Fees
My pricing is clear, fair and transparent, with no hidden charges. Before I take on any new instruction, I agree the fee and any associated costs with you in advance, so you know exactly what to expect from the outset.
How I calculate my fees
My fees depend on the documents in question and what you ask me to do. To give you an accurate indication of the likely costs, I will usually need to know:
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what service you require and the type of document to be notarised (for example, attesting signatures, certifying copies and arranging legalisation are usually less expensive than notarising more complex documents such as foreign powers of attorney);
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who is signing the document and, if signing on behalf of a company, what authority they have to do so;
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how many documents there are;
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which country the notarised document will be sent to; and
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your timescale.
My charges are based on the time spent on your matter, including meetings; reading, considering, reviewing and preparing your documents; correspondence; telephone calls; and travelling where necessary. There is a minimum charge of £180 plus VAT for work on private documents and £220 plus VAT for company or partnership documents. For more complicated or time-consuming matters, the fee is based on my hourly rate of £280 plus VAT, plus disbursements. My fees are subject to VAT.
I may also need to undertake certain non-reserved legal services as part of your instruction. Unless I agree a fixed fee in writing, these are charged on the same time-spent basis at my hourly rate of £280 plus VAT, plus disbursements.
Documents I commonly deal with
The documents I am most often asked to notarise or certify may include:
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powers of attorney for use in the UK and abroad;
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statutory declarations and affidavits;
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certified and notarised copies of documents, such as passports, identity documents, certificates and qualifications;
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company and corporate documents, including board and shareholder resolutions, and documents for use in corporate transactions;
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deeds, contracts and other commercial documents;
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academic certificates and transcripts;
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personal documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates; and
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documents requiring an apostille or consular legalisation for use overseas.
This list is not exhaustive - if your document is not shown here, please contact me and I will be happy to help.
Disbursements
There may be additional costs and expenses during your matter - such as the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s fees, consular/embassy fees, agents’ fees, travel costs, postage, couriers’ charges, translation costs, interpreter fees, bank charges and unusual stationery costs. These are known as disbursements; I will obtain your approval before incurring them and you will normally be asked to pay them in advance. VAT may be payable on certain disbursements.
Quotations and estimates
Any quotation or estimate is given in good faith on the basis of the information available at the time and, unless I state otherwise, is valid for 30 days. On instruction I will give my best estimate of the total likely costs; that estimate is not fixed if your instructions change. Occasionally, unforeseen or unusual issues may lead me to revise my fee estimate - for example, where additional documents need notarising, further translations or legalisations are required by the receiving jurisdiction, or third-party fees change. I will notify you of any change as soon as possible.
Appointments and visits
I offer appointments at my office and, by arrangement, I can also make home visits or visit corporate clients at their place of business. Where an appointment takes place outside of my office, an additional charge applies to cover travelling time and expenses. I may also arrange a preliminary video-conference appointment to go through your documents before the signing meeting.
Payment
My charges and disbursements are payable in advance, and notarised documents are not released until payment has been received in cleared funds. Payment is made by bank transfer and my bank details are set out on my invoice. For your protection against fraud, please telephone me on a known number to confirm my bank details before transferring any funds - I will never notify a change of bank details by email. I do not accept payments in cash.
When you instruct me jointly with others, I am entitled to look to any one or more of you to pay the whole of the charges and disbursements jointly incurred. All of my charges are expressed, and payable, in pounds sterling. Full details are set out in my Terms of Business.