International Terms & Conditions for Irwin Solicitors

1. Definitions

2. International Engagement of Services

2.1 Formal International Engagement

Our international legal services are provided under a formal engagement letter that will be issued to you. This engagement letter constitutes the complete agreement between us and supersedes any prior discussions or correspondence. No legal relationship is created until both parties have signed the engagement letter.

2.2 Scope of International Services

The scope of international services will be clearly defined in the engagement letter, including which jurisdictions are involved. Any additional work outside this scope or in additional jurisdictions will require a separate agreement or variation to the existing engagement letter.

2.3 International Client Identification

We are required by international law to verify your identity and source of funds before providing services. You agree to provide necessary identification documents and information promptly upon request, including documents required for cross-border compliance.

2.4 International Conflicts of Interest

We will conduct comprehensive conflict checks across all our international offices before accepting instructions. If a conflict arises during our international engagement, we will inform you immediately and discuss appropriate action, which may include ceasing to act in specific jurisdictions.

3. International Fees and Payments

3.1 International Fee Structure

Our international fees may be calculated on one of the following bases:

• International Hourly Rates: Based on time spent at rates specified in the engagement letter, with different rates for different jurisdictions
• Fixed International Fees: Agreed amount for specific cross-border services
• International Conditional Fee Agreements: "No win, no fee" arrangements where applicable across jurisdictions
• International Retainer Fees: Regular payments for ongoing international services

3.2 International Disbursements

You will be responsible for all international disbursements (third-party costs) incurred on your behalf. These may include:

• International court fees across multiple jurisdictions
• Expert witness fees in different countries
• International barrister's and local counsel fees
• International search and due diligence fees
• International travel and accommodation expenses
• Translation and interpretation costs
• Currency conversion charges

3.3 International Payments

International payment terms will be specified in your engagement letter. Typically:

Service Type	Payment Terms	Currency	Late Payment Charge
UK Services	Monthly invoices, payable within 14 days	GBP (£)	8% above Bank of England base rate
US Services	Monthly invoices, payable within 30 days	USD ($)	1.5% per month on overdue balances
Canada Services	Monthly invoices, payable within 30 days	CAD ($)	2% per month on overdue balances
Cross-border Disbursements	Payable on demand	As incurred	As above per jurisdiction

3.4 International Money on Account

We may request money on account for anticipated international fees and disbursements. This will be held in our appropriate client account and applied to invoices as they become due. Different currencies may be held separately.

4. Client Responsibilities

As our international client, you agree to:

1. Provide complete, accurate, and timely information across all jurisdictions
2. Make decisions promptly when required, considering international implications
3. Follow our reasonable international advice and instructions
4. Keep us informed of any changes in your international circumstances
5. Pay our international fees and disbursements as agreed in the specified currencies
6. Not withhold information that may be relevant to your international matter
7. Act in good faith throughout the international engagement
8. Comply with all applicable international laws and regulations

5. International Confidentiality

5.1 Our International Duty of Confidentiality

We will maintain the confidentiality of your information across all jurisdictions subject to:

• Our duty to international courts and administration of justice
• Prevention of international money laundering or terrorist financing
• Prevention of international crime or fraud
• Compliance with international legal or regulatory requirements
• Our international professional indemnity insurance requirements
• Data protection laws in multiple jurisdictions (GDPR, CCPA, PIPEDA, etc.)

5.2 International Legal Professional Privilege

Communications between solicitor and client are generally privileged, but privilege rules vary by jurisdiction. International privilege may be affected by:

• Different privilege rules in different countries
• Communications made in furtherance of international crime or fraud
• Your waiver of privilege across jurisdictions
• Sharing communications with third parties in different countries

6. International Limitation of Liability

6.1 Maximum International Liability

Our maximum aggregate liability to you for any and all claims arising out of or in connection with our international services shall be limited to the greatest of:

• £3,000,000 (three million pounds) for UK matters; or
• $3,000,000 (three million US dollars) for US matters; or
• CAD $4,000,000 (four million Canadian dollars) for Canada matters; or
• Three times the amount of fees paid by you for the specific international matter

6.2 International Exclusions

We shall not be liable for:

• International loss of profit, business, revenue, or goodwill
• Indirect or consequential losses across jurisdictions
• Losses arising from your failure to follow our international advice
• Losses arising from inaccurate or incomplete international information provided by you
• Losses resulting from circumstances beyond our reasonable international control
• Losses arising from differences in international laws or regulations

6.3 International Professional Indemnity Insurance

We maintain professional indemnity insurance as required by regulators in each jurisdiction where we operate. International details are available on request.

7. Termination

7.1 By You

You may terminate our international engagement at any time by providing written notice. You will be responsible for international fees incurred up to the date of termination and any international termination costs.

7.2 By Us

We may terminate our international engagement if:

• You fail to pay our international fees
• You fail to provide international instructions or cooperate
• An international conflict of interest arises
• We have reasonable grounds to believe you are involved in international illegal activity
• You breach these international terms
• International sanctions or regulations prevent us from continuing

7.3 International Post-Termination

Upon international termination, we will:

• Cease work on your international matter across all jurisdictions
• Submit a final international invoice for work done
• Deliver your international papers to you upon settlement of our fees
• Provide reasonable international assistance to your new legal representatives

8. International Website Use

8.1 International Acceptable Use

You agree not to use our international website:

• In any way that breaches applicable international laws or regulations
• To transmit any material that is defamatory, offensive, or obscene across jurisdictions
• To interfere with or disrupt the international website or servers
• For any international fraudulent or unlawful purpose
• To attempt to gain unauthorized access to our international systems

8.2 No International Legal Advice

Content on our international website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice in any jurisdiction. You should not rely on website content as a substitute for professional international legal advice.

8.3 International Links to Third-Party Sites

Our website may contain links to international third-party websites. We are not responsible for the content or practices of these international sites.

9. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in our international website, marketing materials, international precedents, and know-how remain our property. You are granted a limited international license to access and use our website for personal, non-commercial purposes.

10. International Dispute Resolution

10.1 International Complaints Procedure

If you have any concerns about our international services, please contact us immediately. We have a formal international complaints procedure available on request.

10.2 International Legal Ombudsman/Regulators

If you are not satisfied with our handling of your international complaint, you may refer the matter to the appropriate regulatory body:

Jurisdiction	Regulatory Body	Time Limits
United Kingdom	Legal Ombudsman (within 6 months of our final response)	Within 6 years of act/3 years from knowledge
United States	State Bar Associations (varies by state)	Varies by state
Canada	Law Society of respective province	Varies by province

UK Legal Ombudsman Contact:
PO Box 6806, Wolverhampton WV1 9WJ, UK
Telephone: 0300 555 0333
Email: enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk

11. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These international terms and any engagement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law, unless otherwise specified in your engagement letter. For cross-border matters, jurisdiction will be specified in your engagement letter and may involve multiple legal systems.

Any international disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction specified in your engagement letter, which may include:

• Courts of England and Wales for UK matters
• Appropriate US federal or state courts for US matters
• Appropriate Canadian provincial courts for Canada matters
• International arbitration where specified

12. Amendments

We reserve the right to amend these international terms from time to time. Current terms will always be available on our international website. For existing clients, material changes will be communicated in writing across all relevant jurisdictions.