Pricing

Our Fees

Welcome to Hillary Cooper Law

Pricing

Fixed fees are a quote given that will cover the completion of a specific piece of non-contentious work, such as giving initial advice, reviewing or amending contracts or deeds of trust and drafting a letter. Our billable hourly rates will apply for contentious work that needs to be estimated based on the amount of time it will take to complete or complex non-contentious matters.

We will aim to give our clients some degree of certainty by quoting them with fixed fees. However, for complex or litigious matters, offering billable hourly rates ensures that the client is only paying for the work that has been carried out and will often work out to be cheaper than paying a large sum of money for a matter which may not require it.

Please refer to the ‘Hourly Rates’ section further down for a breakdown of the different hourly rates charged by lawyers of varying seniority.

On account fees

For clients with litigious matters, we offer on-account fees that will take away the stress of having to make regular payments. In such circumstances, the solicitor and the client will agree upon a sum of money that the client will put in the account, and as work is completed, the payments will be drawn from the account by the solicitor. We will consult with you if the budget limit has been reached.

Staging work

Litigation costs can often spiral out of control if a person is not careful, and they may end up with a large debt. One way in which we aim to help our clients manage their budget is by ‘staging work’. If a piece of work is simple and does not require a legal professional to complete it, we will allow our clients to complete that piece of work themselves, which will save them money.

We will also break down the different types of work into stages so that you, as our client, can see when each piece of work has been completed. You will also see what the next stage is and how much it will cost, and this will allow for flexibility between each step. This will help if the matter takes a turn, the stages can be changed, and the client has not paid for work that may no longer be required.

Billing

We aim to bill at each stage rather than monthly. This allows a client to pay smaller bills as and when they come instead of potentially receiving a large bill at the end of each month. The solicitor handling your case will regularly update you with matters regarding it. If you have any queries about the billing, please do not hesitate to ask the solicitor assigned to you. By doing so, you can keep up to date with the work that is being billed.

Calculating costs

PRICES ARE DEPENDENT ON VARIABLES SUCH AS:

The level of seniority of the lawyer that will be working on the case

The estimated time it will take to complete the work

The level of complexity the work may have.

Hourly rates

Lawyer’s Level of Seniority Hourly Rate
Grade A – Senior Practitioner (8 years & Above PQE) £425
Grade B- Solicitor (4-8 years’ experience) £275
Grade C – Trainee/ Associate Solicitor
(0-4 years’ experience)
£225
Grade D – Senior Paralegal £150
Legal Administrative Staff £75

Our charges are calculated with reference to the time spent by the staff at Hillary Cooper Law conducting your claim. In addition to the agreed fees, you will be separately liable for Value Added Tax (VAT) at the rate prevailing at the time.

Debt recovery

FEE ESTIMATE & PRICE LIST

COMMERCIAL DEBT RECOVERY MATTERS

(Subject to VAT. Please note estimates may vary depending on the facts of each case and the seniority of the practitioner acting on the case).

CLIENT MATTER Simple/
Straightforward
Caseload
Medium
Caseload
Hard/
Complex
Caseload
Notes Notes
Stage 1:

Pre-Commencement of
Proceedings:

-Case referral – Collecting
Client documents & evidence.
Initial advice and next steps
guidance.

Liaising with Third Parties on
Behalf of Client

-Pre-Action Protocol:
Issuing Letter Before Action &
dealing with correspondence
from Third Parties.

-On-going client
consultation up to Issuing
Claim or
Defence at Court.

From £750
(London)From £750 + Travel
& Accommodation
Costs
(Outside London)
From £1,500
(London)From £1,500 +
Travel &
Accommodation
Cost
(Outside London)
From £2,500
(London)From £2,500 +
Travel &
Accommodation
Cost (Outside
London)

NOTA BENE:

(Professional fees
may vary

depending on
complexity)

All fees are
exclusive of
court
application fees;
and any
expenses
incurred in the
proper
administration
of the case: For
example but not
limited to the
following:-
expert witness
fees, process
servers,
mediation
venue booking,
special courier
services, private
investigators
etc.
ADDITIONAL
FEES APPLY
FOR
OBTAINING
COUNSEL’S
OPINION ON
THE MERITS OF
CLAIM OR
QUANTUM.

Initiating Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Initiating
Alternative Dispute
Resolution.
Simple/
Straightforward
Caseload
Medium
Caseload
Hard/
Complex
Caseload
Notes Notes
Stage 2:

Post-Commencement of
Proceedings

Issuing
Claim or
Defence at Court.

Including evidence
and bundle
preparation;

Including one Mediation session
(Alternative
Dispute Resolution), AND

Without Prejudice
Correspondence, PLUS:

One Attendance to
Case Management Hearing

Or;

One attendance
t0 Preliminary Hearing

Or;

One Interim Court application
made on paper.

From £850
(London)From £850 + Travel
& Accommodation
Costs
(Outside London)
From £1,750
(London)From £1750 + Travel
Accommodation
Costs
(Outside London)
From £3,500
(London)From £3,500 +
Travel Cost
(Outside London)

NOTA BENE:

(Professional fees
may vary
depending on
complexity)

All fees areAll fees are
exclusive of
court
application fees;
and any
expenses
incurred in the
proper
administration
of the case: For
example but not
limited to the
following:-
expert witness
fees, process
servers,
mediation
venue booking,
special courier
services, private
investigators
etc.
ADDITIONAL
COSTS
INCURRED FOR
ADDITIONAL
COURT
APPEARANCES
AND
MEDIATION
SESSIONS

Travel to and from Courts (extra fees charged)

Travel to and from Courts
(extra
fees charged)
Simple/
Straightforward
Caseload
Medium
Caseload
Hard/
Complex
Caseload
Notes Notes
Stage 3:Litigation

-Final hearings, and
-Review of Trial Bundle

-Court Attendance;
-Advocate’s travel
to & from Courts

From £750
(London)From £750 + Travel
Costs
(Outside London)

NOTA BENE:

(Professional fees
may vary
depending on
complexity)

From £1500
(London)From £1500+ Travel
Cost
(Outside London)

NOTA BENE:

(Professional fees
may vary depending
on complexity)

From £2,500
(London)From £2,500 +
Travel Cost
(Outside London)

NOTA BENE:

(Professional fees
may vary
depending on
complexity)

All fees are
exclusive of
court
application fees;
and any
expenses
incurred in the
proper
administration
of the case: For
example but not
limited to the
following:-
expert witness
fees, process
servers,
mediation
venue booking,
special courier
services, private
investigators etc
ADDITIONAL
COSTS WILL BE
INCURRED FOR
ADDITIONAL
COURT
APPEARANCES;
TAKING
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR APPEALS;
AND DRAFTING
OF APPEAL
APPLICATIONS.