Intake open: we are taking new employment, tenancy and small-business matters this month. Written reply to every enquiry within two working days.
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Open Line Law · Advocacy practice
A small practice for employment, tenancy, family and small-business matters. You get a named advocate, a written plan before any work begins, and questions answered without the meter running.
What the open line means
Asking what a clause means, what a letter is really saying, or whether you should respond at all is part of the service. We do not bill for the question that stops a problem growing.
Before work starts you receive a one-page plan: the outcome we are aiming for, the steps to get there, who does what, and how the fee is structured.
You keep the same advocate from first message to final letter, with a short written update whenever something moves — including when it does not.
Practice index
Most people arrive with a situation rather than a legal category. Find the sentence closest to yours — that is enough to begin.
01 /
Dismissal · Contracts · Pay disputes · Restructure · Grievances
02 /
Notices to leave · Repairs · Deposits · Rent increases
03 /
Agreements · Care arrangements · Property division · Mediation
04 /
Client contracts · Unpaid invoices · Supplier terms · Partnerships
05 /
Wills · Powers of attorney · Executor guidance
06 /
File reviews · Cost sanity checks · Handovers
What happens next
Nothing is billed and nothing is filed until you have read the plan and said yes to it.
Send the situation in your own words, with any documents you already have. An advocate — not an assistant — reads it and replies in writing with first questions and an honest view of urgency.
Within two working daysA single unhurried call or meeting to get the facts straight, separate what matters legally from what matters to you, and agree the outcome worth aiming for.
Booked at a time you chooseYou receive the one-page plan: steps, responsibilities, likely timeline, fee structure and the point at which we would advise stopping. Work begins only after you approve it.
Usually the same weekBefore you write to us
You do not need to organise anything to make contact. But if you have these to hand, the first conversation goes much further.
How fees are set
We quote the structure before the work, name it in the plan, and do not change it without your written agreement.
One agreed price for a defined piece of work — a contract review, a will, a demand letter, an agreement drafted. The price does not move if the work takes us longer than expected.
Best for defined tasks
The matter is split into stages with a price each. You decide at the end of every stage whether to continue, pause, or settle — with our recommendation in writing.
Best for disputes
Where the work genuinely cannot be scoped in advance, we bill for time spent against an agreed ceiling. We come back to you before approaching it, never after.
Best for unknowns
A set monthly amount for businesses that need contracts checked and questions answered as they arise, with a defined scope and a month's notice either way.
Best for recurring needs
Court fees, filing costs and third-party charges are passed on at cost and listed separately. The first conversation about whether we are the right practice for your matter is not billed.
Who you will speak to
Your matter is held by one named advocate from the first message onwards. The other one knows the file well enough to answer if yours is in court.
Founding advocate · Employment & business
Daniel handles work disputes, client contracts and unpaid invoices. He writes the letters that get answered and is blunt about when a claim is not worth running. He will tell you the weakest part of your own case before the other side does.
Advocate · Housing, family & estates
Marielle works on tenancy notices, separation agreements and estate paperwork. She is the person to speak to when the situation is personal as well as legal, and she keeps the tone of correspondence calm on purpose.
Questions answered honestly
No. The first exchange exists to work out whether your matter is one we should take, who it would sit with, and roughly what it would involve. If we are not the right practice for it, we will say so and point you toward the kind of help that fits.
Yes. Everything in your enquiry is treated as confidential from the moment it arrives, whether or not we go on to act for you. The only exception is a conflict check — if we already act for the other side, we tell you immediately and delete what you sent.
Within two working days, in writing, from an advocate rather than an inbox. If your message mentions a deadline inside that window, flag it in the form and we will move it to the front of the queue.
You can. Second opinions and file reviews are ordinary work, not a disloyalty. We read what you have, explain it plainly, and if the advice you were given is sound we will tell you that and send you back to it rather than open a new file.
We raise it, in writing, as soon as we can see it coming — not at the end. Staged fees exist precisely so there is a natural moment to stop. Advising you to settle or walk away is part of what you are paying for.
No. Most matters run entirely by written correspondence and scheduled calls, and documents can be signed remotely where the law allows it. If a matter genuinely needs a face-to-face meeting, we will arrange one and tell you why it is necessary.
You receive a closing letter summarising what was done, what was agreed, and anything with a future date attached — a renewal, a review, a deadline. Your documents are returned to you and the file is retained securely for the period our professional obligations require.
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