This information is a guide to our pricing policy and contains some examples of our costs for typical kinds of standard work we do so you can compare our pricing with competitors. When comparing prices you should consider not just a lawyer’s hourly rate but also the expenses or payments to others that might be made- for example court fees or experts fees.
Remember too that VAT on legal services is charged at 20% and may also apply to some or all expenses or disbursements, including travel fares.
Price is an important but obviously not the only consideration when comparing who to engage. We hope you will choose to instruct McCormacks because you want a high standard of work on your matter. And because the bespoke service, attention and care we deliver to our clients are accompanied by a fair price. Our prices are competitive but not necessarily the cheapest. We think they represent good value for the kind of service we offer.
Legal costs can escalate if not kept under control. Choosing a lawyer for the first time can be hit-and-miss. We encourage prospective clients to compare; shop around and consider recommendation and reviews when considering best value-for money. Call us and ask to speak to a funding officer about fees in your specific matter.
Good to Know
In some limited areas of law you may be eligible for or able to apply for public funding Legal Aid. In some matters legal aid is automatic if you want it. Legal aid for advice and assistance at the police station in police interviews is automatic without contribution. Providing legal aid is sufficient for the necessary work in a case to maintain a high professional standard we generally agree to work on that basis.
If you are in doubt about instructing a lawyer privately then consider having a single-cost consultation first and decide later. It may be cheaper. We offer a fixed fee for a strictly diagnostic-only consultation with a lawyer for up to 45 minutes for a flat fee of £268 inclusive of VAT. This is a useful way of deciding whether you really need to instruct a lawyer at all. You may be directed to alternative suitable and cost- effective means of resolution. In these consultations our lawyer will analyse your legal issue with you and give you broad advice on the steps that may be necessary to resolve your legal problem, your options and the likely costs involved. We will then write to confirm. The fee covers limited initial advice only does not include actually conducting your case or corresponding with other parties.
We do not hold client money and will not ask you for money ‘on account’ of costs. Any payment from you will only be requested by us and you must only pay us in respect of a bill issued for
- work already done or
- a non-refundable minimum fee or
- a fixed non-refundable fee which has been agreed with you for the whole or a specific part of your matter or
- a payment we have made on your behalf to a third party for specific services.
Traditionally, lawyers charge for work done at an hourly rate and where the matter is one where total costs are difficult to predict then billing time at an hourly rate may be best for both client and lawyer. If you ask us to work for you on an hourly-rate basis we will charge a minimum case fee and then bill weekly for the first four weeks and thereafter when our fees incurred reach your credit limit or every calendar month, whichever is sooner.
The minimum fee in a case depends on the nature of the work and is the minimum cost that we will charge once we accept the case. Our For example our fees for a solicitor of five to ten years experience to represent someone at a single court or tribunal hearing start at £750 plus VAT for a court session and our fees for representing someone privately at a police investigation interview start at £685 plus VAT.
We charge interest at 8% on bills unpaid after 30 days.