Legal Terms and Conditions

Regulation

Kristy Gouldsmith (SRA number 669239) is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in her personal capacity and is subject to the provisions of the SRA Code of Conduct and the SRA Handbook.  This authorisation and regulation doesn’t apply to Sapphire Consulting Group Ltd, to the services that we offer more widely or to work carried out by others.

When you engage Kristy for legal services, we will explain which services will be provided by Kristy as a solicitor and which services will be provided by others.

Where Kristy and others are working as part of a joint team and it is not possible to draw a clear boundary around the services provided by her or others, then Kristy will be accountable to the SRA for the work as a whole.  She will remain responsible for the work of those she supervises under SRA standards. The Legal Ombudsman may also accept a complaint where the matter has been supervised by a solicitor.

Professional indemnity insurance and the SRA Compensation Fund

Kristy has professional indemnity insurance that meets SRA Minimum Terms and Conditions of £3 million for anyone claim. Details on the scope of cover will be provided on request.

Clients will not be able to make a claim on the SRA Compensation Fund.

Limitations on liability

Our liability to you for claims for breach of contract, breach of duty, negligence and for claims otherwise arising out of or in connection with our engagement or the services we provide shall be limited to £3 million.

Holding money on behalf of clients

Under SRA regulations, Kristy is not permitted to hold client money in her personal capacity.

“Client money” will include:

• Money that clients pay on account of charges or third-party costs (such as fees for expert reports)

• Any damages that a client receives as part of a settlement of a case

• The assets of an estate that is being administered by our company

• Any other money that we are holding on your behalf to complete a transaction or for investment purposes

Referrals

Kristy will inform you if you have been recommended to us by an ‘introducer’ with whom we have an agreement to pay a fee for your introduction as a client and the amount of the referral fee.  No part of this fee will be payable by you and payment of the fee will not have an impact on any work that Kristy completes on your behalf.

Kristy will not share any confidential information with the referrer.

If a conflict of interest arises between you and the referrer, Kristy will inform you of this and may have to cease acting for you.

Material Information

Kristy will make you aware of all information material to your matter of which she has knowledge, subject to some limited exceptions.

Costs

Kristy will ensure that you receive the best possible information about how your matter will be priced and, both at the time of engagement and when appropriate as your matter progresses, about the likely overall cost of the matter and any costs incurred.

Complaints

If you have a complaint or concern about our work or about the bill, please raise them with Kristy in the first instance. If that does not resolve the problem to your satisfaction, then please contact Dave Townsend at dave@kristygouldsmith.com.

If you are not satisfied with the result of that complaint, or if it has not been resolved within eight weeks, you have the right to take any complaint about the standard of service offered by the solicitor to the Legal Ombudsman.

Please be aware that while you have this further right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman about the service Kristy has provided, and a right to complain about her professional conduct to the SRA, you will have no such rights in relation to Sapphire Consulting Group or any part of the service provided by non-authorised persons (except where those persons were acting under Kristy’s supervision).