Fees and Terms of Business
Fees
My hourly rate is £190 per hour and my minimum fee for any matter is £80 . I will reserve the right to vary my quoted rates regarding extremely urgent work or work undertaken outside my normal working hours of 9am-5pm during the working week. I will always attempt to agree to a fixed fee with you prior to your appointment, however, given the nature of the work, I also reserve the right to re-visit my quoted fee or charge you at my hourly rate if it becomes apparent that the work required surpasses what was initially envisioned.
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A deposit of £15 may be taken before making an appointment. This will be deducted from your final bill at the completion of your matter. This Deposit will not be refundable should you fail to attend at the agreed time of your appointment.
Terms of Business
DISBURSEMENTS
You are responsible for all payments which I may be required make on your behalf. Typical examples include legalisation fees paid to the Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office and/or an Embassy, legalisation agents’ fees, translator’s fees Companies Registry fees, courier’s fees and special postage charges. I will not incur these expenses without first obtaining your express consent to do so and may require funds on account.
V.A.T
I am not registered for VAT. However, you may be required to pay VAT on any disbursements I incur on your behalf.
PAYMENT
My charges are payable once I have notarised the document for you. I am happy to accept payment by bank transfer or cash. I do not accept payment by cheque. I reserve the right not to release documents until payment has been received. Interest will be chargeable from the date of the invoice on invoices outstanding for more than seven days at 4% per annum above the Base Rate from time to time in force of Lloyds Bank Plc.
TERMINATION
You may terminate instructions in writing at any time. If I have committed to undertaking any work for you before this time, you will be charged for the time spent on the matter.
In the event of payment not being made for an invoice, or in the event of your insolvency or if a conflict of interest becomes apparent or if you fail to provide proper instructions, I may decline to act any further on your behalf.
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I may exercise any lien which arises on any of your papers, documents or money in my possession until payment for any outstanding charges has been made.
ADVICE
It is not within my role as a Notary Public to offer you legal advice concerning the document(s) you produce for me to Notarize. The role of the Notary Public is to properly identify you (in person) and satisfy myself that you both understand the contents of the document, have the mental capacity to do so, and that it is your intention to be bound by it. I must be completely satisfied that it is your voluntary act and that no fraud, violence or duress is involved and that other stipulated formalities either under English or foreign law are observed. If I am not satisfied about any one of these things, I will not be able to assist you.
You are strongly advised to seek the advice of your own independent legal or other competent professional adviser who practises in, or who is skilled in the law of the jurisdiction where the document will be sent and relied upon.
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LEGALISATION
It is very common for some foreign countries to require a document to be legalised.
This the process by which a state agency confirms that my seal and signature are those of a Notary. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will attach what is called an "apostille" to the document which I have notarised on your behalf.
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On occassion, the document will then also have to be sent to the London Embassy of the country where the document will be relied upon. Said Embassy will then attach its own certificate to the document. Your lawyer in the foreign jurisdiction will probably advise you of any need for legalisation.
If not, you should ask him/her about it. I shall be able to obtain the necessary legalisation for you and will discuss with you all time scales involved.
REGISTER
At the end of matter, I am required to make an entry of the main details of the transaction in my register and to retain copies of the notarised document and proof of your ID in my protocol.
INSURANCE
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COMPLAINTS
My Notarial practice is regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Address; The Faculty Office,1 The Sanctuary, Westminster, London, SW1 3JT.
Tel 0207 7222 5381 faculty.office@1thesanctuary.com www.facultyoffice.org.uk
If you are dissatisfied about any aspects of the service you have received from me, please contact me immediately and I will do all I can to assist you. If we are unable to resolve any issues informally, you have the right to complain to the Notaries Society of which I am a member. The Notaries Society operates a Complaints Procedure which is approved by the Faculty Office. This procedure is free to use and is designed to provide a quick resolution to any dispute.
You would need to write to:
The Secretary of the Notaries Society, Old Church Chambers, 23 Sandhill Road, St James, Northampton, NN5 5LH
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Tel 01604 758908 secretary@thenotariessociety.org.uk www.thenotariessociety.org.uk
If you experience any difficulty in making a complaint in writing please do not hesitate to call the Notaries Society/the Faculty Office for assistance. Even if your complaint has been considered under the Notaries Society Approved Complaints Procedure, you may at the end of that procedure, or after a period of eight weeks from the date you first notified me that you were dissatisfied, make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman.
If you decide to make a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman, you must do so within six months from the conclusion of the complaint process.
You would need to write to:
Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton, WV1 9WJ
Tel 0300 555 033 enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk www.legalombudsman.org.uk
MY LIABILITY TO YOU
My professional indemnity liability cover of £1 million and that will be the limit of my liability to you.
RELEVANT LAW
The law which governs this contract is the law of England and Wales and any dispute relating to Notarial services provided by me must be resolved by the English Courts.