Terms of Business

Version 2.1 · In force from 24 August 2026. Supersedes v2.0 (21 August 2026). Superseded by v2.2 on 12 September 2026 and by v2.3 on 30 September 2026. Your Client Care Letter records the version of these Terms of Business that applies to your matter.

1. About us

1.1 Abrahams Solicitors is the trading style of Abrahams (Yorkshire) Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 12942685), whose registered office is Unit 20, Listerhills Science Park, Campus Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1HR. Our VAT registration number is GB491643276.

1.2 We are authorised and regulated as a recognised body by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Our SRA number is 809071. The SRA Standards and Regulations, including the Code of Conduct, can be accessed at www.sra.org.uk.

1.3 The SRA can be contacted at: The Cube, 199 Wharfside Street, Birmingham, B1 1RN; by telephone on 0370 606 2555; or by email at contactcentre@sra.org.uk.

1.4 In these Terms of Business, first-person terms such as “we”, “us” and “our” refer to the Firm and not to any Director, Consultant or Employee personally, or to any combination of them collectively. By entering into this Agreement you are contracting with the Firm. The fact that an individual signs a letter or document in his or her own name in the course of their work does not mean he or she assumes personal legal liability for it. No reference to a “partner” implies that any person is carrying on business in partnership for the purposes of the Partnership Act 1890.

1.5 A list of Directors is available for inspection at our registered office, together with a list of those non-Directors referred to as Partners. We may from time to time use the word “Partner” to refer to a Director, Employee or Consultant of the Firm of equivalent standing and qualification.

1.6 The SRA Indemnity Insurance Rules require us to take out and maintain Professional Indemnity Insurance with Qualifying Insurers. Information about the compulsory layer of Professional Indemnity Insurance we carry, including our insurers’ contact details and the territorial coverage of that insurance, is available on request at our registered office.

2. These Terms

2.1 These Terms of Business may not be varied unless agreed in writing and signed by a Director. They should be read together with our Client Care Letter, which sets out the basis on which we act for you, and any documents referred to in that letter. Together these form the “Agreement” between us in relation to each matter on which we advise you.

2.2 These terms, including the limits on our liability in clause 15, apply to all work done by us for you, and to any work to be done in the future, unless we notify you otherwise in writing.

2.3 If any term of this Agreement is inconsistent with our legal or regulatory obligations, those obligations apply instead of the inconsistent term, which shall be treated as modified accordingly.

2.4 Your Client Care Letter records the version of these Terms of Business that applies to your matter. If we later update these Terms, your matter continues to be governed by the version enclosed with your Client Care Letter unless we agree otherwise with you in writing.

3. Excluded advice

3.1 We do not advise on the laws or regulations of jurisdictions other than England and Wales.

3.2 We are not qualified to give taxation advice in any form, and you should take the professional advice of a taxation accountant or your own accountant. If you authorise us to proceed, we will do so on the basis that you have sought appropriate professional advice where needed. If you wish us to help you appoint an appropriate accountant, please ask.

3.3 We do not advise on competition law, nor do we provide financial advice generally, nor do we comment on the commercial viability of any transaction on which we advise.

3.4 The scope of the work we are undertaking for you, and what falls outside it, is set out in your Client Care Letter.

4. Your duty to retain and preserve documents

4.1 If, now or at any time in the future, any matter on which we act for you becomes the subject of formally contested proceedings, whether in the courts or other tribunals, you will almost certainly have to disclose documents, including electronic documents, relevant to the matter. You should ensure that you do not destroy, or allow to be destroyed, any documents relating to such a matter in any way, however slight you believe the connection to be, as your position in such proceedings could be seriously compromised if you do so.

5. Copyright

5.1 Unless we agree otherwise, all copyright in the documents and other materials we create while carrying out work for you remains our property. You have the right to use those documents and materials for the purposes for which they were created, but not otherwise.

5.2 If you use those documents for any purpose other than that for which they were created, we are not responsible to you for any losses you may suffer as a result.

5.3 Unless required by law or court order, you agree not to make our work, documents or materials available to third parties without our prior written permission. Our work is undertaken for your benefit alone, and we are not responsible to third parties for any aspect of our professional services or work that you make available to them.

6. Client satisfaction and complaints

6.1 We operate strict client care and quality policies, and always aim to provide you with the highest level of legal expertise and to be available, approachable, understandable, prompt and courteous.

6.2 We will keep you informed about all important developments in your matter and will respond to your letters, emails and telephone calls promptly and efficiently.

6.3 You have the right to complain to us about our services and about our charges. If you have any cause for concern, please contact our designated complaints handler, Imran Shah, by telephone on 0333 339 6004 or in writing at our registered office. We take all feedback from clients seriously and operate a Complaints Handling Procedure, a copy of which is available on request. We will not charge you for handling your complaint. See our complaints page for the full procedure.

6.4 If we have not resolved your complaint within eight weeks of you first making it to us, you may be able to refer it to the Legal Ombudsman, which is the independent body that considers complaints about the service provided by legal professionals.

6.5 Time limits for referring a complaint to the Legal Ombudsman. There are strict time limits, and they were shortened on 1 April 2023. You must refer your complaint to the Legal Ombudsman:

• (a) within six months of receiving our final written response to your complaint; and
• (b) no later than one year from the date of the act or omission you are complaining about; or
• (c) no later than one year from the date when you should reasonably have known that there was cause for complaint.

An Ombudsman has discretion to extend the one-year limits where, on the evidence, it is fair and reasonable to do so. The limits that apply are those in the version of the Legal Ombudsman’s Scheme Rules in force at the time of your complaint. The Rules can be accessed at www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

6.6 Legal Ombudsman contact details:

• Address: Legal Ombudsman, PO Box 6167, Slough, SL1 0EH
• Telephone: 0300 555 0333 (10am to 4pm)
• Relay UK: 18001 0300 555 0333
• Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk
• Website: www.legalombudsman.org.uk

6.7 Who can complain to the Legal Ombudsman. A complainant must be one of the following:

• (a) an individual;
• (b) a micro-enterprise (broadly, an enterprise with fewer than 10 staff and a turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding €2 million);
• (c) a charity with an annual income of less than £1 million;
• (d) a club, association or society with an annual income of less than £1 million;
• (e) a trustee of a trust with a net asset value of less than £1 million; or
• (f) a personal representative, or the residuary beneficiaries of an estate, where the person with the complaint died before referring it to the Legal Ombudsman.

6.8 If you do not fall within clause 6.7, you may still use our Complaints Handling Procedure, and you may seek redress by mediation or arbitration or through the courts.

6.9 Alternative dispute resolution. Alternative complaints bodies exist which are competent to deal with complaints about legal services, should both you and we wish to use such a scheme. The relevant body is ProMediate (www.promediate.co.uk). We do not agree to use ProMediate. We expect complaints to go to the Legal Ombudsman, which provides a clear adjudication process and is free to you.

6.10 Complaints about a bill. If you wish to complain about one of our bills, you may use our Complaints Handling Procedure. You may also have a right to object to a bill by complaining to the Legal Ombudsman, and/or by applying to the court for an assessment of the bill under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974. Please note that the Legal Ombudsman will not consider a complaint about a bill while that bill is being assessed by a court.

6.11 Reporting us to the SRA. The Legal Ombudsman deals with complaints about the service you have received. If your concern is about our professional conduct — for example dishonesty, discrimination, or a breach of the SRA’s rules — you can report it to the Solicitors Regulation Authority. You can do so at www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/, or using the contact details in clause 1.3.

6.12 The Firm is committed to ensuring that all Directors, Consultants and Employees give their full co-operation to the Legal Ombudsman and to the SRA in the event of any dispute, complaint or investigation.

7. Agreed fee services

7.1 Where our Client Care Letter states that we are charging on the basis of an “agreed fee”, we will not vary the fee upwards, and payment of the fee is not dependent on the work being completed. We will therefore bill you for the whole of the agreed fee at the outset. Any work instructed outside the scope of the work set out in our Client Care Letter will attract a further fee, which will be agreed with you in advance and confirmed in writing before that work begins.

8. Fixed fee services

8.1 Where our Client Care Letter states that we are charging on a “fixed fee” basis, the fee is based on the assumption that your matter will proceed to completion without unforeseen difficulty. If unforeseen additional work is required, we will tell you before carrying it out and will agree the additional charge with you. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, additional work will be charged at our hourly rates as set out in our Client Care Letter, plus expenses and VAT.

9. Hourly rate services

9.1 Where our Client Care Letter states that we are charging on an hourly basis, the hourly rate varies according to the experience and expertise of the person dealing with the matter. The rates applying to your matter will be set out in our Client Care Letter.

9.2 The time spent on your matter for which you will be charged includes meetings with you and others, travelling, waiting, researching and considering, writing and receiving correspondence, making and receiving telephone calls, preparing and working on documents, and making file notes.

9.3 Time spent is recorded in units of one tenth of an hour. This is therefore the minimum amount of time we will charge for any piece of work undertaken on your matter.

9.4 We review our hourly rates once a year. We will notify you in writing of any increase before it takes effect.

9.5 We are VAT registered. Our VAT registration number is GB491643276.

9.6 Whether VAT is chargeable on our fees depends on where you are treated as belonging for VAT purposes under the place-of-supply rules for legal services. Where you are a private individual who belongs outside the United Kingdom, our fees fall outside the scope of UK VAT and no UK VAT is charged. Where you belong in the United Kingdom, VAT is chargeable at the rate applying when the work is done.

9.7 For these purposes, where you are physically in the United Kingdom but have not been granted any right or permission to remain here, you are treated as belonging in your country of origin, and our fees fall outside the scope of UK VAT. Where you were granted permission to remain and it has since expired or been revoked, you continue to be treated as belonging in the United Kingdom until your immigration position is concluded, including any appeal, and VAT is chargeable.

9.8 The treatment follows the person to whom we supply our services. If a third party pays our bill on your behalf, that does not by itself change the position. Your Client Care Letter states which treatment applies to your matter, whether the fee quoted to you is exclusive or inclusive of VAT, and the total payable. Please tell us if your residence or immigration position changes during your matter, as this may change the position from that point.

9.9 Certain disbursements carry VAT charged by the supplier regardless of the above. Home Office application fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge do not carry VAT. Your Client Care Letter sets out the position for each disbursement.

10. All services

10.1 All expenses we incur in working on your matter are payable by you in addition to our fees. Examples include Land Registry and Companies House fees, search fees, fees charged by experts, agents, couriers and barristers, court and tribunal fees, Home Office application fees and the Immigration Health Surcharge, travel expenses, and telegraphic transfer fees. Some expenses carry VAT charged by the supplier, which you will need to pay in addition.

10.2 Where we have given you a written estimate of the total charges, it is given only as a guide to assist you in budgeting and should not be regarded as a fixed quotation unless otherwise agreed in writing. We will inform you if any unforeseen but significant additional work becomes necessary.

10.3 It is sometimes impossible to tell at the outset what the overall cost of a matter will be. Where that is the case we will give you as much information as possible at the start and keep you updated as the matter progresses. If a precise figure cannot be given at the outset, we shall explain why, and give you the opportunity to set a ceiling figure beyond which you do not wish us to act without your consent, or we shall agree a review date with you.

10.4 We will usually submit bills monthly, but may submit bills at other intervals, on conclusion of the matter, or at the end of this Agreement. Unless otherwise agreed, our bills are payable within 28 days of delivery.

10.5 We may ask you at any time to pay money in advance of fees and expenses being incurred (a “payment on account”). If we ask you to make a payment on account, we will not be obliged to undertake further work on your matter until that payment is made, and if you do not make it we may cease acting for you. Where your matter involves an application to the Home Office, please note that non-payment may mean the application is not submitted in time, which could have serious consequences for your immigration status.

10.6 Where we decide to extend credit to you by carrying out urgent work after money paid on account has been used, you agree to remain liable for our fees whether or not we give you advance notification that we are extending credit.

10.7 It is your responsibility to tell us when first instructing us if you have any insurance cover (such as legal expenses insurance) that you think will pay our fees, and if there is a third party who may pay our fees. If a third party agrees to pay all or part of our bills, you remain responsible to us for payment until those bills are paid in full.

10.8 If we are advising more than one person, we will, unless otherwise agreed in writing, act for those persons jointly and severally. If we are asked to deliver bills to only one person, those bills remain payable in full by all other persons we act for under this Agreement.

10.9 If you instruct us jointly, it is your responsibility to tell us at the outset if you require more than one person to give us instructions. Otherwise we will accept instructions from any one of you and will not be responsible to any other person for losses they may suffer as a result.

10.10 If you are a company or other commercial entity, it is your responsibility to tell us at the outset if you require more than one Director (or equivalent) to give us instructions.

10.11 Late payment of bills.

10.11.1 Unless otherwise agreed, our bills are payable within 28 days of delivery. If we do not receive payment within that time, we reserve the right to charge interest as follows:

• (a) if you are a private client, interest on a daily basis on the unpaid element of the bill, at a rate no higher than the rate payable on judgment debts at the date of this Agreement;
• (b) if you are a commercial client, interest and a fixed sum under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, as amended.

10.11.2 We may refuse to undertake further work for you, whether on this matter or any other, until the bill is paid, and/or we may cease acting for you.

10.11.3 We may retain any papers or documents belonging to you, together with our own records, while money is owing to us.

10.12 If you make a payment by cheque or card and that payment is not honoured, we will inform you in writing and request that funds be made available for the payment to be re-presented. We reserve the right to charge you an administration fee and any charge imposed by the bank. Until the payment clears into our account, clause 10.11 may apply.

10.13 If you have a query about any element of a bill, you should still promptly pay all other elements of that bill.

10.14 Where we hold money for you, whether because you have made a payment on account or because we otherwise receive funds on your behalf, we may use that money towards payment of our bills. We will always tell you when this is being done.

10.15 Your right to complain about, or challenge, a bill is set out at clause 6.10.

11. Costs and funding: litigation and contested matters

11.1 The Firm recognises the need for flexibility in funding litigation, particularly where there is a possibility that you will have to contribute to another party’s legal costs. At the outset we will discuss with you the best way of paying for your legal representation.

11.2 Where your matter involves an appeal, administrative review or judicial review, that work falls outside the scope of your original Client Care Letter unless it expressly says otherwise. We will issue a separate Client Care Letter and costs information before undertaking such work.

12. Storage of documents and deeds

12.1 We retain all documents relating to your matter, other than documents in your possession or returned to you, for at least six years from the conclusion of our involvement. You agree that we may destroy them after that time. We will not destroy documents you ask us to deposit in our deeds store.

12.2 If you ask us to retrieve documents from storage there is a charge, normally £25 plus VAT for each matter, although we will not normally charge that fee where we retrieve documents in order to carry out further work for you. We will charge for any work necessary to comply with instructions given in connection with retrieved documents, at our hourly rates applicable at the relevant time.

13. Termination and cancellation

13.1 You may end this Agreement, and therefore your instructions to us, at any time by writing to us. We may be entitled to retain your documents and deeds while money is owing to us, including fees and expenses not yet billed.

13.2 We may end this Agreement, and cease acting for you, in relation to any or all of your matters, but only on reasonable written notice and for good reason. Examples of good reason include where you have not given us sufficient instructions, where you have not provided appropriate evidence of identity, where continuing to act would breach our legal or regulatory obligations, or where we reasonably believe the relationship between us has broken down.

13.3 If your matter does not conclude, or we are prevented from continuing to act because of our legal or professional obligations, we will charge you for the work we have actually done. Where a fixed fee has been agreed, those charges will not exceed the fixed fee. Where an agreed fee has been charged under clause 7, the fee remains payable in accordance with that clause.

13.4 If we cease acting for you, we shall where relevant inform the court or tribunal that we no longer act and apply to be removed from their records. We may charge you for doing so at our hourly rates applicable at the relevant time.

13.5 Your cancellation rights. If you are a consumer and this Agreement was made away from our business premises (for example at your home or place of work), or was made at a distance without us meeting you face to face, you have the right to cancel this Agreement within 14 days of the date of the Agreement, under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. You do not have to give a reason.

13.6 We will not begin work during that 14-day cancellation period unless you expressly ask us to. If you ask us to start work within the cancellation period and then cancel, you will be liable for the costs and expenses reasonably incurred up to the point of cancellation. If, at your request, the agreed service has been performed in full within the cancellation period, your right to cancel ends.

13.7 To cancel, you need only tell us clearly in writing before the 14-day period expires, using the contact details in your Client Care Letter. A cancellation form is provided with your Client Declaration.

14. Financial services

14.1 The Law Society of England and Wales is a designated professional body under Part XX of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, which means we may carry on certain regulated activities without being regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This means we may be able to provide limited financial services to you where such services arise out of, or are complementary to, the provision of legal services.

14.2 Responsibility for regulation has been delegated to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and responsibility for handling complaints has been delegated to the Legal Ombudsman. The contact details for the SRA are at clause 1.3 and for the Legal Ombudsman at clause 6.6.

14.3 The limited regulated activities we carry out are issuing certain insurance policies, such as after-the-event legal expenses insurance and property indemnity insurance.

14.4 We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. However, we are included on the register maintained by the Financial Conduct Authority so that we can carry on insurance distribution activity, which is broadly the advising on, selling and administration of insurance contracts. This part of our business, including arrangements for complaints or redress if something goes wrong, is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The register can be accessed at www.fca.org.uk.

14.5 Any insurance policy arranged by us on your behalf shall, in our opinion, be adequate to meet your needs, but it is your responsibility to check that you are satisfied with the excess levels, exclusions, limitations and other policy terms. We do not conduct a fair analysis of the insurance market before arranging insurance policies. You can request details of the insurance undertakings with which we conduct business at any time.

14.6 You agree to provide us with details of any relevant existing insurance policies you may have, and you agree that we shall not be liable to you for losses you sustain as a result of your failure to provide us with those details.

15. Limitation of liability

15.1 You agree that the limitations on our liability set out in this Agreement are reasonable, having regard to the nature of your instructions, the work involved, and the availability and cost of professional indemnity insurance. We are happy to consider options to increase these limitations should you require it, which may result in an increase to our fees.

15.2 We will undertake the work relating to your matter with reasonable skill and care.

15.3 We accept liability without limit for the consequences of fraud by us or by any of our Directors, Consultants or Employees effected in that capacity, and for any other liability which we are not permitted by law or by rules of professional conduct to limit or exclude. If any part of this Agreement which seeks to exclude, limit or restrict liability is found by a court to be void or ineffective, the remaining provisions continue to be effective.

15.4 We will not be liable for any deficiencies in the work we have undertaken to the extent that those deficiencies are due to false, misleading or incomplete information or documentation provided to us, whether by you or by any third party, or due to the acts or omissions of you or any third party. However, where any failure by us to identify such information, or to inform you that we have identified it, or to act on your resulting instructions, amounts to negligence, we remain liable for that failure subject to the other provisions of this Agreement.

15.5 We are not obliged to act, or to continue to act, for you if to do so would breach any law or professional rule. We will not be liable to you for any loss suffered as a result of our refusal to proceed with your matter where we would be, or reasonably believe we would be, in breach of our legal or professional obligations.

15.6 Except as stated in clauses 15.3 and 15.12, the total aggregate liability of the Firm to you under or in connection with this Agreement, whether for breach of contract, negligence, breach of statutory duty or otherwise, shall not exceed £3,000,000 (three million pounds).

15.7 Where we are instructed jointly by more than one party, the limit on our liability applies in total to all of you collectively, including anyone claiming through you or on your behalf.

15.8 You agree that you will not bring any claim or proceedings in connection with this Agreement against our Directors, Consultants or Employees personally, unless and to the extent that you are permitted to do so by law or by our professional rules. Our Directors, Consultants and Employees may enforce this clause even though they are not parties to this Agreement, but this Agreement may be varied or ended without their consent.

15.9 Proceedings in respect of any claim against us must be commenced within six years after you first had, or ought reasonably to have had, both the knowledge for bringing an action for damages and the knowledge that you had the right to bring such an action, and in any event no later than six years after any alleged breach of contract, negligence or other cause of action. This provision expressly overrides any statutory provision which would otherwise apply; it will not increase the time within which proceedings may be commenced and may reduce it.

15.10 If we and any other party are liable to you together in respect of the same claim, we shall only be liable to pay you the portion found to be fair and reasonable having regard to the level of our default. We shall not be liable to pay the portion due to the fault of another party, even if you do not recover money from that other party for any reason.

15.11 If we are liable to you, and another party would have been found liable to you together with us in respect of the same claim had you brought proceedings against them, or had we claimed a contribution from them, any sum due from us to you shall be reduced by the proportion for which that other party would have been found liable.

15.12 Nothing in this Agreement excludes or limits the liability of the Firm for:

• (a) death or personal injury caused by negligence;
• (b) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
• (c) any liability to the extent that it is not permissible in law for such liability to be limited or excluded.

16. Client money and interest

16.1 We will account to you for a sum in lieu of interest on money we hold for you where it is fair and reasonable to do so in all the circumstances, in accordance with the SRA Accounts Rules.

16.2 Our policy seeks to provide a fair and reasonable outcome for both our clients and this practice, and is kept under review.

16.3 The rate of interest available on client accounts is significantly lower than the rate obtainable on other bank or building society accounts. This reflects the fact that immediate access is required to client accounts in order to comply with the SRA Accounts Rules and to facilitate the smooth completion of transactions. It is therefore unlikely that funds held by us will attract as much interest as if you had invested them yourself.

16.4 All interest arising from cleared funds held on behalf of a trust will be credited to the trust, whether those funds are held in a general client account or a separate designated client account.

16.5 For cleared funds paid into general client accounts, we shall account for interest unless the amount of interest calculated on the balance held is £20 or less, or the client money was held in cleared funds for a period of five working days or less.

16.6 All other clients shall be paid interest at the rate payable on the practice’s client account from time to time, unless there are specific circumstances leading the client to contract out of the right to receive interest payments, for example where the client’s religious beliefs prohibit the receipt of interest.

16.7 Where sums of money are held in relation to separate matters for the same client, the money relating to the different matters shall be treated separately unless it is fair and reasonable in the circumstances to consider them together.

16.8 We will usually account to you for interest at the conclusion of your matter, but may in some cases consider it appropriate to account to you at intervals throughout.

16.9 Unless otherwise agreed in writing, if we receive sums to hold on your behalf we may deposit that money with any bank or financial institution (a “deposit provider”) of our choosing. We comply with applicable law and regulatory rules in respect of such deposits.

16.10 We shall not be liable for any loss which you or any third party may suffer in connection with an Insolvency Event occurring in relation to any deposit provider with whom we have deposited funds, save to the extent that such loss was caused or contributed to by our breach of clause 16.9. In this clause an “Insolvency Event” means the deposit provider becoming unable to pay its debts as they fall due, the value of its assets being less than its liabilities, a moratorium being declared in respect of its indebtedness, or any winding-up, administration, receivership, or analogous procedure being commenced in respect of it in any jurisdiction.

16.11 If an Insolvency Event occurs in relation to a deposit provider holding money we have deposited on your behalf, you agree that we may disclose to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (“FSCS”) all relevant details in our possession about you and the money we hold on your behalf. If you do not wish us to make such a disclosure, please notify our data protection contact in writing at our registered office. Please note that by withholding consent you may forfeit any right to receive compensation from the FSCS. FSCS compensation for deposits is limited to £85,000 for any individual’s total deposit with that provider, including their personal finances. Further information is available at www.fscs.org.uk or on 0800 678 1100.

16.12 Cash payments. We will not accept payments from you in cash of more than £500, whether to settle our bill, to pay money on account, or otherwise. This limit applies to each matter in which we act for you, not to each transaction. We shall not be liable to you for any losses you may suffer as a result of our refusal to accept cash payments over that limit.

17. Data protection and confidentiality

17.1 We are the “Controller” for data protection purposes. This means we collect and hold your information and decide what it will be used for. We are subject to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, and must use your personal data in accordance with that legislation. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), registration number ZB638524. Our data protection contact is Imran Shah, Director — info@abrahamssolicitors.co.uk.

17.2 Confidentiality. We keep your information confidential and will not disclose it to third parties unless disclosure is authorised by you, required by law or regulation, required in order to act for you in your matter, or otherwise permitted under these Terms.

17.3 Where your matter involves another party, we will liaise with their legal representative, or with that party directly if unrepresented, in order to progress your matter. This may involve disclosing relevant information about you to that party to enable us to perform this Agreement.

17.4 Outsourcing. We sometimes outsource aspects of our work. We carry out due diligence on, and obtain confidentiality agreements from, such providers.

17.5 File audits. We may be subject to periodic checks by approved consultants, assessors and compliance specialists. This could mean your file is selected for auditing. All such checks are conducted by individuals who provide a confidentiality agreement.

17.6 Credit reference checks. We may in some cases consult credit reference agencies to assess your creditworthiness. Where you are an individual, we will ask for your specific consent before doing so.

17.7 Email. We may correspond with you by email if you provide us with an email address, unless you tell us in writing that you do not wish us to do so. You acknowledge that email may not be secure and that the data we send by email is not routinely encrypted. Email will be treated as written correspondence, and we are entitled to assume that the purported sender of an email is the actual sender. We may monitor correspondence as part of our compliance activities.

17.8 Where you provide us with an email address for sending material to, you are responsible for ensuring your arrangements are sufficiently secure and confidential to protect your interests. You must tell us if this method of communication is not secure so that we can use an alternative.

17.9 We take reasonable steps to protect the integrity of our computer systems by screening for viruses on email sent and received. We expect you to do the same.

17.10 Telephone. We do not routinely record incoming and outgoing telephone calls. However, if you call and leave a message, or your call is answered by an approved outsourced provider, your call will be recorded for quality monitoring, training, the investigation of complaints and disputes, and staff protection. Our legal basis for recording calls is our legitimate interest in having that information available for those purposes. Call recordings may be disclosed to third parties if required to settle a dispute, to report abusive behaviour, or if required by law.

17.11 Security of data and files. It is very unlikely that we will change our bank account details during the course of your matter. We will never contact you by email to tell you that our details have changed. If you receive any communication purporting to be from this firm which you consider suspicious, however slight your concern, please contact our office by telephone straight away.

17.12 During your matter we may hold information both electronically and in paper format. We will use all reasonable measures to keep your information confidential and will advise you immediately if we believe any information has been accessed without authorisation. We have procedures in place to ensure your information is only seen by staff with a legitimate reason for accessing your file.

17.13 Retention. Once your matter has concluded we will hold your file for at least six years from the date the matter is closed, in line with our retention policy. After that period we will destroy the file securely and/or delete it from our electronic records.

17.14 International transfers. We do not routinely transfer your personal data outside the United Kingdom. Where any such transfer is necessary, we will ensure an appropriate safeguard recognised under the UK GDPR is in place.

17.15 Your data rights. If you are an individual, you have the following rights under the UK GDPR:

• (a) the right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal data;
• (b) the right of access to your personal data;
• (c) the right to object to processing;
• (d) the right to rectification of inaccurate personal data;
• (e) the right to erasure;
• (f) the right to object to automated individual decision-making, including profiling;
• (g) the right to data portability; and
• (h) the right to restrict processing.

17.16 These rights are not absolute. We have to consider whether there is any reason why we cannot meet your request; for example, we will not be able to delete data we are legally obliged to keep. We will let you know if we are not able to meet your request and, where appropriate, the reason why.

17.17 Where you have provided consent to us using your personal data, you are entitled to withdraw that consent at any time by informing your file handler or contacting our data protection contact, Imran Shah, at info@abrahamssolicitors.co.uk.

17.18 You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with the way we handle your personal data. You can contact the ICO at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, or on 0303 123 1113, or at www.ico.org.uk.

18. Referrals to third parties

18.1 If we recommend that you use a particular firm, agency or business, we shall do so in good faith and because we believe it to be in your best interests. If that firm, agency or business can only offer products from one source, we shall notify you in writing of that limitation. We will account to you for any commission we receive from any firm, agency or business we recommend you use.

18.2 We shall not be liable to you for any advice given to you by a firm, agency or business we recommend. If that firm, agency or business is not another firm of solicitors, you will not be afforded the regulatory protection of the SRA or of the SRA’s Code of Conduct and Indemnity Insurance Rules, nor will you be entitled to the benefit of the SRA Compensation Fund.

19. Hours of business

19.1 Our offices are open between 9.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays. We do not provide an out-of-hours or emergency service. The person responsible for your matter may, at his or her absolute discretion, provide you with a mobile telephone number and may endeavour to take your calls outside office hours, but nothing said should be interpreted as an agreement to routinely deal with your matter or take your calls outside office hours.

20. Anti-money laundering

20.1 Identity checks.

20.1.1 We will inform you in our Client Care Letter whether the anti-money laundering legislation applies to your matter.

20.1.2 Solicitors are obliged to carry out customer due diligence in accordance with the UK anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regime. This includes obtaining and keeping documentary evidence of the identity of clients and gaining an understanding of their financial status and normal affairs.

20.1.3 In the case of individuals, we require to see and keep a copy of a passport, photocard driving licence, or national identity card as evidence of identity, together with a recent utility or council tax bill as additional evidence of address. We need to see original documents and will discuss acceptable documents and methods of certification with you if the original is not available.

20.1.4 For companies we will carry out a search of Companies House, or a similar registry in foreign jurisdictions, and may ask for further information. For non-listed companies and other organisations we will also require evidence of identity for one or more directors, company secretaries, shareholders, partners or other persons authorised to represent the organisation.

20.2 Disclosure to the authorities.

• (a) We are in certain circumstances obliged under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 (as amended) and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to make a report to the National Crime Agency where we are suspicious that any matter in which we are instructed involves the proceeds of criminal conduct. We may be prohibited by law from informing you or anyone else that such a report has been made, and it is possible that we may not be allowed to proceed with the matter concerned until the National Crime Agency gives us permission to do so.
• (b) If any term of these Terms of Business or of our Client Care Letter is inconsistent with our legal obligations under the anti-money laundering legislation, our legal obligations override the inconsistent term, which shall be deemed modified accordingly.
• (c) We will not accept any liability for any loss caused to you or any other party as a result of our refusal to proceed with a matter, or otherwise complying with our legal obligations.

21. Equality and diversity

21.1 We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all our dealings with clients, third parties and employees, and to complying with the Equality Act 2010. Please contact us if you would like a copy of our Equality and Diversity Policy.

21.2 If you have any particular requirement as to how we communicate with you or handle your matter — for example if you have a disability, or if you would be assisted by an interpreter or by documents in another format — please tell us and we will make reasonable adjustments.

22. General

22.1 This Agreement is governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.

22.2 Except as stated in clause 15.8, a person who is not a party to this Agreement has no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any of its terms.

TOB-IMM v2.1 · In force from 24 August 2026 · Abrahams (Yorkshire) Ltd · Company 12942685 · SRA 809071 · VAT GB491643276