Other than "why did you set AdviceHub up?", the question of low cost seems to be the one most people ask when they contact us. Interestingly, the answer to both of these questions is linked and it comes down to our experience in full-time practice within traditional law firms, as well as the state of access to legal advice for the general public and businesses alike.
Obtaining legal advice is expensive. So expensive, in fact, that the vast majority of people within the United Kingdom do not really have access to it. Sure, there is the Citizens' Advice Bureau, but it does not really offer qualified legal advice and its advisors need no prior qualifications in order to work there. There is the Legal Aid program, which offers legal assistance to underprivileged individuals in eligible circumstances. Some people have limited access to lawyers through insurance policies or bundled products, but, again, the applicability of these policies can vary from insurer to insurer and those who think they are covered might sometimes get a shock about how covered they are in practice. Once those main options are exhausted, if they are even available, the only path to legal advice for the majority of individuals and businesses is to approach a law firm.
According to the hourly rate guidelines published by the Law Society as at the date of this article, guideline charging for a middle-experience solicitor ranges from £233 per hour in National Band 2 (e.g. Bristol or Manchester), to £371 per hour in Central London. Even the guideline costs for trainee solicitors or paralegals of any experience level ranges from £134 to £198 per hour, depending on location. Partners or other solicitors with more than 8 years' experience can cost anywhere from £272 to £546 per hour! These hourly rates place access to good quality, qualified legal advice out of reach for all but a few individuals, and a lot of businesses. We aim to change that.
so you could charge more?
One of the reasons traditional firms charge so much is simply because they can. Solicitors and barristers are highly qualified and educated individuals, with a skill set that lends itself well to analysis and problem solving. The founders of AdviceHub, and those others who draft advice for you, our clients, are all fully qualified with a minimum number of years' experience.
However, charging more would defeat the purpose of setting up AdviceHub in the first place. We want to be able to offer advice to those people we used to turn away. We do not offer services for free (yet), but we aim to provide initial advice at hourly rates far below what traditional firms charge (even for work carried out by trainee solicitors or paralegals). We offer this advice drafted by fully qualified solicitors or barristers, so that individuals and businesses have a more affordable source of quality legal advice they can rely on when needed.
initial legal advice only
A number of the clients we turned away at more traditional firms did not need the full-spectrum service provided by those firms. Many simply needed initial advice to either understand the position they found themselves in, or work out what arguments they could raise themselves. AdviceHub's legal advice service provides that opportunity. Additionally, the low rates we offer enable our clients to use us as an affordable stepping stone to work out whether it is worth approaching a traditional firm for a full spectrum service (and we have the contacts to refer you to more traditional firms if that is something you ultimately wish to explore).
If you find yourself in need of quality legal advice without the associated price, why not explore our website and get in touch with us when you are ready. We'll be waiting.
The Founders
