Ashworth & VaneEstablished 1974 · Registered practice
Advice you can act on. — Ashworth & Vane

An established practice, small by choice

Advice you can act on.

We take the matters we can staff properly, and we say so plainly when we cannot.

Ashworth & VanePractice areas

§ 1|What we handle

Four areas, done thoroughly.

Corporate, property, employment, and estates, each led by a partner who signs the work.

1.1
Corporate. Formation, shareholder agreements, sale and purchase
1.2
Property. Commercial leases, transfers, boundary and title matters
1.3
Employment. Contracts, settlement, tribunal representation
1.4
Estates. Wills, probate, trusts and lasting powers

1a.Instructions outside these areas are referred on, with the reason given in writing.

Ashworth & VaneMethod

§ 2|How we work

The scope is agreed in writing first.

Fees, stages, and who does what, settled before a file is opened.

  1. 2.1First meeting. The position is set out, and we say whether we can act.
  2. 2.2Engagement letter. Scope, fee basis, and the responsible partner, in writing.
  3. 2.3The work itself. Progress reported at each stage, not only at the end.
  4. 2.4Closing the file. A written summary, and the file retained for six years.
Two advisers working through a matter across a table
Plate ii. A matter reviewed before the engagement letter is issued.

2a.Fees are fixed at 2.2 and revised only by a further letter you agree to first.

Ashworth & VaneStanding and regulation
Regulated by
The professional conduct authority
Indemnity
Held and renewed annually
Complaints
Answered by a partner within ten days
Ashworth & VaneCounsel

§ 3|Who advises you

A partner, not a queue.

The person you meet first is the person who stays with the matter to the end.

E. Ashworth
Corporate and commercial
R. Vane
Property and estates
M. Okonjo
Employment
A partner reading a file at a quiet desk
Plate iii. The reading room, second floor.
Ashworth & VaneFee basis

§ 4|What it costs

The fee basis is settled before the file is.

Indicative fee basis, a fictional concept
First meetingFixed, one hour, written summary included
Corporate and propertyFixed quotation before the file opens
EmploymentHourly, capped by agreement
EstatesFixed, in stages
A bound file and pen set down on a desk
Plate iv. A file, opened once.
Ashworth & VaneInitial consultation

§ 5|Start here

A first meeting at a fixed fee.

An hour to set out the position, followed by a written summary either way.

Request a concept appointment. Concept action; no transaction will be completed.

Concept action / No appointment is made

The entrance to the practice, seen from the street
Plate v. The entrance, from the street.

5a.The fee for a first meeting is stated when the appointment is made, never afterwards.

Ashworth & VaneA fictional concept preview