Thank you for the opportunity
to advise you in relation to employment related matters.
My hourly rate is $350 plus GST. This hourly
rate includes all disbursements such as phone calls, photocopying
and postage but not out of town travel (which is unlikely
to be necessary), any work undertaken will be billed on a
monthly basis.
These terms of engagement apply to any current
instruction, and to any future instruction, whether or not
we send you another copy of them. There is no need for you
to sign these terms of engagement in order to accept them;
you will accept these terms of engagement by continuing to
instruct us to work for you. As I hold a Practising Certificate
issued by the New Zealand Law Society you would be covered
by their Fidelity fund. In addition, we have Professional
Indemnity Insurance cover.
As I am practising Lawyer this also means
that any communications between us is privileged and cannot
be subject to discovery. It also means that I am bound to
ensure that I do the following;
• Act competently, in a timely way,
and in accordance with instructions received and arrangements
made:
• Protect and promote your interests and act for you
free from compromising influences or loyalties:
• Discuss with you your objectives and how they should
best be achieved:
• Provide you with information about the work to be
done, who will do it and the way the services will be provided:
• Charge you a fee that is fair and reasonable and let
you know how and when you will be billed:
• Give you clear information and advice:
• Protect your privacy and ensure appropriate confidentiality:
• Treat you fairly, respectfully and without discrimination:
• Keep you informed about the work being done and advise
you when it is completed:
• Let you know how to make a complaint and deal with
any complaint promptly and fairly.
The obligations lawyers owe to clients are
described in the Rules of Conduct and Client Care for Lawyers.
Those obligations are subject to other overriding duties,
including duties to Courts and to the Justice System. If you
have any questions, please visit www.lawsociety.org.nz or
call 0800-261-801.
If you are not satisfied that I have met
any of my obligations to you, and we are not able to resolve
matters between ourselves, we will agree an independent person
to resolve matters for us. You also have the right to complain
to the New Zealand Law Society, who has a formal complaints
procedure.
You may leave documents in our possession
after conclusion of your matter. However, we usually destroy
our files seven years after a matter is completed. If you
do not retrieve your documents within that period, we have
your authority to destroy them.
Where we provide any electronic service to
you, or communicate with you by electronic means, we will
take every reasonable precaution to ensure that those services
and communications are accurate, reliable, adequate, complete,
confidential and secure. However, we cannot always be certain
that those services and communications are error free. Also,
because they will, in most cases, be internet based, certain
risks exist that are outside our control. Consequently, despite
the other provisions of these terms, we cannot and do not
represent or warrant that those services and communications
will always be accurate, reliable, adequate, complete, confidential
and secure. We also exclude all warranties to the extent permitted
by law.
I hope this provides enough information to
assist you. If you have any further queries, please do not
hesitate to contact us.
