional £50 +VAT for each extra defendant) £35 – £70
£1,001 – £10,000 £300 + VAT = £360 (additional £100 +VAT for each extra defendant) £80 – £455
£10,001 – £100,000 £400 + VAT = £480 (additional £150 +VAT for each extra defendant) 5% of claim value
£100,001 – £200,000 £600 + VAT = £720 (additional £250 +VAT for each extra defendant) 5% of claim value

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

  • The VAT element of our fee cannot be reclaimed from your debtor;
  • Interest and compensation may take the debt into a higher banding, with a higher cost;
  • The costs quoted above are not for matters where enforcement action, such as the bailiff, is needed to collect your debt.

 

Our fee includes:

  • taking your instructions and reviewing documentation;
  • sending a letter before action;
  • receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim;
  • where no Acknowledgement of Service or Defence is received, applying to the Court to enter Judgment in Default;
  • when Judgment in default is received, write to the other side to request payment;
  • If payment is not received with 14 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs.

 

The fee does not include:

  • Undertaking any enquiries in respect of the solvency of the debtor (“debtor profiling”);
  • Advising you in respect of the merits of your claim or gathering evidence (our fixed fee debt recovery scheme is premised upon the fact that there is an unpaid invoice which is not disputed);
  • Dealing with the claim should it become defended, in which case we will discuss further costs and funding the matter with you.

Matters usually take 1-4 month from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of Judgment in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.

Our Team

We have two members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Jawad Babar, Principal Solicitor. Both  have extensive experience in delivering high quality work in all matters relating to debt recovery & litigation.

Advocacy – FEE PER HEARING (including travel time and expenses)

Case Management Review Hearing /Directions Hearings in Manchester and London

Costs
£400

Full Hearing in Manchester and London

Costs
£600

Hearings at other venues to be discussed on request.

Counsel can be instructed upon request. Counsel’s fees would then need to be negotiated on an individual basis.

Certain complex cases fees will vary, depending on complexity.

NB – All fees are inclusive of VAT which is applied at the current rate of 20% (totals shown above)

Disbursements: All disbursements will need to be paid for separately in addition to the fees for our services. Examples of disbursements include home office/visa application fees, court application fees, postage, interpreting/translation services, medical reports fees, expert report fees, mileage/travel expenses etc. This is not an exhaustive list and is meant purely as a guide.

Fees may be adjusted dependent on the seniority of the fee earner.

 **Applications for more than one individual will be charged at an extra 50% per application for each additional person