Terms of business

Who you are contracting with

JJW Legal is the trading name of LLW Legal Limited, registered in England and Wales under company number 13637775, with its registered office at 124 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. That address is not used for case correspondence.

JJW Legal is not a solicitors firm and is not itself regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. It is an unregulated legal practice carrying out non-reserved legal services. All work and advice is provided by qualified solicitors who are regulated by the SRA on an individual basis. Any service that amounts to a reserved legal activity is carried out through an SRA regulated firm by a solicitor, and I will tell you if that applies to your matter.

The first conversation

The initial consultation is free of charge. It is normally up to thirty minutes, and can be extended at the discretion of the solicitor dealing with your enquiry.

That conversation carries no obligation on either side. You are free to take the advice and act on it yourself, and I am free to tell you if I do not think you need me.

Fees

• Fees are agreed with you in writing before any chargeable work begins. You will not receive a bill for work you did not agree to.
• Work is normally carried out for a fixed fee, so you know the cost at the outset rather than watching a clock.
• JJW Legal is not currently registered for VAT, so no VAT is added. If that changes, you will be told before it affects any fee agreed with you.
• Disbursements, meaning payments made to third parties on your behalf, are identified separately and agreed with you in advance.
• Payment terms are set out in your client care letter.

What I will do

• Tell you honestly what I think your position is, including when the news is not what you hoped.
• Explain the process, the deadlines that apply and the realistic outcomes.
• Carry out the work agreed with reasonable care and skill, and keep you updated on progress.
• Keep you informed of anything that materially changes the advice or the cost.

What I need from you

• Full and accurate instructions, including the parts you would rather not say out loud. Representations fail more often on something withheld than on something admitted.
• All relevant documents, including the complete letter and any enclosures such as an Annex A bundle.
• Prompt responses, particularly where a statutory deadline applies. Many DBS deadlines cannot be extended.

Deadlines

Much of this work is governed by fixed time limits, such as the eight weeks normally given to reply to a Minded to Bar letter, three months to dispute disclosure on a certificate, three months to appeal a barring decision to the Upper Tribunal, and twenty eight days to make representations to the Independent Monitor.

I will tell you which deadline applies to you. I cannot be responsible for a deadline missed because instructions or documents reached me too late to act on them.

Your right to cancel

Where you instruct me at a distance, meaning without us meeting in person, you have the right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 to cancel within fourteen days without giving a reason.

If you ask me to begin work within that fourteen day period, and then cancel, you remain liable for the work reasonably carried out up to the point of cancellation. Given how tight DBS deadlines are, starting straight away is often necessary, and I will confirm that with you before beginning.

To cancel, tell me by phone or in writing.

Confidentiality and privilege

Everything you tell me is confidential. Because the advice is given by a solicitor, your communications are also protected by legal professional privilege.

I will not disclose anything to your employer, your regulator or anyone else without your instructions, unless I am required to do so by law or by a court.

Your information

How I handle your personal information, including the sensitive information a DBS matter involves, is set out in the privacy policy on this site.

Ending the arrangement

You may end my instructions at any time by telling me. You will be liable for the work carried out up to that point on the terms already agreed.

I may decline to continue acting, for example where a conflict of interest arises, where instructions are not forthcoming, or where I am asked to do something improper. If that happens I will tell you in writing, explain why, and return your papers.

Liability

Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Advice is given for your matter and for you. It should not be relied on by anyone else, or used for a different purpose, without my written agreement.

Any limit on liability that applies to your matter, and the professional indemnity insurance arrangements that sit behind it, are set out in your client care letter.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with the service, the complaints procedure on this site explains how to raise it, how it will be handled, and where an unresolved complaint can go next.

Governing law

These terms and any dispute arising out of them are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction.