The NLC’s unique subscription service celebrates its first birthday

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The National Legal Consortium is celebrating the first anniversary of its unique legal subscription service.

Having spent many years wrestling with legal costs and writing off many thousands of pounds due from clients who were simply unable to pay their bills David Jackson, Solicitor and MD of the NLC decided to change the way his company charged for legal services

Clients pay a monthly fee based on the turnover of their business which can be as little as £150 plus vat per month for a small business.

David Jackson explains: “In return for the monthly fee clients get unlimited Construction Law advice – it’s as simple as that. They can take proceedings, defend proceedings, get advice on contracts, problems on site – whatever they need.

“There are some sensible restrictions on the service – for example clients must pay court fees and other disbursements, the service pays for the solicitor’s time – but the service is popular with the clients who join the scheme.”

The scheme provides access to proceedings to companies that would not otherwise be able to afford them. It allows companies to take advice at an early stage so that proceedings may be avoided all together. Clients know that they will not be charged for doing so and can seek advice without worrying about the costs of doing so. Clients also get to use the scheme’s logo on their notepaper and website to show others that they are part of the scheme.

The growing number of testimonials on the NLC’s website show that the service is popular and new clients are joining every month.

David added: “Once I offer to undertake work at £240 plus vat an hour or for £150 plus vat a month clients usually do not hesitate to join the scheme. Why would they pay by the hour when they can have the same service for a small monthly fee?”

The scheme is only available from the National Legal Consortium and you can find details of the scheme at www.nlcuk.net or by calling David Jackson on 0800 085 7772.

Get it right with a contract!!

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Over the last 20 years I have come to realise that there are a number of recurring issues that many clients face.

The first of these is a failure to ensure that work is carried out under a contract.

I have lost count of clients who tell me that they have never had any problems for 20 years and have never bothered to get a contract for their works – their word is their bond etc etc etc.

What they don’t say is that they have a lifetime of compromise behind them in which they have settled for far less than they were entitled to as they didn’t feel they could press for more as they didn’t have a contract.

What they don’t say is that they have, all too often, undertaken additional works for which they have little chance of ever being paid because in the absence of a contract they cannot clearly set out the scope of the work they were to undertake.

What they don’t say is that when disputes have arisen they have had to compromise because the lack of an adjudication clause in a contract meant that the only option open to them was to take expensive and protracted court proceedings which they could not afford, and which exposed them or their businesses to claims for costs.

A contract should always be the starting point of any work. It need not be complicated or terribly long. It should set out the basic terms that the parties have agreed:

The work to be done

The amount to be paid for the work

How long the work is to take

How payment is to be made and when

How disputes between the parties are to be resolved

There are many “off the shelf” contracts available to use. Simple contracts can be drafted for relatively modest sums or the parties can record their intentions in correspondence between them.

Where a contractor is required to use its Employers terms it should ensure that it understand those terms and if there are terms it cannot accept it should seek to have them amended. As a rule of thumb if you are presented with 20 pages of amendments to a standard JCT contract they probably have not been prepared for the contractors benefit!

I recognised some time ago that contractors do not have contracts reviewed because they are concerned at the costs of doing so. That is why I introduced the National Legal Consortium Agreed Fee Scheme. Clients of the NLC get unlimited legal advice for a modest monthly fee. That means that they can pass contracts for review when they receive them and the cost of the review is paid for by their monthly payment.

Whether or not you are a client of the NLC make sure you sort out your contracts. Make sure you have a contract, that it is the right one for the job and that you understand it!

If you want to talk about the NLC or contracts call David Jackson on 0800 107 1980 or email me on dj@celawyers.com.

New legal service will help construction ‘subbies’ fight back against the big boys

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National Legal Consortium has been launched by Wirral law firm CE Law Construction Solicitors and guarantees for an annual fee open-ended access to specialist construction law advice

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Wirral law firm CE Law Construction Solicitors has launched what it claims is a “unique legal service developed specifically for the needs of the sub-contractor”.

Called The National Legal Consortium, the services guarantees for an annual fee open-ended access to specialist construction law advice. The fee is paid over 12 months with costs based on turnover.

David Jackson, director at CE Law said: “As a specialist in the sub-contractor construction industry, we are consistently faced with instances of ‘subbie bashing’.

“This when the more powerful and well-resourced main contractor falls into dispute and withholds payment.

“Many sub-contractors are forced to walk away, recognising that they simply don’t have the funds in place to tackle a potentially costly and challenging legal case.

“The scheme doesn’t just cover advice on claims but provides ongoing advice on contracts, notices or whatever else may arise requiring specialist advice.”

The idea was developed with input from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, barristers and construction professionals to ensure that it meets the strict SRA requirements.

Read the original article here

Unique Service Boost Prospects of Electrical Sub-contractors

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CE Law Construction Solicitors has launched The National Legal Consortium, a unique legal service developed specifically for the needs of the subcontractor.

The Consortium allows clients (within the sub-contracting industry) to sign up to an annual agreed fee, guaranteeing open ended access to specialist construction law advice. The fee is paid over 12 months with costs based on turnover and fees starting as little as £150 plus vat per month.

David Jackson, Director at CE Law Construction Solicitors explained: “As a specialist in the sub-contractor construction industry, we are consistently faced with instances of ‘subbie bashing’ whereby the more powerful and well-resourced main contractor falls into dispute and withholds payment. Many sub-contractors are forced to walk away, recognising that they simply don’t have the funds in place to tackle a potentially costly and challenging legal case.

“We believe that membership of the National Legal Consortium is an ideal solution, giving subcontractors access to legal advice and support if the situation arises. It’s about protecting the business and, in a sense, insuring it against all possible eventualities. The scheme doesn’t just cover advice on claims but provides on going advice on contracts, notices or whatever else may arise requiring specialist advice”

The scheme was developed with input from the Solicitors Regulation Authority, Barristers and Construction Professionals to ensure that it meets the strict SRA requirements and addresses the needs of Sub Contractors.

David continued: “We have taken time to ensure that this new way of offering legal services meets the needs of our client. We believe that the National Legal Consortium will change the way Sub Contractors pay for legal advice. We offer the service nationally and are focusing our initial efforts on the electrical contracting industry where we know there are considerable issues.”

Services included within the membership programme include a telephone advice service, payment claims, contract advice, adjudication, court proceedings and arbitration. For further information please visit www.nlcuk.net