We base our charges on the amount of time we spend on your case. Time spent on a case can include: Seeing you to take instructions or talking to you on the telephone; Seeing or talking to your witnesses, experts or discussing the case with the opponent’s solicitor; Looking into the legal position and researching the background of your case; Reading and studying all papers, correspondence, and documents in your case; Preparing documents for any barrister which may be used and preparing papers for the Court; Attending meetings with your barrister and going to Court hearings. Our current rates from time to time may not be appropriate in cases of exceptional complexity or urgency or where specialist knowledge is required. Where it becomes apparent that such circumstances exist we will notify you of this.   Our hourly rates are as follows:-    Senior Solicitors preparation, attendance, and advocacy      £350.00 per hour Senior Solicitors travel and wait                                                        £175.00 per hour Junior Solicitors Preparation, attendance & advocacy             £300.00 per hour Junior Solicitors travel and wait                                                         £150.00 per hour Clerks preparation, attendance, and advocacy                           £200.00 per hour Clerks travel and wait                                                                             £100.00 per hour Short letters, faxes, e-mails sent or received by us, and telephone calls of up to 6 minutes are charged at 10% of the hourly rate. Long letters are sent or received, and long telephone calls are charged according to the amount of time spent. Additionally, there may be disbursements to be paid which may include fees charged for obtaining medical records, traveling expenses, experts’ fees, barristers’ fees, Court fees, and witness expenses for example. All fees are quoted exclusive of VAT, which will be added where appropriate. The current rate for VAT is 20%. However, Sharif McKenzie Solicitors are not VAT registered at present. Therefore, our fee would not attract any VAT. If a telegraphic transfer is required to electronically transfer funds from one bank account to another, we will charge £30.00 for setting this up. We may pay bank fees on a fixed fee basis and therefore the amount that we pay the bank for each telegraphic transfer varies. The charge of £30.00 includes a profit cost element for the administrative work involved. You will appreciate that we have to review our billing arrangements regularly. We can only continue acting for you if you pay our bills and provide money on account when requested. We must reserve the right to stop acting for clients if these conditions are not met. We will not incur disbursements until there are funds in the account. Accordingly, it is important for the progress of your matter to ensure that all requests for payments on account are dealt with promptly. We reserve the right to retain any money held by us on your behalf and to use such money to pay any unpaid bills owed by you to this firm If your fees are fixed and prior to the completion of your case, you withdraw your instructions, you will be charged for work completed on the basis of the above hourly basis.