Bruce Scott Muller Law

 

PARTNERS:       

SHIRLEY-ANNE INGLIS, LL.B

CLAIRE ELIZABETH REYNOLDS, LL.B., B.A.

JENNIFER HAW, LL.B., BSc

IAN MACDONALD, LL.B., LL.M. (HONS), B.A.

CONSULTANT: DAVID GORDON MULLER, LL.B.

 

Client Care Charter – our commitment to you

We are committed to using our best endeavours to ensure that your legal needs are met in this matter.  We will:

 

  1. Protect and promote your interests and act for you free from compromising influences or loyalties.
  2. Discuss with you your objectives and in our opinion how they should best be achieved.
  3. Act competently, in a timely way, and in accordance with instructions received and arrangements made.
  4. Provide you with information about the work to be done, who will do it and the way the services will be provided.
  5. Protect your privacy and ensure appropriate confidentiality.
  6. Treat you fairly, respectfully and without discrimination.
  7. Give you clear information and advice.
  8. Keep you informed about the work being done and advise you when it is completed.
  9. Charge you a fee that is fair and reasonable and let you know how and when you will be billed.
  10. 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 the courts and the justice system.  If you have any questions, please contact us or the Law Society on 0800 261 801 or lawsociety.org.nz.

 

People responsible for your work

[Author] will be the lawyer with overall responsibility for the work on this matter. Feel free to contact [him/her] at any time.

 

The basis of our charges

Unless agreed otherwise our fees are based on the range of factors applied by the NZ Law Society including time, expertise, importance, urgency and results achieved.  The current hourly rate differs for each lawyer.Contact us for further details. These rates may change from time to time, and a full list of the rates of any lawyers working for you is available at any time.  We also charge for disbursements (court fees, bureau, registrations, duties/levies etc) and travel expenses incurred on your behalf. These will be itemised separately and we will notify you if any fees or disbursements need to be paid for in advance.

Our fee for this brief may be based on a number of factors including:

(a) the skill, specialised knowledge, and responsibility required;

(b) the importance of the matters to the client and the results achieved;

(c) the urgency and circumstances in which the business is transacted;

(d) the value or amount of the property or money involved;

(e) the complexity of the matter and the difficulty or novelty of the questions involved;

(f) the number and importance of the documents prepared or perused;

(g) the time and labour expended; and

(h) the reasonable costs of running a practice.

 

As is standard legal practice, we note that we bill in 6 minute units and 6 minutes is the minimum time charged for any one attendance.  We record and bill for any time reasonably spent working on your matter including but not limited to drafting, reading documentation, consulting in person, or by telephone, researching and reading or writing letters, emails and other correspondence.

 

Third parties

If you instruct us on behalf of another person or entity (such as a Company or Trust) you will still remain personally liable for payment of our fee.

 

Although you may expect to be reimbursed by a third party for our fees and expenses, and although our invoices may at your request or with your approval be directed to a third party, nevertheless you remain responsible for payment to us if the third party fails to pay us.

 

Billing arrangements

To help you budget we may issue interim accounts, usually monthly, while work is in progress, with a final bill on completion.  Current payment terms are set out on invoices from time to time, and unless otherwise stated are due for payment within 7 days. We may deduct from funds held on your behalf any fees, disbursements or expenses for which we have provided an invoice.

 

We may charge interest on accounts more than seven days late at the overdraft rate of our Bank.

 

Should a more detailed breakdown of your account be requested by you in respect of the services provided by Bruce Scott Muller Law we reserve the right to charge you for the preparation and drafting of the requested breakdown.

 

Estimate

Given the nature of the brief, we are unable to provide an estimated completion date or estimate of costs as indicated.    This will be based upon factors set out above. However we will keep you advised as to progress.

 

Professional indemnity insurance & fidelity fund

We hold professional indemnity insurance that meets or exceeds standards specified by the Law Society.  The Lawyers’ Fidelity Fund also provides a limited form of cover up to specified maximums in certain circumstances, generally excluding investment monies.

Automatic Exchange of Information and foreign Account Tax compliance

We are required by law to copy your photo identification and confirm details such as your citizenship(s) and address(es). For your information, we enclose IRD Fact Sheet IR1033 which explains what is required of us and you in that regard.

Complaints

If you have any concerns or complaints that you prefer not to raise with the partner named above with overall responsibility for this matter, please contact another partner personally.  We are committed to resolving any issues as soon as possible.

You can also contact the NZ Law Society’s Lawyers’ Complaints Service at 26 Waring Taylor Street, PO Box 5041, Wellington 6145, Tel (04) 472 7837 or 0800 261801, Fax (04) 473 7909.

Completion

When this matter is completed, we will advise you accordingly and provide a brief summary of the work undertaken if we have not already done so.  Where appropriate we may also identify any necessary future action that may be required.

Retention of files and documents

You authorise us (without further reference to you) to destroy all files and documents for this matter (other than any documents we hold in safe custody for you) seven years after our engagement ends or earlier if we have converted these files and documents to an electronic format.

Conclusion

We value your instructions in this matter and look forward to their successful conclusion.  We also look forward to an ongoing relationship with you so please retain this letter as the core basis of our future relationship and our commitment to you to attend to your affairs diligently, with an efficient and professional service.

Level 1 Plaza Tower, Pakuranga Plaza, Cnr Ti Rakau Drive and Pakuranga Road, Pakuranga, Auckland

PO Box 51287 Pakuranga Auckland 2140, New Zealand. DX EP81501 Pakuranga

Ph: (09) 576 7047 Fax: (09) 572 0230

Email: [email protected]  Website: www.brucescottmullerlaw.co.nz

 

FROM 1 JULY 2018 WE WILL BE ASKING CLIENTS FOR MORE INFORMATION

New anti-money laundering legislation affecting law firms will require us to gather more information from our clients.