What are referral fees?

For a number of years solicitors have been permitted by their professional rules to pay fees commonly known as referral fees to people or companies who provide work or leads to their business.

Who do you pay?

We have used these rules to pay referrers, for example, estate agents, a fixed fee for each client they refer provided fees are earned by this practice. As a practice some of our work comes from referrers who receive payment and some who do not receive payment. It is also important to note we do not simply purchase work from third parties, our current referral arrangements have grown in every case from existing contacts. Ultimately we only receive referrals (paid or not) because the referrer is happy with the service we provide to their customers or clients.

Why are you telling us?

We are required under our Professional Rules to notify you of any payments this practice makes to referrers. We need to make this information available to you in writing. You can also check for information on our Professional Rules on the Solicitors Regulation Authority website www.sra.org.uk.

How much do you pay?

The Engagement Letter issued at the commencement of the matter will provide details of any fee paid to a referrer.

Will I be treated differently?

It is very important that we stress that this referral arrangement will not affect our professional approach to your matter. We will act for you and in your best interests at all times. We will not do anything that would influence the advice we give you because of this relationship. Any advice we give will be independent and you are free to raise questions on any aspects. We also confirm that any information disclosed to this practice by you will not be disclosed to the referrer unless you consent.

We hope by addressing this information we can reassure you of the professional view this practice takes in all matters. In light of this, we hope this will make your decision whether or not to instruct this practice an informed one. If you have any further queries or require further details about our service, please contact our Managing Director, Daniel Russell, on 020 8445 3331 or email: daniel.russell@carlsonssolicitors.com