This is a summary of the terms on which we act for clients. When you instruct us, we send you a client care letter and our full terms of business. Those documents form our contract with you, and if anything in them differs from this page, they take priority.
Who we are
LCH Legal is the trading name of LCH Legal Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under number [00000000]. Our registered office is Suite 4, 23 Stevenson Square, Manchester M1 1DN.
We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under SRA number [000000]. Solicitors must follow the SRA Standards and Regulations, which you can read at www.sra.org.uk.
Our services and scope
We act in immigration, employment and civil litigation matters. Before we start, our client care letter sets out exactly what we will do for you, what we will not do, who will handle your matter and who supervises them. If you later ask us to do more, we will confirm the extra work and its cost in writing first.
Fees and payment
- Fixed fees. Where we offer a fixed fee, we tell you in writing what it covers and what it does not.
- Hourly rates. Otherwise we charge for the time we spend at the hourly rates in your client care letter. We give you a written estimate at the start and tell you promptly if it is likely to be exceeded.
- Disbursements. These are costs we pay to others for you, such as Home Office application fees, court and tribunal fees, barristers' fees, expert reports and translation. We tell you about them in advance and add them to your bill.
- VAT. VAT is charged on our fees and on some disbursements at the current rate.
- Payment on account. We may ask for money in advance before we start or before a large piece of work. We hold it in our client account and use it to pay our bills and disbursements.
- Paying our bills. Bills are due within the time set out in the bill or your client care letter. We may charge interest on bills that are paid late, at the rate stated in your client care letter, and may stop work until the bill is paid.
We will never change our bank details by email. If you receive a message saying our details have changed, do not send any money and call us on 0161 496 0123 to check.
Your responsibilities
We need you to give us clear instructions, tell us the truth, send documents and information when we ask for them, and tell us straight away if anything changes, such as your address or your immigration status. Delays in hearing from you can affect deadlines and the outcome of your matter.
Confidentiality
Everything you tell us is confidential, and we will not share it without your permission unless the law or our regulator requires us to. Our privacy policy explains how we use your personal data.
Anti money laundering and identity checks
The law requires us to check the identity of our clients and, in some cases, where their money comes from. We will ask for identity documents and may use an electronic checking service. We cannot act for you until these checks are complete.
If we suspect money laundering or terrorist financing, the law may require us to report it to the National Crime Agency without telling you. We do not accept cash payments.
Client money
Any money we hold for you is kept in a client account at a UK bank, separate from the firm's own money. We pay interest on it in line with our interest policy, which is in our full terms of business. We are not liable for any loss caused by the failure of the bank. In that event, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme protects up to £120,000 per person per bank, and this limit includes any other money you hold with the same bank.
Storage of files
When your matter ends, we keep your file, usually in electronic form, for at least 6 years. After that we may destroy it without contacting you again. We will return any original documents you ask for, unless we need to keep them for a legal reason.
Ending our work for you
You can end your instructions at any time by telling us in writing. We can stop acting for you only for good reason, for example if you do not pay a bill, if you do not give us instructions, or if a conflict of interest arises. We will give you reasonable notice. In either case you will need to pay for the work done and costs incurred up to that point.
Your right to cancel
If you are a consumer and our contract is made at a distance, for example by email or phone, or away from our office, you have the right to cancel within 14 days without giving a reason, under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. The 14 days begin on the day the contract is made.
If you ask us to start work within those 14 days and then cancel, you will need to pay for the work done up to the point you cancel. To cancel, tell us in writing at hello@lchlegal.co.uk or Suite 4, 23 Stevenson Square, Manchester M1 1DN.
Professional indemnity insurance
We hold professional indemnity insurance in line with SRA requirements. Details of our insurer and the territorial coverage of the policy are available on request.
Limitation of liability
Our liability to you for any claim arising from our work is limited to the amount stated in your client care letter. This is never less than the minimum level of insurance the SRA requires. Nothing in our terms limits our liability for fraud, or for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or any other liability that cannot be limited by law.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with our service, please tell us. Our complaints procedure explains how we deal with complaints and your right to go to the Legal Ombudsman.
Governing law
Our terms and any dispute arising from them are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.