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Instructing Solicitors shall treat all information supplied by Mr Field as
confidential and shall not disclose indirectly or directly or otherwise use this
information except for the purposes of the specified litigation without the
prior consent of Mr Field.
Background
Medical reports take a variable amount of time and charges are based accordingly
on the complexity and length of the report.
THE PROVISION OF ALL NOTES AND X-RAYS RELATING TO THE CASE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY
OF THE INSTRUCTING SOLICITOR. IT IS VITAL THAT WE HAVE COPIES OF ALL THE GP
NOTES, HOSPITAL NOTES AND ALL X-RAYS AS HOWEVER INSIGNIFICANT IT MAY APPEAR, THE
PAST MEDICAL HISTORY IS VITAL TO THE REPORT.
Fees
| Basic report (up to 6 pages) with examination |
|
| And review of medical
records |
£ 500.00 |
| (each additional page
thereafter) |
£ 75.00 |
| Amended report |
£ 200.00 |
| Clinical negligence
report |
£ 1,500.00 |
| Supplementary
Correspondence |
£ 150.00 per page or part |
| Comment on Medical
Reports/Notes |
£ 150.00 per page or part |
| Follow up reports from
previous records |
£ 500.00 |
| Report from Notes
without Consultation |
£ 350.00 |
| Conferences |
£ 350.00 per hour or part |
| Failure of
client/patient to attend Appointment |
£ 150.00 per failed appointment |
| Court Attendance |
£3,000.00 per day or part |
| Joint Expert Witnesses
- Basic Report |
£ 750.00 |
| Specialist reports
(involving travelling/prisons/overseas) |
£1,500.00 |
A solicitor instructing Mr Field as an Expert Witness will be the Solicitor who
will be responsible for the payment of his fees. The party or parties
instructing the Expert may pay any fees charged by that Expert for answering
questions under Rule 35.6.
Court Attendance
A charge of £3000.00 for each day or part of the day reserved for Court
Attendance will be charged if less than 48 hours' notice of cancellation is
received, £1500.00 if less than 10 days' notice and £750.00 if less than 6
weeks.
Alterations
Changes of testimony or alterations requested by the Solicitor will be charged
for at an hourly rate of £150.00 per hour with a minimum charge of £50.
Settlement of Accounts
Upon release of the report settlement of my fees should be made within two months
of the date of the covering letter. If there is any delay in payment an interest charge
will be incurred at current market rate for each week or part thereof added to which further reports
and co-operation will be withheld until payment is received. For attendances at
Court or Conferences, payment is to be made within 6 weeks of the Hearing or
Conference. In non-Legal Aid cases, Solicitors will be personally responsible
for my fees. In Legal Aid cases, Solicitors are required to obtain prior
authority of the Legal Aid
Board for payment of my charges, and the Solicitors are to promptly apply to the
Legal Aid Board for an interim payment to meet my charges. The amount due to Mr
Field shall not be subject to taxation by the Court. Value Added Tax shall be
charged and all amounts invoiced where applicable.
Mediation (Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR))
Fee per day or part thereof £1000.00. Cancellation Fee shall be in the order of
the scale of those previously quoted.
Liability
The liability of Mr Field to instructing Solicitors and/or their clients for
negligence howsoever arising in respect of any loss or damage caused by an act
or default of Mr Field shall be limited to the amount received by Mr Field for
his services.
Attendance at Court
Attendance at Court will be in accordance only with the guidelines issued by the
Law Society in "Code of Practice for Medico-Legal Reports in Personal Injury
Cases" January 1995, which reads as follows:
"If the case proceeds to a hearing:
(a) The Solicitor should:
-
Notify the medical examiner that the case has been set down for hearing and,
once the case has been entered in the Warned List, would request a list of dates
when the medical examiner is unavailable to attend Court during the period of
that List;
-
Not agree to a hearing date on one of the examiner's unavailable dates;
-
Ascertain the fee for attending Court and be in a position to pay that fee
within 6 weeks of the Court attendance;
-
Where appropriate, arrange and attend a conference with Counsel and the
medical examiner and other relevant experts prior to the hearing;
-
As soon as the hearing date is known, inform the medical examiner;
-
Endeavour to ensure that the medical examiner's attendance is limited to
half a day.
(b) The Medical Examiner should:
- (i) If required, confer with Counsel in advance of the hearing date at a place
to be agreed;
- (ii) Attend Court to give evidence without subpoena (provided the hearing date
has not been fixed on a previously notified unavailable date); the service of a
subpoena on a medical examiner should, if this agreement is observed, rarely be
necessary, but it must be recognised that it is sometimes the professional duty
of Solicitors to secure the attendance of a witness by subpoena;
- (iii) Unforeseen clinical circumstances may mean that the medical examiner's
priority is to attend to patients and not to Court. Such circumstances should be
rare and the onus must be upon the medical examiner to justify this exercise of
clinical judgement".
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