1. It shall in general provide excellent service to referred clients and shall treat such clients as it does its own best clients, including as to fees.

 

2. Its designated contact individuals shall be available by telephone and email seven days a week or during periods when they are not available arrange for callers or correspondence to be referred to alternative contacts who are available. Requests (whether by another Member or a referred client) shall be responded to promptly – the same day if possible, but in all events by the next business day.

 

3. It shall discuss with the referring attorney or client the timetable for the work requested and shall meet the client’s timing needs, and it shall staff the  engagement with lawyers and staff with appropriate knowledge and experience. If in either case unable to do so, it shall offer to refer the matter to other counsel.

 

4. It shall (a) provide an engagement letter if requested, (b) discuss fees at the outset of the engagement, (c) provide fee estimates if requested, (d) render timely and detailed bills as requested by the client, and (e) provide periodic status reports when requested by the client. If during the course of the engagement the scope of the work should change or it should appear that a fee estimate or expectations will be exceeded, it shall promptly inform the client and, if appropriate, the referring lawyer.

 

5. It accepts that except as specifically otherwise agreed a referring Member shall not be responsible for the payment of fees by the referred client. A referring Member will, however, provide such assistance as it can in collecting fees that a referred client has agreed to but has not paid. If the referring Member agrees to be responsible for the referred client’s fees it shall pay them promptly upon receipt of invoice.

 

6. It shall provide technology and software compatible with current business law practice, including (a) an English-language website with up-to-date information about the Member, its lawyers (including biographical information), its practice capabilities, and contact information, (b) individual email addresses for its lawyers, (c) voicemail with English language prompts (if possible), and (d) capability to perform quick conflict checks. It shall also provide lawyers and staff fluent in both written and spoken English and English-speaking responders to telephone calls.

 

7. It shall cooperate fully in the resolution of referral client complaints about its services or billing, and will, subject to its duties to its client, advise a Member to whom it has made a referral of any client complaints relating to that engagement.

 

8. It shall provide other Members with free answers to questions not requiring research, document review, a conflict check, or the providing of a legal opinion upon which the lawyer posing the question or its client will rely, and which do not require more than an hour of lawyer time. The lawyer posing the question should state at the outset that he or she does not expect to be billed.