Who is responsible for your work?
Colina Greenway is the sole principal in the practice and all legal advice is provided by her, unless she has agreed with you to instruct a barrister for specific pieces of work. Colina read law at Oxford University before taking her professional exams at Guildford College of Law. She qualified to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1993 and has specialised in employment law ever since.
How are fees for advice set?
In common with most lawyers, fees for advice are set by reference to the time that it will take to do it. Colina’s standard charge rate for advice is £320 per hour +VAT although some work which is less complex and which in a larger practice might be done by a more junior lawyer may be done at less than the full rate for the time spent. In some cases, such as where the client is a charity or not for profit organisation a discounted rate may be applied to all work done.
Colina is always happy to discuss your requirements and what her fees are likely to be for any advice you may need. In some cases it will be possible to agree a fixed fee up front but more often there are a number of variables that may apply so you may be given an indicative range of fees.
Can I get some initial advice for free?
Colina is often asked to meet and provide some initial advice at no cost. While some law firms do offer an initial free meeting Colina does not offer this as a standard service. Any advice given on a pro bono basis is at her sole discretion.
Insurance-backed claims
If you are seeking advice for yourself personally it is well worth checking whether you have any legal expenses insurance that would cover the cost of employment law advice. Quite often cover for employment claims is included within household contents insurance policies. If you have this cover then the insurers will usually want you to use a firm of solicitors from their “panel”.
Colina does not do insurance-backed work because she cannot support the extra administrative and reporting requirements imposed by the insurers, which they do not pay for.
No win-no fee—Conditional Fee Agreement/Damages Based Agreement
Another possibility for funding legal work is by use of a Conditional Fee Agreement/Damages Based Agreement, commonly referred to as “no win-no fee” arrangements. Colina does not offer these arrangements as her practice is too small to offset the risk of doing work for which ultimately nothing may be paid.