Ceri G. Davies LLB Solicitor
Partner in Wehrle and Sheehan a firm of solicitors with three practices in S.W. Wales, U.K.
28 Station Road 40/41a Alfred Street 19 Dillwyn Street
Port Talbot Neath Swansea
Tel: 01639 883237 01639 630844 01792 410016
Fax: 01639 871313 01639 630776 01639 630776
e.mail: wehrle&sheehan@arsenalfc.net DX: 38359 Neath
Born:
31/3/50 at Neath, S. Wales, Great Britain.
Qualifications:
1961/68 Neath Boys' Grammar School.
6 O-Levels and 2 A-Levels.
1968/72 Leeds Metro. University.
LLB. Hons.
1977 Qualified as a Solicitor.
1998 Qualified as a Family Mediator.
Employment:
1973/5 Messrs. Watkin Jones & Co., Solicitors, Swansea.
Articles.
1976/77 Mid Glamorgan County Council.
Consumer Protection Officer.
1977/81 Meyrick Owen & Co., Solicitors, Pembroke Dock.
Assistant Solicitor.
1981 Wehrle & Sheehan, Port Talbot.
1998 Qualified as a Family Mediator
1998 Appointed as Assessor to the Law Society's Family Law Panel
Experience:
Since qualifying as a solicitor I have dealt with more family cases
than any other. I have dealt with a wide range of family matters to
include defended divorces, wardship, care proceedings, difficult
ancilliaries, apart from the usual divorce and Children Act problems
that are common nowadays. The majority of my current files are family
orientated. I qualified as a Family Mediator in readiness for the
change in the law next year.
Membership:
Member of the Law Society.
Associate Member of the U.K. College of Mediators.
Member of the Law Society's Family Law Panel
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FEES
We like to think that we are competitive so as fees are concerned. We
try to, so far as we can, give an estimate of the likely global cost
of any given matter. Obviously if we encounter unforseen or unusual
problems then the client will be advised and fees re-negotiated,
hopefully to the client's satisfaction!
Divorce:
As a Petitioner in undefended proceedings, fees are usually
£350 excluding VAT and there are disbursements such as court fees
which add almost £200 to this. As a Respondent the fees are £250
excluding VAT and there are no disbursements. If the proceedings
become defended then, as a rule of thumb, multiply these figures by
10 if the case proceeds to the 'bitter end'.
House-purchase:
We usually quote a fixed fee as the work involved is
routine and straight-forward. However, bear in mind that disbursements
such as searches, VAT, and fees due to estate agents, Land Registry
and possibly Stamp-Duty add substantially to the cost of buying and
selling a property. The solicitor has no control nor discretion over
these and they have to paid.
Litigation:
Fees are calculated on a time-basis arising from the
amount of time spent on the case in any given day or week. As a lot
of the work can be routine and can be done quickly and therefore
cheaply. Nearly every client believes that all lawyers have a system
that has the 'clock ticking' from the time he accepts instructions
right to the end of the case, very much like a taxi does. Not so.
Files are worked on for around 30 minutes a week on average but this
figure goes up sharply at the beginning of a case when evidence has
to gathered or if there is a hearing on the horizon. Insofar as Legal
Aid is concerned, we always assess our clients at the first
appointment to see whether they qualify. Our hourly rate from the
1st. January 1998 is £80 with up to a 50% markup. We review this
figure at regular intervals.
No-Win No-Fee Litigation:
We are prepared to take cases on this basis
where the client only pays disbursements as they are incurred. There
is no hourly rate, no fixed fee only a payment out of compensation
successfully obtained for the client. The Law Society maximum is 25%
excluding VAT. Disbursements are usually recovered and repaid to the
client. We always operate on this basis in Criminal Injury
Compensation claims but other cases are scrutinised very carefully
before a decision is made.
Wills:
Routinely our fees are £30 for one will. £50 for wills for
husbands and wives together. For more complicated wills then we go
back to our time basis.
Probate and All Other Matters:
Usually on a time basis unless the
work is staightforward and then we can quote a flat fee. Obviously if
snags are encountered then we reserve the right to operate on a time
basis.
Method of Payment:
Fees may be paid by cash or cheque. We accept Visa or
Mastercard for fees but not for disbursements.
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