OUR MODEL

In the UK, there are certain activities which are “reserved” to solicitors (and in some cases other authorised, regulated persons like barristers or licensed conveyancers). These are: ​ the exercise of a right of audience (i.e. the right to act as an advocate in court); the conduct of litigation; conveyancing; probate activities; notarising; and the administration of oaths. We do not conduct any of these reserved activities. We provide legal advice in non-contentious commercial matters outside of Denmark, which is not an activity reserved to solicitors.

We believe that we can provide leaner, more efficient legal services acting as a consultancy rather than a law firm. Our model is to take a hybrid approach to legal service delivery whereby: we advise you on the best market and international practices regarding clean energy contracts and apply our knowledge and expertise to close transactions; and local law firms are engaged to advise on any specific local law issue and to confirm the enforceability of the contracts (i.e. the rubber stamp). This is done in a more targeted and cost-effective manner. Practising as a regulated law firm in the UK or elsewhere would create limited benefit for our clients but involves significant additional administrative burdens and costs including very high levels of insurance, trust accounting and mandatory contributions. All in all, our view is that we can provide better services by acting as legal consultants.

No, our team members are legal consultants. "Solicitor” (or in Denmark, “advokat”) is the professional title granted to registered lawyers working in a law firm in the United Kingdom. Prior to starting CETA Partners, our team all worked as regulated solicitors in law firms. Now, as legal consultants, they conduct the same activity, using the same skills and knowledge, but without being authorised or regulated as a solicitor or as a law firm.

From a client’s perspective, using an unregulated consultancy as opposed to a firm of solicitors has some distinct benefits. Mainly, it is much more cost-effective to operate as a consultancy and that means much lower fees for our clients than a traditional law firm. ​ It is not all upside however. While our view is that the cost-benefit to the client outweighs the downsides of using a legal consultancy, we want clients to be fully informed of the position to make up their own minds. Here are the key distinctions: Professional Indemnity Insurance. Solicitors are required to maintain mandatory levels of professional indemnity insurance coverage (at least £3,000,000 per claim). CETA Partners, as a legal consultancy, is not able to obtain professional indemnity insurance (at least, not yet). Our standard terms and conditions also limit and excludes liability in line with conventional advisory contracts. Solicitors however are unable to limit their liability to the same degree. ​​ Ethical rules. Solicitors are subject to rules issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority relating to the conduct of their business (and in particular imposing ethical standards and a duty to act in the client’s best interests). We are not subject to those rules. In our view, this makes very little difference to the client, as it is clearly in my best interests to act honestly whether or not I am subject to written rules requiring me to do so. Also, as anyone with access to Google can discover, the existence of the SRA rules does not necessarily prevent rogue solicitors from acting in breach of those rules. Complaints. If you’re unhappy with the service received from a solicitor, you can raise a complaint with the Legal Ombudsman. If you’re unhappy with our services, then you cannot complain to the Legal Ombudsman but will have to raise your complaint with us directly or make a claim in the ordinary courts, just like any other business-to-business relationship. ​ Privileged legal advice. Solicitors’ advice can be “privileged”. What this means is that correspondence between a client and solicitor can, if made confidentially and for the purposes of legal advice, be withheld from a court or third party in connection with legal proceedings. Advice from non-regulated advisors is not “privileged”, which means that our advice may be disclosable in evidence in the context of a legal claim. In this sense, our correspondence and advice are treated in the same manner as advice from your accountants, management consultants, HR consultants or anyone else who is not a regulated legal advisor such as a solicitor or barrister. Because we do not advise on contentious matters (and we are not in the habit of sending emails advising my clients to do anything illegal) this risk generally presents my clients with few concerns. However, if there are occasions where we feel that the protection of privilege is beneficial or even essential, we will recommend the client to a traditional law firm to ensure that protection remains in place.