Standard Terms & Conditions

Responsibility for your work

• Irwin Mitchell is divided into a number of separate departments in the interests of providing specialist advice on a wide range of legal matters. The head of each department is a partner. The business department provides IMhrplus services. All matters dealt with by the firm are supervised by the partners. Some matters require the involvement of more than one lawyer and you may deal with a number of different people within the firm.
• We will ensure that you are informed of the name of the partner supervising your matters for you together with the name and status of the person or persons who may have control of any particular matter for you.

Your IMhrplus retainer

• Your retainer with us will run for one year unless otherwise specified by us or agreed.
• We will provide employment advice in relation to matters which may give rise to an Employment Tribunal claim against you for which you are insured and representation in relation to any claims against you for which you have Employment Tribunal award insurance during the period of your retainer. Our obligation to provide advice and representation will cease on the termination or expiry of your retainer.
• Your retainer with us does not cover work for which you are not insured, or for which you cease to become insured. We will carry out any work outside your retainer at agreed hourly rates. That work will be subject to separate terms and conditions which will be sent to you.
• Our fees for IMhrplus are calculated on the basis of an annual retainer payable in advance, or by any instalments agreed with you. Where appropriate, reasonable adjustments to this retainer can be made (up or down) to reflect the number of employees and your payroll, and therefore the value and efficiency of the work performed. You should note that if the number of employees or your payroll changes by 10% (up or down) you must notify us and we may adjust your retainer in proportion to that change.
• Your retainer covers our fees incurred in advising you and our costs of representing you at any Employment Tribunal hearing. Your retainer includes normal expenses such as travel, accommodation and photocopying charges, but not barristers' or experts' fees. If you wish us to instruct Counsel rather than this firm or an expert on your behalf, then you will be responsible for the cost.

Billing procedures

• We will invoice the cost of your retainer at the outset.
• Lucas Fettes & Partners will invoice you separately for the Tribunal insurance should you decide to take this insurance out.
• Our invoice is payable within 14 days unless otherwise agreed. If our invoice is overdue, then we reserve the right not to carry out work under your retainer and you may not be insured against any awards.
• All costs information provided excludes VAT unless expressly stated otherwise.

Complaints procedure

Please click here to view our complaints procedure.

Storage of papers and documents

• After completing the work, we are entitled to keep all your papers and documents while there is money owing to us for our charges and expenses.
• Once a matter is concluded and no money remains owing to us, we will return any of your papers at your request. Otherwise, we keep your file on the understanding that we have the authority to destroy it six years after the date of the final bill we send to you for the work relating to that file.
• If we retrieve papers or documents from storage in relation to additional or new instructions to act in connection with your affairs, we will not normally charge for such retrieval. However, we may make a charge based on the time spent producing stored papers or documents to you or to another at your request. We may also charge for reading, correspondence or other work necessary to comply with the instructions given by you or on your behalf.
• We will store deeds and original documents in our strong room if you require us to do so. We do not make any charge for this service but we cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage to stored materials except by prior arrangement in writing.

Termination of your retainer

• You may terminate your retainer or your instructions in relation to any matter in writing at any time but we will be entitled to receive payment of our fees for the remainder of the period of your retainer and to keep all your papers and documents whilst there is money owing to us for our charges.
• We may terminate your retainer or cease acting for you in relation to any matter with good reason, for example if you fail to pay your bills, or if you fail to give us instructions to enable us properly to advise or represent you.
• We will give you reasonable notice if we intend to stop acting for you.
• On the termination of your retainer with us for whatever reason our obligation to provide further legal services will cease.

Copyright

• Copyright may arise in documents, reports or other material which we produce for you. We shall own this copyright and payment of our invoice will not transfer it to you without our prior written agreement.

Agreement

• These standard terms supersede any previous arrangement with you and must be read in conjunction with all accompanying and subsequent correspondence and documentation sent to you relevant to the terms on which we act. Together, they set out the terms of business governing the work we do for you on a particular matter. These terms of business cannot be amended except by agreement in writing.
• Unless otherwise agreed in writing, these standard terms shall apply to any future instructions you give us to provide services in relation to IMhrplus.
• Your continuing instructions on any particular matter will amount to your acceptance of our terms of business incorporating these standard terms.
• Our terms of business are governed by English law and any dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
• Investment Management Services
• Sometimes conducting our legal work on your behalf involves investments. Where investment services are an integral and incidental element of our normal legal work for you, we continue to be regulated by the Law Society. However, unlike many law firms, we can also refer you to our specialist Investment Management Department, which offers a wide range of investment services and which is regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Specialist investment management advice is covered by separate terms of business and complaints procedures in accordance with Financial Service Authority requirements.

Our Regulatory Information

• The information on this page is required by the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002.
• Irwin Mitchell LLP is a law firm.
• Address: Irwin Mitchell LLP, Riverside East, 2 Millsands, Sheffield, S3 8DT
• Telephone: 0370 1500 100
• Email us
• Irwin Mitchell VAT No. GB 945758768 Irwin Mitchell VAT No. GB 945758768
• Irwin Mitchell LLP has offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Sheffield and Southampton.
• Irwin Mitchell LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England & Wales, with number OC343897, and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The word 'partner', used in relation to the LLP, refers to a member of the LLP or any employee of, or consultant to, the LLP (or any affiliated firm) who is a lawyer with equivalent standing and qualifications. A list of the members of the LLP, and of those non-members who are designated as partners, is displayed at the LLP's registered office: Riverside East, 2 Millsands, Sheffield, S3 8DT.
• All solicitors are subject to rules and principles of professional conduct. This link will enable you to access the code of conduct of the Solicitors Regulation Authority which regulates Irwin Mitchell LLP. Where the code is not available on line, the link provides contact information for the relevant organisation which should provide details upon request.
• England & Wales - www.sra.org.uk
• Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP is a law firm.
• Address: Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP, 150 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5NE
• Telephone: 0141 300 4300
• Email us
• Irwin Mitchell Scotland VAT No. 109929878. Irwin Mitchell Scotland VAT No. 109929878.
• Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in Scotland, with number SO303274, and is regulated by the Law Society of Scotland. The word 'partner', used in relation to the LLP, refers to the Members of Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP: Niall Baker*, John Clyde, Mark Higgins, Craig Marshall, Elaine Russell, Andrew Tucker*, Andrew Warren (* denotes Solicitor: England & Wales).
• All solicitors are subject to rules and principles of professional conduct. This link will enable you to access the code of conduct of the Law Society of Scotland which regulates Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. Where the code is not available on line, the link provides contact information for the relevant organisation which should provide details upon request.
• Scotland - www.lawscot.org.uk