TERMS OF BUSINESS

Fife Law Centre is a company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland with company number SC344207.  Its registered office address is Unit 27, Crosshill Business Centre, Main Street, Crosshill, Fife KY5 8BJ.  It is a Scottish Charity with charity number SC039780.

Legal work is undertaken by the independent legal firm Fife Community Law Ltd (company number SC365122).  The Principal Solicitor, Afshan Rathore, carries out business at Crosshill Business Centre, Main Street, Crosshill, Fife under the name of 'Fife Law Centre'.

Opening Hours

Our Crosshill office is normally open from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.  Our Leven office is normally open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am-3.30pm. The offices will be closed during most public holidays and in particular on 23^rd, 24^th, 25^th, 26^th December and 1^st and 2^nd January.

Scope of our Services

We cannot undertake certain types of legal work, including, criminal law, conveyancing and divorce.  We also cannot undertake legal work which is not deemed to be an “unmet legal need”.  The Principal Solicitor shall have discretion as to what areas of the law are deemed to fall under “unmet legal need”.  However, we may able to provide a list of local law firms which could assist you in such matters.  Where you require non legal advice in a particular area, we may also be able to point you in the direction of the appropriate local agency providing advice in that particular area.

Cost of our Services

We will not charge fees for our services but where it is feasible we could apply for Legal Aid to cover the cost of any legal assistance/advice.  The Centre cannot meet any additional costs, which may be outwith the scope of civil legal advice and assistance/legal aid such as court fees.  If you do not qualify for Legal Aid, you will not be charged for our work but other arrangements may have to be made to cover the cost of reports etc. where needed. If you apply for Legal Aid to assist with court representation and are liable to pay a contribution to the Scottish Legal Aid Board

then that will be required to be paid by you. Any arrangements for payment will have to be made by you directly with the Scottish Legal Aid Board.

Legal Aid

Where Legal Aid is available we will explain your eligibility and assist you in completing the forms. However, if you qualify for Legal Aid to cover court expenses you may not be held fully responsible for the other side’s expenses if you lose the court case.  It is very important that you fully co-operate with your solicitor and the Scottish Legal Aid Board in following through a Legal Aid application.

Expenses in Court Action

Where Legal Aid is not available you may either be required to pay court expenses or authorised to recover part of your own expenses from your opponent.  This will be fully explained to you prior to raising or defending a court action and lodging fees where under taking actions.

Withdrawal of Service

We reserve the right to withdraw from acting for a client where they display aggressive, intimidating, threatening or any other inappropriate behaviour towards any member of our staff.

Ethos of our Service

We are committed to providing a service which is open to all and in which no person will suffer discrimination or disadvantage on the grounds of sex or marital status, on racial grounds, disability, age, sexual orientation, language or social origin or of other personal attributes, including beliefs or opinions such as religious beliefs or political opinions.

We will ensure that this commitment extends to all areas of our operations, policies and procedures.

We will ensure all workers, involved in the delivery of this service, understand, embody and promote the ethos of equal access for all in accordance with the requirements of the Race Relation (amendment) Act 2000, Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Our Services | Terms of Business | Solicitors