Billing within Law Firms – Online Workshop

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Nov 2024

Thu 21

10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Virtual Event
Billing Within Law Firms

Free – £145.00

Dec 2024

Tue 17

10:00 am - 1:00 pm

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Billing Within Law Firms
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As an Org Plus Plan subscriber, you have unlimited access to the On Demand training library of pre-recorded training videos. You can watch these as many times as you like at your own leisure. Questions can be posed to trainers during and after the video, with responses being provided within 2 working days. Ensure you’re logged into your account to access.

For non-subscribers and all other plan subscribers, access can be purchased separately.

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#1. Your firm is acting for a client and has instructed a process server to serve legal documents to a third party.

When including the cost of the process server in your bill of costs, you treat it as a:

Disbursement for VAT purposes

Recharge

#2. Your firm is acting for a client. The case is a criminal matter. The fee earner instructs a specialist to produce video copies of CCTV footage where the action is slowed down, hard copies of individual frames and enhanced/enlarged sections of images are produced. The cost of this service is being passed on to the client.

When billed, the cost is a:

Disbursement

Recharge

#3. Is it permissible to pass on the costs of conducting client due diligence as a disbursement under the AML under the money laundering regulations on to my client?

Yes

#4. A 'Statement of Costs On Account' bill is:

A series of solicitors’ bills which are initially treated as requests for payments on account, but which collectively become a single statute bill upon delivery of a final bill

Solicitors’ bills that do not comply with the requirements of section 69 of the Solicitors Act 1974 constitute statements on account of costs or demands for payments on account of costs

Final statute bills or interim statute bills for the period which they cover or in respect of the engagement itself

An invoice which states only the amount of the total charge and does not provide a detailed breakdown of the work which it covers

#5. Your firm deals with estate matters and you incur and pay for probate court fees. You also pay for additional copies of the grant of probate. These copies are often sent out to third parties in order to speed up process. You pass the cost of the additional copies on to the estate.

How should you show them and treat them on your bill/invoice?

Recharge net cost plus VAT

Recharge net cost with no VAT

Disbursement net cost plus VAT

Disbursement net cost with no VAT

#6. You’re acting for the executors in dealing with the administration of a deceased person’s estate. The deceased was a British National and resided in the UK. However the executors and those you are corresponding with are based in Canada. There is UK property involved and it forms a significant portion of the estate along with UK based bank accounts.

When issuing the bill to the executors, is supply subject to standard rated VAT?

Yes

#7. You are acting for a business client whose place of belonging is the British Virgin Islands. The client’s claim is for negligence against the client’s previous solicitors in having wrongly drafted the terms of a claim for a Collective Enfranchisement of a UK residential property.

When issuing a bill to the client, what VAT rate do you apply to your supply?

Zero Rated

Reduced Rated (5%)

Standard Rated (20%)

Exempt

Outside the Scope of UK VAT

Outside the Scope of VAT

#8. To be valid for VAT purposes a credit note must be issued within:

7 days of the refund payment being made to the client

14 days of the refund payment being made to the client

30 days of the refund payment being made to the client

3 months of the refund payment being made to the client

#9. You have instructed an interpreter in order for your client to be able to communicate with you or to enable your client to understand Court proceedings. The cost of the interpreter is being passed on to the client. When billed, the cost is:

A Disbursement

A Recharge

#10. You’re acting for VAT registered business client in a litigation matter. Your services were provided to and used by your client. A third party has agreed to pay your client’s legal costs and you have issued the payer with a note of your costs requesting the full amount. The payer has stated that they’re liable for the net amount only and that your client should discharge the VAT amount.

Is the payer correct?

Yes

Finish

Billing within Law Firms

Length: 3 Hours

Published September 23, 2022

Last Updated on June 24, 2023

Who is this training for?

This online workshop is for Solicitors, Lawyers, Accountants, Compliance Officers, COFA’s, Legal Accounts Professionals, Legal Cashiers, Billing Teams, Credit Controllers and anyone that has any involvement in working in legal finance and compliance.

Purpose of this training?

Life is rarely straightforward and when it comes to billing, there are no exceptions. In this online workshop we explain what the solicitors’ bills rules are and why they are important when it comes to the recoverability of the fees, recharges and disbursements claimed in bills. We’ll look at billing procedures and processes, ensuring that VAT is accounted for correctly and at right time in accordance with the VAT Act 1994 and Brexit. It will also look at the different categories of bills that can be issued. Don’t forget, not all bills are equal in the eyes of the law. Unfortunately, the same terminology can be used when labelling and referring to different bills, confusion and misunderstanding can arise when dealing with them, not only on the part of clients but lawyers too.

Time to Supply

Basic Tax Point
Actual Tax Point
Extensions

Sales/Fees

Time recording
VAT rates
Client’s overseas (Place of ‘belonging’)
Land related services

Third Party Payers

Indemnity basis
VAT invoices

Administrative Aspects of VAT

Valid VAT invoices
Valid credit notes
Electronic invoices (structured and unstructured formats)
Layout
Types of bills – solicitors’ bills rules
Disbursements and recharges
VAT Returns

VAT Returns

Accounting software and VAT rates
Outputs and Output VAT
Errors and penalties

Further Information

Notice 700

VAT Act 1994

Solicitors Act 1974

Accounts & Finance Practice Notes

Blogs

Forum

Practice notes and training sessions represent the Association of Legal Compliance & Accounts’ view of good practice in a particular area. They are not intended to be the only standard of good practice that firms can follow.

Practice notes and training sessions are not legal advice, and do not necessarily provide a defence to complaints of misconduct or poor service. While we have taken care to ensure that they are accurate, up to date and useful, we will not accept any legal liability in relation to them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Online?

All ALCA online training is delivered live, interactive and is recorded. We bridge the gap between ‘face-to-face’ and online training by applying a blended approach. Questions can be posed to trainers throughout the workshops with quizzes/polls being used to engage with attendees.

Workshops can be continuously replayed for 60 days after broadcast.

Benefits?

Reduced cost
Can be taken anywhere on any device – no travel time or cost
Shorter and more efficient than face-to-face
Live and interactive
Recorded and can be replayed at your leisure

Depending on your subscription and the length of the workshop, the pricing is as follows:

Plan	Online (1 hour)	Online (2 hours)	Online (3 hours)	On Demand	e-Learning
Non-Subscriber	£95.00	£120.00	£145.00	No Access	No Access
Org	£45.00	£90.00	£120.00	No Access	No Access
Org Plus	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00	£0.00

Our online workshops are delivered via Zoom. You can access the session via your computer, tablet or mobile device.

Details on how to join the online session will be provided the day before the training goes live.

We recommend you run a system test and check your internet speed by clicking HERE.

If your firm prevents you from using Zoom, please contact us.

There is no requirement to attend live but we advise that you do where you can as this will be the best experience for you. Don’t forget, you can pose questions live to the trainer and join in with the interaction when you attend live. Also, be mindful that you have access to the recording for 30 days, after which, it will no longer be available.

Not at all. We prefer it if candidates do as it makes the training more engaging but it is not mandatory to turn your camera or microphone on during the training session.

If you don’t have a microphone, you can still pose questions using the chat facility.

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