Our Client Charter
At Burton Burton & Ho, you can rest assured that your case will be handled with care and professionalism, whatever legal or business-related service you require.
The PRC Department follows our Client Charter, which illustrates the level of service you come to expect.
I. WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US
In providing a legal and business service to you, we will:
- ensure the client's interest comes first
- make every effort to explain things clearly, and in terms the client can understand and keeping legal jargon to a minimum
- ascertain at the outset what the client is hoping to achieve, and discuss with the client whether their expectations are realistic
- discuss with the client what services they can expect to receive
- inform the client who will be handling their work
- clearly explain the charging rate and formula to client
- draft a schedule of the works and associated charges for the client, at the outset before work commences
- keep the client updated of costs throughout, so the client can calculate whether a particular course of action is financially viable
- prepare a schedule of procedure for the client, highlight what steps would be the firm's responsibility, and advise those steps that the firm will not be able to undertake for the client
- keep the client informed of progress throughout
- respond to client's letters and phone calls in a timely manner
- keep client's information confidential, and refuse to act for anyone else where that confidentiality would be compromised
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Our fees
When setting our fees we will consider:
- fixed-fee part of the work
- time spent and work load involved
- project's complexity, risk, and results achieved
- urgency under which services are required
- experience, special knowledge and skill of the persons advising you
- fee estimate provided at the outset
To achieve value for money for our clients, we delegate work to staff at the appropriate level.
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We will bill you regularly
We will usually send monthly interim invoices unless agreed otherwise. Please meet any requirements for payments promptly and if there is any difficulty then let a member of our team know immediately. In the event that payments on account are not made when requested we reserve the right to cease working on your case until the payments have been made. If invoices are not settled within a 14 days, we reserve the right to charge interest on the amounts due.
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Disbursements
In providing services, we may have to pay third party costs on the client's behalf from time to time, for example official fees, foreign agents' charges, courier, communication and travel costs. These are identified as "disbursements". Disbursements will be set out in our invoice and is payable by the client. We would advise in advance what disbursements are anticipated, and obtain the client's prior approval before they are incurred.
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Confidential Information
In the course of providing our service, we may collect and hold personal information about you. We will only use this information in:
- providing our service
- obtaining credit information or other references
- informing the client of any relevant issues that may affect them.
There may be instances where we may have to disclose confidential information to third parties e.g. for registration purposes. We will only disclose such information when we consider it to be in your best interest to do so or where we are under a professional obligation to do so. Your acceptance of our retainer shall amount to an authorisation for us to release such information.
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Termination
The client may terminate their instructions to us in writing at any time. We are entitled to keep all papers and documents while money is due to us. We reserve the right to stop acting with legitimate reason and on giving reasonable written notice.
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Our professional indemnity insurance meets the requirements of the Law Society of England and Wales
We hold professional indemnity insurance, which meets or exceeds the minimum standards specified by the Law Society of England and Wales. Please contact us if you require further details.
According to Chinese laws, no foreign law firm can practice Chinese law in Chinese territory. We work with affiliated Chinese law firms to advise clients, but advice relating to Chinese Law and procedure, will be delivered by a Chinese law firm. Chinese law firms' professional insurance is provided by their local Lawyers Association, and is not covered under our firm's professional indemnity insurance.
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Complaints procedure
We take complaints very seriously, and will endeavour to rectify the matter where we have failed to meet clients instructions. Please speak to the person responsible for handling your case to discuss any issues you may have. If the problem persists, please contact the supervising partner or Managing Partner.
If clients are still not satisfied with the way we have responded to your complaint, a formal complaint can be lodged with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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II. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO US
To ensure that we can provide the highest level of service, , to improve our efficiency Burton Burton & Ho requires their clients to:
Return signed documentation swiftly
We usually ask our clients to sign and return documents as soon as you instruct us so that we can begin or continue our work. In order to progress with the case, all documentation requested should be provided at the earliest opportunity.
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Provide relevant accurate and complete information
The consultant can only give good advice and service if the client provides clear and complete instructions and information. Full information should be disclosed at the time of instruction, and in a timely manner thereafter. This would ensure the matter proceeds smoothly towards a speedy conclusion. Progress will be delayed if information is not delivered efficiently.
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Pay your prepayment or deposit so work can commence
Sometimes we may request a prepayment or payment on account, based on our initial estimate of fees and disbursements. We reserve our right to not begin work until payment on account is received, even when filing or other deadlines are due.
Payments on account are paid into our client account and will not be deducted until we have completed the work and invoiced you. We will deduct fees and disbursements as per our invoices from the money held in our client account.
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Giving early instructions
Instructing us well before deadlines means you can avoid paying extra costs as it is usually less work to complete the project with ample time for preparation. Where we are not given enough time to complete the project, be prepared for the extra costs and delays when deadlines cannot be met.
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Timezones
