Consultation Terms

1 These terms

1.1 These terms apply to each paid consultation booked with Hythe Legal Consulting Limited (“Hythe Legal”, “we”, “us”) through our online booking system, and are accepted when you confirm the booking and pay the fee.

1.2 You confirm at booking that you are instructing us for the purposes of a business or an intended business. If that is not the case, please tell us before booking.

1.3 Each consultation is a separate, self-contained engagement. It does not create a retainer or any continuing duty to act for you.

1.4 Any work beyond the consultation will be covered by a separate engagement letter and our full Terms of Business.

2 Our regulatory status

2.1 Hythe Legal Consulting Limited is a legal consultancy. It is not a law firm and is not authorised or regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (the “SRA”) or by any other approved legal services regulator.

2.2 Alastair Keatley, who delivers the consultation, is a solicitor of England and Wales holding a current practising certificate, and remains bound by the SRA Principles and the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs in the work he does for you.

2.3 The consultation does not include any reserved legal activity within the meaning of the Legal Services Act 2007, and protections available to clients of SRA-authorised firms, including the SRA Compensation Fund, do not apply. We hold professional indemnity insurance appropriate to our services, details on request.

2.4 If any part of your requirements would need an SRA-authorised firm, we will tell you and can refer you.

3 Scope of the consultation

3.1 The consultation is a discussion of the topic you identify at booking, for the booked duration. Advice is given orally and reflects the law and practice of England and Wales as at the date of the call. If appropriate, a written memo will be provided with the aim of delivery within three (3) business days of the call.

3.2 Our advice is based only on the information you give us and the time available. We do not review documents, conduct due diligence, verify facts or search public registers unless separately agreed, and we have no obligation to update advice after the call.

3.3 We do not advise on tax and we are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Where you need tax, investment or insurance advice we will refer you to an appropriate adviser.

3.4 A consultation does not include acting for you: we do not file documents, correspond with third parties or take conduct of any matter on your behalf.

4 Identity verification, conflicts and anti-money laundering

4.1 Your booking is accepted subject to (a) identity verification and any customer due diligence we consider necessary, having regard to the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, and (b) a conflict of interest check.

4.2 By booking, you consent to electronic identity checks on you and, where you book for an entity, on that entity and its beneficial owners, and agree to provide the information and documents we request promptly.

4.3 The consultation proceeds only once those checks have cleared. If they have not cleared before the booked time, we will reschedule at no extra charge.

4.4 If verification cannot be completed, or a conflict is identified, we will cancel and refund the fee in full, less any third-party verification cost actually incurred.

5 Fee and payment

5.1 The fee is fixed and stated at the point of booking, and is payable in full in advance by card or bank transfer. A VAT invoice is issued after the consultation.

5.2 Fees are exclusive of VAT, charged at the prevailing rate where applicable. Card processing fees may be passed on at cost. You remain responsible for the fee even if a third party pays on your behalf.

5.3 The fee covers the booked duration only. If more time is needed we will agree to a further booking or issue fresh terms.

6 Cancellation and rescheduling

6.1 Cancellation by you. You may cancel or reschedule at no charge on at least 24 hours’ notice. With less notice, or if you do not attend, the fee is retained in full.

6.2 Statutory cancellation right. If and to the extent the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 apply to your booking, you may cancel within 14 days of booking without giving a reason, by clear statement to contact@hythelegal.com. We refund within 14 days.

6.3 Express request to proceed. Where clause 6.2 applies and the consultation is held within that 14-day period, you expressly request that we begin at once and accept that (a) you lose the right to cancel once it has been fully performed, and (b) if you cancel after it has begun, you must pay a proportionate amount for what has been supplied. Confirming a date inside that period is such a request.

6.4 We may cancel and refund in full where clause 4 applies, where we become unavailable, or where the topic falls outside our expertise.

7 Confidentiality, data protection and recording

7.1 We keep your information confidential, subject to our legal and regulatory obligations, including those in clause 4. Neither party may record or transcribe the consultation without the other’s prior consent.

7.2 We process personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and our privacy notice at https://hythelegal.com/privacy-policy.

8 Work product and reliance

8.1 Intellectual property in any note or material we produce remains ours. On payment you have a non-exclusive licence to use it for the purpose for which it was provided.

8.2 Our advice is for your use only. It may not be disclosed to, or relied on by, any third party without our written consent, and we accept no duty to any third party.

9 Liability

9.1 Your contract is with Hythe Legal Consulting Limited, and no claim may be brought against any individual consultant, director or employee.

9.2 Our total liability arising out of or in connection with the consultation is capped at the greater of (a) £5,000 and (b) ten times the fee paid, whether the claim is in contract, negligence, breach of duty or otherwise.

9.3 We are not liable for loss of profit, revenue, business or anticipated savings, or for any indirect or consequential loss. Our liability is limited to our proportionate share of any loss, taking account of the contribution of others. You must notify us of any claim within 12 months of the act or omission giving rise to it.

9.4 Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything that cannot lawfully be limited. If you are a consumer, nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.

10 Complaints

10.1 If anything is not right, please tell Alastair Keatley at contact@hythelegal.com. We acknowledge complaints within 5 business days and respond within 14 days.

10.2 Because Hythe Legal is not an SRA-authorised firm, the Legal Ombudsman scheme does not apply to the firm. Concerns about the professional conduct of a solicitor may be raised with the SRA.

11 General

11.1 These terms are the entire agreement for the consultation. No variation is effective unless in writing and signed by a director of Hythe Legal.

11.2 These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales and the English courts have exclusive jurisdiction. A consumer resident elsewhere in the United Kingdom may bring proceedings in their own jurisdiction.

11.3 No person other than you and Hythe Legal may enforce these terms under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.