Prices
My hourly rate is currently £345.
Travel and expenses are charged at cost.
UK Court appearances are charged at a daily rate of £3,450 plus VAT regardless of distance, 1st class rail or air fares and accommodation costs are additional.
A deposit of £500 plus VAT is required when the date is reserved in my diary. This is fully refundable up to two weeks prior to the scheduled date. If cancelled between two weeks and one week, 50% is refundable. Cancellation (or postponement) less than one week prior to the scheduled hearing will forfeit the deposit.
The balance is payable at least one week prior to the hearing.
For late bookings, i.e. within two weeks of the hearing, a late booking surcharge of £500 plus VAT will apply.
The full fee is payable where less than 48 hours notice is given.
All prices quoted exclude VAT.
As with most businesses - on longer assignments these rates are open to negotiation.
Typical costs:
I'm pretty quick at evaluating evidence and writing reports (but still thorough). A typical report will take from 4-8 hours. This can vary significantly depending on the amount of evidence and the solicitor's instructions. It is quite common to need one hour per question (or sub question) in the instructions plus an hour or two per 100 pages of documents that need reading. Site visits or remote testing of Web sites will obviously add to these times.
Whatever else, it costs nothing to pick up the phone and ask.