1. Our Contract with You
These Terms of Business (as updated from time to time) apply to all work we carry out on your behalf. Please read them carefully and keep a copy for future reference.
Each time you instruct us on a matter, we will send you a letter confirming your instructions and setting out the scope of work, our fees, and the individual responsible for your matter (the Client Care Letter). These Terms of Business should be read together with your Client Care Letter, which together form the contract between us.
If there is any inconsistency between these Terms of Business and your Client Care Letter, the Client Care Letter takes priority.
Your continuing instructions on a matter amount to acceptance of these Terms of Business. Unless otherwise agreed, these Terms of Business apply to all future instructions you give us, on this or any other matter.
These Terms of Business may be updated from time to time and the current version is available on our website. This contract, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it (including non-contractual disputes), is governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.
2. About Us
Britlaw Solicitors is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN. The SRA is the independent regulator of solicitors and law firms in England and Wales. You can find details of our regulation on the SRA's website at sra.org.uk or by calling 0370 606 2555. Our SRA authorisation number is 8014739.
Our registered office and trading address, together with our telephone number and email address, are set out on our website and in your Client Care Letter.
Britlaw Solicitors is not currently registered for VAT. VAT is not charged on our fees at this time. If this changes, we will notify clients and update our published fees accordingly.
Where we say "we", "us" or "our" in these Terms of Business, we mean Britlaw Solicitors which is a trading name of Britlaw Chambers Ltd, a company authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No: 8014739) and registered in England and Wales (Company No: 12969005).
3. About You
Where we say "you" or "your" in these Terms of Business, we mean the client identified in your Client Care Letter and anyone authorised to give instructions on that client's behalf.
4. Our Responsibilities and Your Responsibilities
| What you can expect of us | What we expect of you |
|---|---|
| To treat you fairly, professionally, and with respect | To provide documents and information promptly when requested |
| To communicate with you clearly and in plain language | To notify us promptly if your contact details change |
| To review your matter regularly and keep you updated | To tell us if your circumstances or objectives change |
| To advise you of relevant changes in immigration law affecting your matter | To tell us about any time limits, deadlines, or objectives that may not be obvious to us |
| To advise you of reasonably foreseeable risks that could affect the outcome of your matter | To notify us immediately if you receive any communication purporting to be from us about a change to our bank details or payment arrangements |
5. Scope of Our Legal Services
The scope of our services for your matter is set out in your Client Care Letter.
We will provide legal advice and services with reasonable care and skill. The nature of immigration law means we cannot guarantee a particular outcome, including the outcome of any application, appeal, or Home Office decision.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, we advise only on the law of England and Wales as it applies to immigration matters. We do not advise on tax, financial planning, or matters outside immigration law unless expressly agreed in writing.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, our advice and any documents we prepare are for use only in connection with the specific matter on which we are instructed, can be relied on only by you, and reflect the law in force at the time given.
6. Service Standards
Our normal office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm. Appointments outside these hours may be available where required.
We will update you on the progress of your matter at appropriate intervals, by telephone, email, or in writing. We will tell you about the likely timescale for your matter and any material changes to that estimate. Where there is a material change in circumstances, we will discuss with you whether the likely outcome still justifies the costs and risks involved.
We will keep you informed of costs at the intervals agreed in your Client Care Letter. We are committed to acting in a way that promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion in all our dealings with clients and third parties.
7. Our Liability to You
Your contract is with Britlaw Solicitors, which has sole legal responsibility for the work carried out for you.
Unless expressly agreed in writing, we do not owe and do not accept any duty to any person other than you, and we accept no liability for reliance on our advice by anyone other than you.
We are not responsible for advice on matters falling outside the scope of your instructions, as set out in your Client Care Letter.
Our maximum liability to you in relation to any matter, or group of related matters, is £3 million including interest and costs, unless a different figure is stated in your Client Care Letter.
We will not be liable for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when this contract was formed, or for losses not caused by any breach on our part. Nothing in these Terms of Business excludes or restricts our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability which cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
8. Our Charges and Billing
You are liable to pay our fees as set out in your Client Care Letter, which also sets out our billing arrangements. We may deliver invoices electronically. Invoices are due for payment within the timescale agreed in your Client Care Letter, and in the absence of any other agreement, within 14 days of the invoice date.
Under the Solicitors Act 1974, you have the right to apply to the court for an assessment of our bill. Any objection should be made in writing within one month of the date of the invoice.
If you would like a third party to pay our bills, or any part of them, this must be agreed with us in advance. You remain responsible for payment of our fees regardless of any such arrangement.
We may charge interest on overdue invoices at the rate payable on judgment debts, in accordance with the Solicitors' (Non-Contentious Business) Remuneration Order 2009, where an invoice remains unpaid more than one month after delivery.
You have the right to challenge or complain about an invoice — see Section 12 (Complaints).
9. Banking and Client Money
Where we hold money on your behalf, it is held in a client account with a UK bank regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), in accordance with the SRA Accounts Rules.
⚠ We will never tell you about a change to our bank details by email. If you receive any communication, by email or otherwise, purporting to be from us and notifying a change of bank details or payment instructions, please contact us immediately by telephone using a number you have used before, and do not send any payment until you have verified it with us directly.
We are not liable for losses arising from the failure of any bank holding client money. You may be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which currently covers deposits up to £85,000 per banking institution. More information is available at fscs.org.uk.
We do not generally accept cash payments. Where funds are received from an unexpected source, we may need to carry out additional checks before proceeding, which may delay your matter.
10. Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing
We are required by law to verify the identity of our clients and, where relevant, other individuals connected with a matter (such as directors or beneficial owners of a sponsoring business). Your matter may be delayed if requested information is not provided promptly. We may carry out electronic identity verification checks as part of this process.
We are professionally and legally obliged to keep your affairs confidential. However, we may be required by law to disclose information to the National Crime Agency where we know or suspect a transaction may involve money laundering or terrorist financing. Where this applies, we may be unable to tell you that a report has been made, and we may need to pause work on your matter without being able to explain why. We will not be liable for any loss arising from our compliance with these legal obligations.
11. Professional Indemnity Insurance
We hold professional indemnity insurance covering claims against us, in accordance with the SRA's minimum compulsory insurance requirements. Details of our insurer are available on request.
Where we become aware of circumstances that may give rise to a claim, we may be required to notify our insurer and broker, and may disclose relevant documents and information to them on a confidential basis.
12. Complaints
We aim to provide a high standard of service. If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service you receive, please tell us so that we can try to resolve it.
In the first instance, please raise any concerns with the person handling your matter. If you wish to make a formal complaint, please see our Complaints Procedure for full details of our procedure.
If we are unable to resolve your complaint within eight weeks, or if you remain unhappy with our response, you may refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:
- Website: legalombudsman.org.uk
- Telephone: 0300 555 0333 | Overseas: +44 121 245 3050
- Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
- Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough SL1 0EH
You must normally refer a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman within one year of the act or omission complained of, or within one year of when you should reasonably have known there was cause for complaint. If you are concerned about our conduct you can also contact the SRA at sra.org.uk.
13. Ending Our Instructions
You may end our instructions at any time by giving us written notice. We may retain your papers and documents until any outstanding fees and disbursements are paid in full, subject to any right you have to those documents under law.
We will only stop acting for you for good reason — for example, where you do not pay an invoice, provide misleading instructions, or where the relationship of trust has broken down. We will give you reasonable notice before doing so.
If either you or we end our instructions, you remain liable to pay for work carried out up to that point, calculated in accordance with your Client Care Letter. We are not responsible for monitoring deadlines or time limits relating to your matter after our instructions have ended.
14. Storage and Retrieval of Files
We may hold your file in paper form, electronically, or both. We generally retain client files for six years after the conclusion of your matter, after which they may be securely destroyed, unless you ask us to return specific original documents to you sooner.
We do not normally charge for routine storage or retrieval of your own file in connection with continuing instructions. Where a file is retrieved for another purpose, we may charge for the time involved.
Signature
Please sign, date, and return one copy of these Terms of Business.