My services
Here are some of the things I can do to help you:
- Advising in Conference (both in person and by telephone decided on a case-by-case basis.)
- Corresponding with parties on your behalf. (Limited to the matter in which you instruct me and excluding the general management of your affairs.
- Drafting or settling (finalising) witness statements and statements of case. E.g. Particulars of Claim, Defence, Defence and Counterclaim, Reply, Defence Statements, Statement of Issues, Position Statements.
- Drafting and reviewing contracts.
- Negotiating on your behalf.
- Representing you in court.
Fees and costs
My fees are explained in detail on the Fees and Rates page
Running your case
What does “on the record as acting” mean?
- When you approach a traditional firm of solicitors and they write to third parties or their lawyers on your behalf, they take responsibility for receiving and replying to correspondence from both them and the court and complying with the relevant court deadlines. If you choose to represent yourself, you are responsible for the running of your case and you will be ‘on the record’ as a ‘litigant in person’
- I will not be on the record as acting in your case. I can, of course, assist you in many respects with drafting replies and statements of case along the way.
Contacting clerks
Please contact my clerks with enquiries. They will respond where appropriate, but due to my public profile we cannot guarantee a response to every enquiry.
Termination
- You are free at any stage to engage another firm or an authorised individual to represent you.
- If I decide that it is in your best interests to seek another firm or individual, I will do so without delay and inform you that I can no longer accept your instructions. However, I will render assistance in doing so if you have imminent deadlines that will cause you difficulties.
Complaints
- I pride myselves on providing excellent and efficient service at all times.
- If at any time you have any concerns about the quality of my services, you are invited to let me know as soon as possible in order that I can address your concerns and provide you with my full client satisfaction policy.
- Clients can complain to LeO if they are unhappy with the final response to their complaint, or if their complaint has not been dealt with in eight Ieks; and
- Clients who have a right to complain to LeO are individuals and, broadly speaking, small businesses and charities.
- The full list of who has a right to complain to LeO is available on their Ibsite: http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/?faqs=who-can-use-my-service.
- “You can write to the Legal Ombudsman at:Legal Ombudsman PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton. WV1 9WJ. Telephone number: 0300 555 0333 Email: [email protected]
- More information about the Legal Ombudsman is available on their Ibsite: http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/.”
- You must complain to the Legal Ombudsman either within six years of your barrister’s actions/failure to act, or no later than three years after you should reasonably have known there Ire grounds to complain.
- You must also complain to the Legal Ombudsman within six months of receiving your barrister’s final response to your complaint.
- The decision data on LeO’s Ibsite shows providers which received an ombudsman’s decision in the previous 12 months. In each case, the data shows whether LeO required the provider to give the consumer a remedy. The link to the decision data on LeO’s Ibsite is http://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/raising-standards/data-and-decisions/#ombudsman- decision-data.
Barristers’ Register
- The link to the Barristers’ Register page on the BSB’s Ibsite is https://www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/for-the-public/search-a-barristers-record/the-barristers-register.html.
- The BSB’s Barristers’ Register shows (1) who has a current practising certificate, and (2) whether a barrister has any disciplinary findings, which are published on the Barristers’ Register in accordance with my policy.
- The Barristers’ Register page also links to the BSB’s Entities’ Register and shows which entities are currently authorised by the BSB. ShenSmith Law is a BSB-authorised Entity (Licensed Body Alternative Business Structure)