1. About us

Clifford Law is a firm of solicitors with its principal office at 10 Upper Bank Street, London, E14 5JJ, United Kingdom. We are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). The SRA Standards and Regulations, including the SRA Code of Conduct, can be viewed at sra.org.uk.

2. Our engagement

A binding retainer arises only once we have issued an engagement letter, completed our client due-diligence and anti-money-laundering checks, and you have confirmed your instructions in writing. Until then, no solicitor-client relationship exists and no duty of care is owed.

3. Scope of services

We will act for you on the matters described in the engagement letter. Our advice is given for your benefit only and may not be relied upon by any third party without our prior written consent. We do not provide tax, accounting, financial or investment advice.

4. Fees and disbursements

Our fees are charged on the basis set out in the engagement letter, which may include hourly rates, fixed fees or contingent arrangements where permitted. VAT is payable at the prevailing rate. Disbursements — such as court fees, counsel's fees, expert fees and process-server charges — are payable in addition. We may require payment on account of fees and disbursements before work is undertaken.

Invoices are payable within 14 days of issue. We reserve the right to charge interest on overdue amounts at 4% above the Bank of England base rate and to suspend or terminate work in the event of non-payment.

5. Client money

Any money we hold on your behalf is held in a client account in accordance with the SRA Accounts Rules. Interest is paid to clients on a fair and reasonable basis as set out in our interest policy.

6. Confidentiality and conflicts

We will keep information about your matter confidential save where disclosure is required by law, court order, regulator or with your consent. We maintain a conflict-checking system and will decline instructions where a conflict of interest cannot be managed appropriately.

7. Anti-money-laundering

We are required to verify the identity of our clients and, in certain matters, the source of funds. We may delay or decline to act until satisfactory evidence has been provided. We are obliged to report suspicious activity to the National Crime Agency and may be prevented by law from telling you that a report has been made.

8. Limitation of liability

Our aggregate liability to you for any loss arising from our services, whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise, shall be limited to the amount specified in the engagement letter, being not less than the minimum required by the SRA's Minimum Terms and Conditions of Professional Indemnity Insurance. We do not exclude or limit liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

9. Professional indemnity insurance

We maintain professional indemnity insurance in accordance with SRA requirements. Details of our insurers and the territorial coverage of the policy are available on request.

10. Termination

You may terminate our retainer at any time by written notice. We may cease to act on reasonable notice and where there is good reason to do so, including non-payment, breakdown of confidence or where continuing to act would place us in breach of our regulatory obligations. Fees and disbursements incurred up to the date of termination remain payable.

11. Complaints

We are committed to providing a high-quality service. If you are unhappy with any aspect of our work or our bill, please raise this with the partner responsible for your matter. A copy of our complaints procedure is available on request. If we are unable to resolve your complaint you may be entitled to refer it to the Legal Ombudsman (legalombudsman.org.uk) or to the SRA where the complaint concerns our regulatory conduct.

12. Governing law

These terms and any dispute arising out of them are governed by the laws of England and Wales and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.