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No legal relationship is intended to be established by the free, brief initial consultation. Legal opinions provided on the spur of the moment, with limited background information exchanged and without specific, fact-based research should not be relied upon for non-trivial legal matters.
The initial office consultation includes the following: getting to know each other, case background, fee and retainer negotiations and, often, advice and discussion of next steps. The initial office consultation is billed at the rate from £100.00 to £125.00 per hour / £50.00 to £65.00 per half hour.
It has generally been our experience that initial consultations take about one and one-half hours. Therefore, the cost will be approximately £155.00. That fee is to be paid at the time of the initial consultation. In some limited circumstances the consultation may be conducted over the telephone or by e-mail. The same hourly rate applies and payment must be made in advance for the estimated one and one-half hour consultation.
In most cases it will be worthwhile to have an advisor to reviews documents and becomes familiar with the issues before the initial consultation. If requested be sure to send the relevant documents to Coddan in advance of your consultation. You also might find it helpful both in preparation for your initial consultation and in preparation of your case to keep a journal, write a chronology or prepare a summary of the events and contacts with the relevant people involved in your case. If you have done so or can do so in advance of the initial consultation, send those documents as well.
Note that time spent reviewing documents in preparation for the initial consultation will be billed at the initial consultation rate and will be expected to be paid for at the time of the initial office consultation or in advance of the telephone or email consultation. A minimum of one-half hour will be billed for advance documents review. An average of one and one-half hours should be expected for more than a few pages of advance document review.
As Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said, "A lawyer's time and advice are his stock in trade."
After submitting this form, you will receive an e-mail from Coddan offering you an initial consultation appointment which matches your stated preferences as closely as possible.
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