Terms and Conditions
Terms and Conditions
Our website address is: https://tritentlegalinsurancelawfirm.com.
1. Introduction
1.1 When you request us to advise you on a particular matter we will also send you a letter (“the Engagement Letter”) confirming your instructions. In these terms and conditions of business “we” or “us” refers to Tritent Legal LLP.
1.2 This Engagement Letter, together with our terms and conditions of business which appear below, constitute the “Engagement Terms” and form the contract between us under which we will provide services to you. Acceptance of the commencement of the provision of services to you shall be deemed to be acceptance of our engagement terms
1.3 Our agreement to provide services may be varied by agreement during the course of the matter. In the event of any inconsistency between our Engagement Letter and these terms and conditions of business, the Engagement Letter shall prevail.
2. People responsible for your work
2.1 Tritent Legal LLP is a Law Firm. However, our members prefer to use the title of “partner” in our dealings with our clients and accordingly, when we refer to a person being a “partner” this means the person who is a member of Tritent Legal.
2.2 The contract under which our services are provided to you is with Tritent Legal LLP and not with an individual Partner, employee or agent of Tritent Legal LLP.
2.3 The Engagement Letter will identify the partner (the “Client Partner”) with ultimate responsibility for your matter. It will also identify the partner with day to day responsibility for your matter (the “Matter Partner”). He or she may be assisted by others (for example, trainee solicitors or paralegals) during the course of our work for you. If we have to change the Client Partner or Matter Partner for any reason we will notify you promptly.
3. Instructions and Scope of Engagement
3.1 We shall be entitled to act on the instructions of any of your apparently authorised employees or agents and to rely on any information provided to us by such employees and agents.
3.2 We shall carry out our engagement as recorded in the Engagement Letter(s). We shall not be responsible for any failure to advise or comment on any matter which falls outside the scope and limitations of our engagement and will have no responsibility to you to update any advice for events or changes in law which take place after the advice has been given.
3.3 Our services will not include tax advice on, or the tax implications of, any instruction or course of action unless this is expressly agreed in writing at the outset, or during the course, of a matter. We do not accept any responsibility if we do not advise you to seek tax advice and will not be liable for losses which arise as a result of any failure to seek tax advice.
3.4 Advice rendered by us is provided for your benefit and solely for the purpose of the instruction to which it relates. It may not be used or relied on for any other purposes or any person other than you without our prior written agreement.
4. Fees and expenses
4.1 We will do our best at the outset to give you an estimate of the likely overall cost in relation to a matter. There are, of course, many variables which come into play and therefore we will provide you with an estimate based upon the information we have at any particular stage. Unless our Engagement Letter states otherwise, any estimate or quotation of costs we give you is only a guide to assist you in budgeting and should not be regarded as a firm quotation or a fixed or capped fee. We shall do our best to notify you if any estimate of our time and/or fees that we have given you needs to be changed as a result of a change in circumstances.
4.2 Joint Clients – if we are instructed by joint clients then all clients are jointly and severally liable for our fees, notwithstanding any agreement between you as to how you will share the costs. This means that we will be able to look to one client only or to each of our clients to pay the whole of or any balance of any unpaid fees.
4.3 Our charges are primarily based upon the time we spend dealing with your matter including meetings with you and others; any time spent in travelling (for example, to and from Court or to meetings); considering, preparing and working on papers; correspondence (whether written or electronic); and making and receiving telephone calls. The hourly charging rate which will apply will be confirmed in the Engagement Letter. If there is to be a change in the hourly rates applicable to your matter, you will be notified in writing and you will then be bound by them. If you do not accept the new rates after review, we reserve the right not to continue acting for you.
4.4 These rates take into account a number of factors which include the complexity of the issue, the speed at which action was to be taken; the expertise or specialist knowledge which the case requires and, if appropriate, the value of the property or subject matter involved. Accordingly, the rate may be increased if, for example, the matter becomes more complex than expected. If the scope of the work changes or our assumptions change, we will discuss a revised fee arrangement or estimate with you.
4.5 Routine letters and e-mails that we write and routine telephone calls that we make and receive will be charged as units of 1/10th of an hour. Other letters, e-mails and telephone calls will be charged on a time basis.
4.6 Please be alerted to the fact that regular e-mails which need attention tend to increase costs significantly. We therefore encourage all clients to use e-mail sparingly as cost estimates can be rapidly exceeded.
4.7 Expenses or disbursements (i.e. payments to third parties) including travel expenses, search fees, stamp duty and the fees of counsel and other experts will be charged in addition together with photocopying, faxes and petty incidentals as appropriate.
5. Billing arrangements
5.1 We will send you a final bill after completion of the matter. However, it is likely that we will also render interim bills to you at regular intervals until the matter is concluded. If a payment on account has been made by you, this will be utilised towards satisfying interim bills. Any balances held will remain as general money on account of fees and disbursements to be incurred we may also request you to make further payments on account from time to time.
5.2 Even if someone else has agreed to pay or be responsible for payment of all or part of your legal costs, we will normally address our bills to you and you will, in any event, be primarily liable to us for those costs.
5.3 As a general rule, we are not prepared to enter into “conditional fee” (i.e. no win no fee) arrangements.
6. Money Laundering Precautions
6.1 Like all firms of solicitors, we are now required by law to apply procedures to guard against the risk of money laundering. It will help us to avoid any problems with your legal work if you bear in mind the following points.
6.2 Identification checks – we may need to obtain formal evidence of your identity. This may be necessary even though we have acted for you before, or even if you are known personally to a member of staff. We will tell you if such evidence is necessary, but it may help us if you are able to bring evidence to our first meeting.
6.3 Confidentiality – we have always sought to keep our client’s affairs confidential.
7. E-Mail
7.1 We may communicate with you by e-mail, unless you request us not to do so. Documents sent to you by e-mail (whether or not containing confidential information) will not be encrypted unless you request us, in writing, to encrypt outgoing e-mail and we are able to agree with you and implement mutually acceptable encryption standards and protocols.
7.2 It is your responsibility to protect your system from viruses and any other harmful code or device. We try to eliminate them from e-mails and attachments but we accept no liability for any which remain. We may monitor or access any e-mails sent to us.
8. Termination
8.1 You may withdraw your instructions on any or all of your matters at any time by written notice to us. We may keep all of your papers and documents whilst there remains any unpaid charges or expenses due to us on any matter.
8.2 We will only stop acting for you if there is good reason, for example, if you do not pay an interim bill or money requested on account of our charges, or if you fail to give us proper instructions or your instructions conflict with our rules of professional conduct.