TERMS of BUSINESS

1. Introduction

1.1 We are pleased to accept instructions to act on your behalf. The purpose of this document is to confirm our appointment, to set out the basis on which we charge, and to supply other relevant information.

1.2 We appreciate that this Terms of Business is quite long but it is important that you read it thoroughly. If you would like further clarification on anything at any stage, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help.

1.3 We aim to offer our clients high quality legal advice with a personal and approachable service at a fair cost. As a start, we hope it is helpful to you to set out in this statement the basis on which we will provide our professional services.

1.4 Unless we advise you otherwise, these Terms of Business apply to all instructions that you give us, to include any future instructions.

2. What you want us to do

2.1 We will act for you for the purposes stated in the attached letter. Please read this very carefully as it is very important that you understand the scope of our services. If there is anything you do not understand then please ask us.

3. People responsible for your work

3.1 The person who has signed the attached letter is responsible for your matter. Their status within the Firm is also stated. Mr Shahzad Khan Raja, a Solicitor and also the Managing Director of the Firm, supervises and is ultimately responsible for your matter. The Firm makes every effort to avoid changing the people who deal with your matter as we know that this is unsettling for clients and that it can lead to discontinuity. However there may be times when we cannot avoid this, for example sickness or holidays. If this happens we will let you know, with the name and status of the new person, as soon as we can.

4. Our responsibilities to you

4.1 These are our responsibilities to you. We promise that we will:

• update you regularly by telephone or in writing with progress on your matter;
• be realistic and honest about what we can and cannot achieve;
• update you on the costs of your matter (if applicable);
• update you on the likely timescales for each stage and any changes;
• consult you on strategy even if there appears to be only one realistic option;
• not assume anything.

5. Your responsibilities to us

5.1 You must:

• give us clear, timely and accurate instructions and provide us with any information we request as soon as possible;
• ask us if you do not understand anything, we are always pleased to explain;
• bring all documents with you to meetings;
• advise us immediately of any changes in your circumstances or in your contact details;
• give us written consent to deal with any intermediary;
• consider carefully and act upon the advice we give.

6. Levels of service

6.1 In acting for you, we aim to achieve the highest possible levels of service. In particular we aim to:

• return calls within one working day. The office will normally be open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. At other times please leave a message on the office voicemail;
• reply to letters and emails within two working days unless we need information from a third party. We generally reply using email where possible as this makes for faster communication. We do not encrypt messages. We are not responsible for the security of email;
• communicate with you in plain English (unless you have requested that we use another language), explaining all legal terms;
• consider the options with you and advise you which we consider the best for you;
• complete your case as soon as possible, but matters outside our control might cause delay. We are not responsible for any such delays;
• encourage equality of opportunity and respect for diversity in all our dealing with clients, third parties and employees. If you would like a copy of our written policy, please ask us.

7. How we will charge for our work

7.1 Initial Interview: You must not assume that an initial interview is free unless we specifically agree this with you in writing.

7.2 Legal Expenses Insurance: We do not accept legal expenses insurance.

7.3 Agreed Fees: We have agreed to carry out the work for the fees quoted in the attached letter, although we reserve the right to review this if significant unexpected complications arise. We will advise you as soon as possible if this occurs and why, and we will not carry out any additional work without your consent. You must pay the enclosed invoice before we can do any work for you.

7.4 Other Costs: There may be circumstances when you may be responsible for other costs, for example those of an immigration agency or sponsor. We will tell you as soon as we know of any additional charges. We might not know of these before we start work, so you must not assume that the attached costs estimate and invoice are necessarily complete.

7.5 Payment in Advance: It is our normal practice to require payment in advance. Whilst we try not to charge more than the fee originally quoted to you, if the matter proves to be substantially more complex or time-consuming than originally envisaged we reserve the right to ask you for more money. We will tell you if this happens, with an appropriate explanation. Please note that we do not operate a client bank account and so we do not take money on account of costs.

7.6 Third Party Payments: If we ask you to pay an amount to a third party, then you must pay it immediately. We will try to forecast any such payments in advance so as to help you budget and so that you have as complete a picture as possible on likely costs. We will not pay expenses on your behalf.

7.7 Alternative Terms: If we have agreed alternative payment terms with you, we will write to you with details of them.

7.8 Unpaid Invoices & Interest: We are entitled to hold onto any papers until our invoice is paid. We can also charge interest on all, or part of, an unpaid invoice, currently at 8% per year, starting from the date that is 7 days after delivery of it.

7.9 Payment Methods & Cash Policy: We do not accept more than £3,000 cash from clients on any one matter. Please make payments by bank transfer: we will give you our bank details. If you pay by cheque you must allow at least four clear working days for the cheque to clear, so for example a cheque delivered to us no later than noon on Monday will not clear until the following Monday. We do not accept cheques drawn by third parties.

7.10 Termination & Refunds: You may terminate your instructions to us in writing at any time. If you have paid our invoice then we will offer an appropriate refund. However please be aware that there is a great deal of administrative cost associated with opening a file and a great deal of professional time in considering it: therefore the refund is unlikely to be on a pro-rata basis. Where this happens, we aim to achieve a fair outcome for clients, on a case-by-case basis. We will only refund money by BACS to a UK bank account.

7.11 Currency & VAT:

• Currency: All fees are quoted in British Pounds (£ GBP).
• VAT: All legal fees quoted are exclusive of VAT and any other applicable taxes or duties. VAT at the prevailing rate (currently 20%) may be added where applicable, in accordance with HMRC regulations. Please note that certain services or client circumstances may be exempt from VAT or may not attract VAT. If you are unsure whether VAT applies to your case, we will advise you at the outset.

7.12 Applications: We will prepare and submit your application. We will not contact the Home Office during their standard processing time. The standard processing time varies for each application, and we would at the submission of the application advise you of that in writing. After that period ends, we will follow up with the Home Office once a month and update you on the progress. If the Home Office requests any additional information, we will assist you in responding to them within the original agreed fixed fee.

7.13 Progress of Application: Please note that whilst we will progress your matter as quickly as we can, repeated calls or requests for additional meetings slow down our work and will not necessarily result in a faster outcome for your matter. This is because once we submit your application to the Home Office, progress of the matter is outside our control. Each application or appeal We consider that our pricing is reasonable and competitive. If you require additional support, then we will charge additional fees.

7.14 Additional Consultations (Applications): Outside this agreed fixed-fee arrangement for applications, we can provide additional in-person or telephone consultations at your request. These services will incur an extra agreed fixed fee of £125 plus VAT for a 30-minute meeting, or £25 plus VAT for a 15-minute call.

7.15 Appeals: The average waiting time for a UK asylum appeal to be heard is 67 weeks (roughly 15.5 months), according to the latest Refugee Council and Ministry of Justice tribunal statistics. Average Wait Time: It takes approximately 61 to 67 weeks for cases to clear or reach a final conclusion hearing. The Backlog: Over 87,400 appeal cases are currently waiting to be resolved by the First-tier Tribunal. Increasing wait times have risen significantly from an average of 54 weeks last year due to a high volume of initial application decisions. During this waiting period we will give a monthly written update via email, or short telephone call or letter. Face to face attendances or online attendances will only take place or long telephone calls which form part of the agreed fixed fee and will only take place during the following stages:

• Preparation for appeal submission to take instructions and any documentation needed to support the appeal. Identify legal grounds for appeal and draft the grounds and to complete and lodge tribunal appeal forms.
• When the respondent bundle is served to take instructions and comments on the bundle- advising you on and collecting additional documentation from you – advising you on the strength and importance of evidence.
• Instructions to be taken for the skeleton argument and preparation of it.
• Going through the respondents review and any further instructions.
• Preparing you for the appeal hearing.

7.16 Additional Consultations (Appeals): Outside this agreed fixed-fee arrangement for appeal matters, we can provide additional in-person or telephone consultations at your request. These services will incur an extra agreed fixed fee of £125 plus VAT for a 30-minute meeting, or £25 plus VAT for a 15-minute call. Our agreed fixed fee for appeal cases does not cover the counsel's fee. The counsel's fee will be an additional cost for each individual hearing.

7.17 Complex Issues: The fees outlined in this schedule apply to standard applications. The complexity of each case will be evaluated based on factors such as the number of additional documents required, the extent of research necessary, and the level of coordination with relevant authorities. The Company reserves the right to levy additional charges for cases requiring significant time or effort beyond the standard scope or unforeseen complications relating to the submission of any application type. Clients will be notified of any adjustments to the fees before work begins and will be given the opportunity to cancel the instruction if they disagree with the proposed additional charges.

7.18 Costs Incurred: In the event a client wishes to withdraw an application after instruction has been received, all costs incurred by the Company (including visa filing fees incurred to date) will be passed on to the client.

7.19 Standard Disbursement Fee: A flat fee of £50.00 GBP will be applied for each case instruction. This fee is not subject to VAT and will remain fixed and is charged per individual case instruction and is non-negotiable. This fee covers routine administrative and procedural costs associated with the processing of the case.

7.20 Disbursements: In dealing with your work, we may incur various disbursements and expenses for which you will be liable. Disbursements include, but are not limited to, the cost of, government filing fees, courier fees, photocopying, travel charges, bank charges, translation fees and other out of pocket expenses.

7.21 Associated Government Filing Fees & Bank Details: These fees will be confirmed upon instruction.
BANK DETAILS - for UK related Immigration Matters:
SKR LAW BANK DETAILS LLOYDS BANK
SORT CODE: 30-99-50
ACCOUNT NO: 59794663

8. Client money

8.1 We cannot accept client money as we do not have a client bank account. We are therefore unable to hold any funds on your behalf. Because of this, we do not pay interest under any circumstances.

10. Proof of Identity

10.1 We are required by law to obtain satisfactory evidence of your identity and of your address. This applies even if you are well-known to us. Please bring to the office your passport or photocard driving licence (full, not provisional) and a recent utility bill clearly showing your name and address. The bill must not be more than three months old, nor can it be a mobile phone bill. If you cannot bring the documents to the office please post them to us. We are not responsible for documents lost in the post so we advise you to use Guaranteed Delivery.

10.2 If you do not have a passport or driving licence, there are other ways we can identify you. Please call us to discuss the options and we will be pleased to advise you.

10.3 It is a requirement of the Solicitors Regulation Authority that we know who we are dealing with. We cannot proceed with your work until we have identified you. Our use of that information is subject to your instructions, the Data Protection Act 2018 and our duty of confidentiality. Our work for you may require us to give information to third parties such as insurers. Under data protection legislation, you have a right of access (as well as other rights) to the personal data that we hold about you. Please refer to our Privacy Notice, copy enclosed.

10.4 The law requires us to be satisfied as to the source of any funds that may be received into our account. Despite the rules of confidentiality that govern solicitors, we are required to report to the authorities any circumstances which lead us to suspect that such funds may not be legitimate. For this purpose we rely on compliance with a legal obligation within article 6(1)(c) GDPR as a lawful basis for processing. In those circumstances we would not be permitted to inform you that we had made a report, and we could be required to take no further steps in your matter, without explanation. Naturally we are confident that this will not arise, but it is important that you are aware of our obligations.

11. Confidentiality

11.1 We are under professional and legal obligations to keep your affairs private. Except as set out in this document we will not discuss your affairs with anyone else unless we have your written permission.

11.2 We use the information you provide primarily for the provision of legal services to you and for related purposes including:

• Updating and enhancing client records
• Analysis to help us manage our practice
• Statutory returns
• Legal and regulatory compliance

11.3 Our use of that information is subject to your instructions, the Data Protection Act 2018 and our duty of confidentiality. Our work for you may require us to give information to third parties such as immigration agencies or claims management companies. Under data protection legislation, you have a right of access (as well as other rights) to the personal data that we hold about you. Please refer to our Privacy Notice, copy enclosed. If you have any queries, please ask.

12. The Law Society's 'Lexcel' accreditation

12.1 We are proud to have been accredited under the Law Society's Lexcel quality standard. As a result, we are or may become subject to periodic review by outside Consultants and Assessors, all of whom are bound to strict confidentiality. This could mean that your file is selected for review. We need your consent for this. Please indicate on the enclosed consent form whether or not you agree to your file being inspected.

13. Termination

13.1 You may terminate your instructions to us in writing at any time but we will be entitled to keep all your papers and documents while there is money owing to us for our charges and expenses. If at any stage you do not wish us to continue doing work and/or incurring charges and expenses on your behalf, you must tell us this clearly in writing. We are entitled not to release your papers to you until we are paid in full.

13.2 If we decide to stop acting for you we will only do this with good reason and on giving you reasonable written notice. We will suggest alternative providers.

14. Provision of Services Regulations 2009

14.1 These regulations require us to give certain additional information to you. Our postal address, fax number, email address and telephone number are set out on the attached letter and on our website at www.skrlaw.co.uk. SKR Law is the trading name of SKR Law Limited. We are Solicitors in England and Wales, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our SRA number is 8009396. Our VAT number is 477273850. We hold professional indemnity insurance, details are available upon request.

15. Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013

15.1 If you instruct us by telephone or email, you have the right to withdraw your instructions without charge for any reason within 14 working days from the day after the date on which you sign these Terms and Conditions. If you wish to do this, you must tell us within this period. However, if we start working on your instructions with your consent, you cannot withdraw without charge.

16. Raising queries or concerns

16.1 We aim to offer all our clients an efficient and effective service and we are confident that we will do this. If you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, including an invoice we have sent you, please raise the matter with Mr Shahzad Raja (who is the Managing Director of the Firm) and he will be pleased to investigate in accordance with our written complaints policy. A copy of this is available on request.

16.2 If you remain dissatisfied you can refer the matter to the Legal Ombudsman who can consider your complaint. You normally must do this within 6 months of receiving a final written response from us. You must also bring your complaint to the Ombudsman within one year from the events in question or one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint. You must normally use our internal complaints procedure first, but you may refer to the Ombudsman if we have not settled the matter to your satisfaction within eight weeks of the date of your complaint, or if there has been an irretrievable breakdown in relations.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority: Our regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority can help you if you are concerned about our behaviour. This could be for things like dishonesty, taking or losing your money or treating you unfairly because of your age, a disability or other characteristic. You can do this by completing a report form which can be downloaded from the SRA website, or alternatively you can request a printed form from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham B1 1RN. If you have a disability and need help to report your concerns you can call the SRA on 0370 606 2555.

16.3 You can contact the Legal Ombudsman by phone 0300 555 0333 or in writing P O Box 6167 Slough SL1 0EH or email enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk. The web address is www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

17. Storage of documents

17.1 At the completion of your instructions, we will scan and shred your file of papers. We will keep the scanned copy for six years. After that, we may destroy it without notice to you. If you ask us to reproduce the file you agree to pay us a reasonable charge. This will depend on the number of printed sheets to be made. We charge £1.00 per printed sheet, subject to a minimum charge of £30 + VAT.

17.2 We do not have long-term storage facilities for documents and therefore we cannot accept storage requests.

18. Taking matters further

18.1 Your continuing instructions is your acceptance of these terms of business, but please sign and date the copy of the attached letter and return it to us immediately. Then we can be confident that you understand the basis on which we will act for you.

18.2 We want you to understand what we will do, who will do it, how we will do it, and what it will cost you. If you have any queries, please ask us, as we are here to help. We are always pleased to advise. Please do not be embarrassed to ask, as we are always pleased to explain.