Areas of practise
Family Law and Divorce
Our human side and empathy reflect in the way we handle all our clients’ cases. So, whether your instruction is divorce related, financial and property division, children matter including contact (access), domestic abuse, adoption and special guardianship, pre-matrimonial understandings, we would give you advice you can depend on to resolve your problems as quickly as possible in a way that is satisfactory to everyone.
At waterhouse solicitors, we focus more on the best interest of the child in our children family cases and also take pride in understanding that not all divorce cases must end up with the winner takes all approach.
Our services are normally provided according to a pre-agreed fixed fee and would consider asking client to pay at least between 50% to 60% before we begin work. The remaining will be billed on a monthly until your case is finalised. Alternatively, we may offer hourly rates depending on your instructions. If you opt for our hourly rate, the costs will therefore depend time it takes us and monthly estimated bills sent in advance.
Housing Law
Our fees are reasonable but we may be able to enter into a no win, no fee arrangement in disrepair claims or offer an agreed fee for our services. A no win, no fee, is an arrangement between you and the firm, which means that if your claim is unsuccessful, you will not have to pay for our services, but pay the cost of bringing your claim and may be liable for the other side’s cost. For most no win, no fee arrangements, we seek counsel’s opinion to safeguard our client’s interest, but it comes at an extra cost to our clients.
Employment Law
We can advise on all areas of employment law, including: contracts of employment, restrictive covenants, employment tribunal claims, managing sick leave, maternity and paternity rights, business reorganisation & TUPE transfers, dismissal and redundancy, policies, procedures and staff handbooks, directors’ duties, and equal opportunities
There are no two identical claims and as such, all claims will have a different final cost. However, our aim is to satisfactorily resolve a case in the best of our clients at minimal cost but you can be guided by our pricing or fees guide.
As you would expect, a small number of our cases end at the employment Tribunal, but most end with a settlement for our clients, even though this may mean starting the claim, because most employers do not take potential employment dispute serious until their employees instruct a firm of solicitors. If our clients’ instructions come from too weak a point or not worth the legal fees to pursue, some employment cases can end without the desired outcome and may decline taking instructions. Following the correct procedure is of prime importance in employment matters to both parties, and as such, we will always seek to advise on the issues of cost and potentials of your claim at the outset of your instructions
As required by our Regulator (the Solicitors Regulation Authority or “SRA”), we set out the following “pricing guide” for standard employment claim fees and also an estimated range of costs for defending a case from the start right to a tribunal judgment, but please note these are only our fees and does not include tribunal fees, expert’s fees or other disbursements)
The Solicitors Accounts Rules define disbursement as any sum a solicitor spends, or is going to spend on behalf of the client or trust, including any VAT for which the firm is liable. Simply explained, disbursements are costs which are related to a client’s matter that are payable to third parties such as court/tribunal fees, and counsel etc.
We do not handle the payment of these disbursements on our client’s behalf, and as such, you would be required to pay these costs directly to the appropriate third parties to ensure a smooth running of your case.
We have 1 employment solicitor in the firm, Adetayo Ogunfuwa, who charges £250.00 per hour. Prior to being rolled as a solicitor of England and Wales, he was practising legal practitioner in a commonwealth jurisdiction. Your initial instruction is very important and as such, the cost of our initial consultation is between £150 – £250 per hour.
Pricing or Fees Guide
| Simple case from start to the end | £2700 - £6000 |
| Medium complexity case from start to the end | £2000 - £6000 |
| High complex case | £12000 - £15000 |
| Services or Key Stages of Claim | Range of Cost |
|---|---|
| Taking initial instruction, which include considering the claim form and particulars of claim against a business | £250 - £600 |
| Settlement negotiation, which include ACAS | £100 - £500 |
| Preparing client’s response | £100 - £500 |
| Negotiating settlement | £250- £700 |
| Preparation of a counter-schedule of loss | £200 - £500 |
| Preparation of disclosure and considering opponent’s disclosure | £350 - £500 |
| Writing and preparation of witness statement | £350 - £650 |
| Taking instruction on opponent’s witness statements | £250 - £550 |
| Attendance at a final hearing | £450 - £1000 |
| Total | £2700 - £5,500 |
From the guide above, a client would be best placed to discuss likely estimates of a particular case with the instructing solicitor. Nonetheless, please be advised that some factors could influence how we categorise a case, thus making what seems a “simple” case become complex, which include but not limited to the number of witnesses, documents and need to make or defend applications to amend to mention a few.
Sometimes, the costs of a case would normally be increased proportionately as the complexity of case increases. Albeit, we have attempted to set out sample table of pricing for a typical “simple” case in the guide above, but much depends on the exact dynamics of a case.
We can advise you on whatever your specific circumstances, give an honest assessment of your rights and likely chances of success if your claim goes to an Employment Tribunal or Employment Appeal Tribunal.
If we have to instruct counsel in your case, counsel’s fees can range from between £500 – £2500 per day depending on the complexity. Counsel’s fees vary depending on their experience. If it makes sense and agreed by the client, we may instruct counsel for a preliminary hearing rather than attend ourselves.
Time Estimate
Not all cases are identical, so the complexity of a case may determine the time it takes to conclude the case. We are unable to eliminate delays caused by parties in a case. From experience, a case is likely to take 3 – 4 weeks if a settlement is reached during pre-claim conciliation. However, should a claim proceed to a Final Hearing, the case is likely to take 12 – 48 weeks. These are just estimates, so we will be able to give a reasonable and more accurate time frame of the time estimate of your instruction once we have more information and as the case progress.
Immigration Law
One of our core areas of practice is immigration law. We have several decades of legal experience and undertake UK Immigration work.
Drawing on decades of experience in many areas of immigration law including, but not limited to, the)), settlement applications under Appendix FM, as well as asylum and deportation. We are also vastly experienced in regards to EEA applications (EEA Family Permit, EEA Residence Card, EEA Permanent Residence), Points-Based System (Tier 1 Entrepreneurs, Tier 1 Investors, Tier 1 Exceptional Talent, Tier 2 (General) and Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer Migrants), we represent our client’s best interest.
Should the need arise, we go the extra mile, so that our services’ standards are best practice for the industry. More importantly, in view of the fact that time is of essence in most immigration applications, we are timely and organised. To avoid being out of time, we follow a clear and easy-to-understand methods of work, guide each and every client through the process of their immigration matter by regular updates; from the initial consultation until a decision is made
How much do we charge?
On most of our cases, we charge fixed fees or what is referred to as agreed fees. As opposed to hourly rates, we charge a fixed fee or an agreed fee. By this mean, our clients only pay whatever we agree from the onset of their instructions regardless of the time we spend and complexity of the case. Even, if a case becomes more complex after agreeing the fees or we have to spend more time than expected, you only whatever has been agree.
We can estimate and, or calculate out how much your immigration matter will cost or at least give you an estimate. Often, we will give you a quote that will not increase throughout your instructions if fees are agreed, and whatever has been agreed from the onset during consultation, is what we charge. Below here is our price guide or professional fess we charge.
The Price Guide
| Nature of work | Professional fees excluding disbursements |
|---|---|
| Naturalisation as British citizen | £850 |
| Registration as British citizen (stateless child) | £1500 |
| Fiancée visa application | £1200 |
| Proposed civil partner visa application | £1200 |
| Spouse visa application under 5 years route | £1200 |
| Indefinite leave to Remain spouse (5 years route) | £950 |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain spouse (10 years route) | £1200 |
| Entry Clearance spouse (5 years route) | £1200 |
| Extension of Leave to Enter (5years route) | £850 |
| Extension of Leave to Remain (10 years route) | £1200 |
| ADULT DEPENDANT RELATIVE VISA | |
|---|---|
| Entry Clearance (Indefinite to Enter) | £1500 |
| Indefinite leave to Remain | £1200 |
| PARENT OF BRITISH OR SETTLED CHILD | |
|---|---|
| Entry Clearance (from) | £1200 |
| Switching (or variation of leave) | £850 |
| Renewal or Extension | £850 |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain | £850 |
| CHILDREN OF BRITISH OR SETTLED PERSON | |
|---|---|
| Entry Clearance | £1200 |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain | £1250 |
| LEAVE BASED ON LONG RESIDENCE | |
|---|---|
| Initial application for Leave to Remain | |
| Extension | |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain |
| 7 YEARS CHILD APPLICATION | |
|---|---|
| Initial application | £1250 |
| Renewal/extension | £1000 |
| Indefinite Leave to Remain | £1250 |
| EU SETTLEMENT APPLICATIONS AND FAMILY MEMBERS | |
|---|---|
| Settled status | £950 |
| Pre-settled status | £950 |
| Family permit | £1200 |
| Administrative review against refusal of settled/pre-settled status | £750 |
| Derivative Card Residence | £1400 |
| Residence Card extended family member | £1700 |
| APPEALS AGAINST REFUSALS | |
|---|---|
| Entry Clearance appeals | £1250 |
| Leave to Remain appeals | £1250 |
| OUT OF COUNTRY APPEALS | |
|---|---|
| Application to First -Tier Tribunal for permission to appeal | £1,100 |
| Application to Upper Tribunal for permission to appeal | £1,100 |
| Appeal to Upper Tribunal following grant of permission | £1,100 |
| Appeal to court of appeal | £1,350 |
| Appeal to supreme court | £1,350 |
| VISITORS VISA | |
|---|---|
| Business visitor | £1000 |
| Family visitor | £1000 |
| Child visitor | £1000 |
| Entertainment visitor | £1350 |
| General visitor/transit visitor | £1000 |
| Parent of child at school | £1000 |
| Prospective Entrepreneur visa | £1500 |
| Sports visitor | £1350 |
| INDEFINITE LEAVE TO REMAIN | |
|---|---|
| Others | £1250 |
However, we must emphasize that the fees quoted above guide does not include any form disbursement(s). By disbursement, we mean other expenses, which you will have to pay to third parties. From our experience, disbursements in immigration cases may include but are not limited to any of the followings: Home Office, Counsel/Legal representative’s fees for attending hearings, Cost of Appeals, Applications for Permission to the tribunals/courts, and Immigration Health Surcharge Fee (HIS)
Very often, we advise our client to pay all disbursements as part of the application process to the appropriate third parties, which sometimes are the Home Office, Counsel’s Chambers and Tribunals/Courts directly.
Our fixed fee arrangements are reasonable, competitive, and as such, clients are required to fully pay our fees at the outset of their instructions, unless a separate arrangement for the payment has been agreed. Where a client is unable to pay our fees in full at commencement of the instruction, such a client may be able to pay part of the fee when giving initial instruction to us and the rest of the fee should be paid within 12 weeks.
Other Information about fees and Disbursement
If we have to commence a fresh claim, application or take new instructions, we would advise you of the need to agree fees and anticipate disbursements. In the event that your application is refused and you do not have a right of appeal or the decision can only be challenged by way of judicial review, we would advise you and agree new fees. The cost of subsequent appeal rights or judicial review proceedings, change or additional instructions exceeding original instruction would attract new fees and disbursement
General Litigation
At waterhouse solicitors, our watchword is – issuing a claim is the last resort when all attempts to settle without court proceedings and alternative dispute resolution fails. So, if you or your company are contemplating commencing litigation or defending a claim, we are dedicated to protecting and enforcing your rights by the guided principle of “litigation as last resort” even when acting as defence solicitors.
Litigation is generally stressful and the cost implications if not properly managed from the onset may be devastating to the client. Our promise is to tirelessly fight our clients’ corners using our wealth of experience over decades in the best interest of our clients
Our pride is to represent our client honestly, in a cost-effective manner, efficiently and timely. The major concern for clients generally is funding, and more importantly, the costs in some cases a client is able to recover exceeds the amount in dispute or desired intention for bringing/defending the claim. Varieties of funding options are available, which include – conditional fee arrangements, legal expenses insurance, or fixed fee. From our initial consultation, we able to able to demonstrate our wealth of expertise.