*/
Barristers will be able to offer payment plans to their clients under a new partnership agreement announced by the Bar Council with Legal Cost Finance (LCF).
The FCA-regulated service would provide clients with the option of paying for legal services by instalments on the basis of third-party credit agreements, while lawyers would benefit from full payment of bills on time through BARCO, the Bar Council’s escrow account service.
Unlike litigation funding, LCF provides direct financing that is not restricted to any particular type of legal matter, is not tied to the chances of success and is available for all types of legal costs.
The Bar Council said it would help barristers to secure more instructions from clients by offering convenient and affordable payment solutions.
Lawyers will be encouraged to offer a “moderate discount” from their legal bills so the arrangement becomes cost-neutral to the client, “in exchange for the assurance of funding availability and of timely payments”. The discounts are intended to cover the client’s arrangement fees (total £290) plus the interest rate (approximately 6% APR) over one year.
LCF founder and CEO, Dr Yuri Rapoport, is an Australian solicitor who founded the first law broking firm (Prime Law Brokers). He said: “We are confident that our ‘payment plan’ solution will become a useful tool for barristers, encouraging convenient and effective client relations.”
Paul Mosson, Director of Services at the Bar Council, said: “We believe that the service they offer will provide barristers with another valuable tool to secure work by presenting a payment solution for their clients, offering peace of mind to both the barrister and the client.”
Unlike litigation funding, LCF provides direct financing that is not restricted to any particular type of legal matter, is not tied to the chances of success and is available for all types of legal costs.
The Bar Council said it would help barristers to secure more instructions from clients by offering convenient and affordable payment solutions.
Lawyers will be encouraged to offer a “moderate discount” from their legal bills so the arrangement becomes cost-neutral to the client, “in exchange for the assurance of funding availability and of timely payments”. The discounts are intended to cover the client’s arrangement fees (total £290) plus the interest rate (approximately 6% APR) over one year.
LCF founder and CEO, Dr Yuri Rapoport, is an Australian solicitor who founded the first law broking firm (Prime Law Brokers). He said: “We are confident that our ‘payment plan’ solution will become a useful tool for barristers, encouraging convenient and effective client relations.”
Paul Mosson, Director of Services at the Bar Council, said: “We believe that the service they offer will provide barristers with another valuable tool to secure work by presenting a payment solution for their clients, offering peace of mind to both the barrister and the client.”
Barristers will be able to offer payment plans to their clients under a new partnership agreement announced by the Bar Council with Legal Cost Finance (LCF).
The FCA-regulated service would provide clients with the option of paying for legal services by instalments on the basis of third-party credit agreements, while lawyers would benefit from full payment of bills on time through BARCO, the Bar Council’s escrow account service.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of cut-off levels, and the wider range of factors that must be considered when interpreting results for family court proceedings
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
The case against judge-only justice – and why efficiency is not enough. By Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base