Terms & Conditions
General
The content of this and any other site related to Nationwide Solicitors Alliance (content being images, text, sound and video files, programs and scripts) is copyright © Nationwide Solicitors Alliance. All rights are expressly reserved.
Use of content
The content of this website can be accessed, printed and downloaded in an unaltered form (unaltered including being stretched, compressed, coloured or altered in any way so as to distort content from its original proportions or format) with copyright acknowledged, on a temporary basis for personal study which is not for a direct or indirect commercial use and any non-commercial use.
You may not modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell any information, software, products or services obtained from Nationwide Solicitors Alliance, without the prior written consent of Nationwide Solicitors Alliance.
By using Nationwide Solicitors Alliance sites or services, you agree that you may not use any part of such service for any illegal purpose.
Data submitted by you
You warrant that you have taken all reasonable precautions to ensure that any data you submit to this Website is true and accurate and free from viruses or anything else which may have a contaminating or destructive effect on any part of this Website or any other technology owned/operated by Nationwide Solicitors Alliance.
Access to this website and content
We will endeavour to allow uninterrupted access to this website, but access to the website may be suspended, restricted or terminated at any time. We reserve the right to change, modify, substitute, suspend or remove without notice any information or service on this Website from time to time.
We assume no responsibility for the content or services of any other websites to or from which this Website has links.
Contact Information
Nationwide Solicitors Alliance is a company registered in England and Wales, company number 6649060. VAT number 935895861.
Registered Office: 246 Stanley Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 3GG.
Terms
In this agreement, the following expressions shall have the following meanings unless the context otherwise requires.
(a) NSA, NSA Ltd – means Nationwide Solicitors Alliance Ltd trading as NSA and NSA Ltd
(b) Small and medium sized firms – means under normal circumstances a firm of less than 10 partners with less than 50 individuals engaged in residential conveyancing work.
(c) Protocols/local Protocols – means a suggested document prepared by NSA Ltd as amended by a local group setting out agreements and agreed procedures.
(d) Local NSA Group/local groups/Local Alliances – means an association of more than two firms in one area working together marketing their services under the banner of NSA and using documentation and agreements proposed by NSA Ltd as amended by agreement with NSA Ltd. (
e) Firm – means a firm of Solicitors or Licensed Conveyancers.
(f) Membership – means a firm that has signed this Agreement with NSA Ltd.
(g) Referral fee – means a sum paid by a member firm receiving a referral to another member firm that has made the referral. The said sum becoming payable if a fee is recovered from the client referred and when the fee is paid a will amount to 5% of the recovered fee.
(h) NSA Telecoms – means a section of NSA Ltd that arranges the introduction of telecommunication specialists to members who can provide for free calls to legal organisations when appointed as a member’s telecom supplier.
(i) Offices – means any premises from which a member firm operates.
(j) Member – means a firm who has paid the agreed joining fee and is paying the monthly subscription
Membership Critria
Members must be practising Solicitors or licensed Conveyancers practising in partnership or as sole practitioners regulated by either the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the Council of Licensed Conveyancers
Qualifying practises will have less than 50 members of staff engaged in residential conveyancing.decretion will be applied for any firms whose staff levels fluctuate at around 50 individuals from time to time
Membership is obtained by application to NSA. Local membership will be decided by the local membership but will not be unreasonably refused
Members will be expected to demonstrate
A] A commitment to working co-operatively with other local law firms and other property professionals.
B] An understanding of the need to put their client’s interests at the forefront within the conveyancing process and communicate regularly and effectively with all parties engaged within any one transaction
C] They will apply adequate levels of suitably trained staff
D] Members must be prepared to details of their conveyancing process upon request either in writing or in person upon 30 days noticed
E] Designate a senior member of their management team or conveyancing dept. to attend local NSA meetings
F] Contribute at least £50 or such higher amount as shall be decided by a local NSA group for local marketing initiatives if so required by the local group
G] Be prepared to keep their practices and procedures under review
H] They have a business plan covering the next 1 -3 years*
I] they have a Risk Management plan in place*
J] Pay the required joining fee and monthly membership fee
Any firms that cannot produce H and I above upon request can apply for dispensation if they agree to produce initial drafts of the same within 3 months of joining
Service Standards
• Members of the NSA will;-
o Provide their clients with a clear explanation of the conveyancing process, its timescale and the costs involved at the beginning of every transaction.
o Provide experienced conveyancers to supervise each stage of every key transaction.
o Ensure all letters written to clients are written in plain English avoiding legal jargon.
o Return telephone calls within one working day.
o Reply to letters within 3 working days of receipt.
o Respond to reasonable enquiries from Estate Agents and other interested parties insofar as doing so does not breach client confidentiality
o not exceed any quotation for its service that is not explained within its client care letter
o Report any problems to their clients immediately upon them arising and discuss means of resolving any such problems and the timescale required.
o Provide a clear financial breakdown of the transaction and costs due.
o Ensure all members of staff are trained adequately for the role within the conveyancing processes that they are required to undertake.
o Train all staff on the firm’s involvement with NSA at a local and national level. Appoint at least one person to act as a liaison between the firm and the local and national NSA groups.
o Operate a positive complaint handling service.
o Endeavour at the earliest opportunity to make enquiries as to all issues relating to planning permissions, building regulations approval, guarantees and certificates and advise clients as to the reasons for compliance with requests for information regarding the same
o Do everything reasonably possible to accommodate clients expectations
What we will do for you
Set Up
The NSA will assist you in setting up local groups with other law firms by writing to firms identified by you in your local area and providing information and marketing material.
It will also provide draft protocols and a constitution for agreement, amendment and adoption by the group.
NSA can attend and chair your first and subsequent meetings but a separate charge may apply. This will be individually agreed.
Ongoing Assistance
We will provide marketing ideas, support and information to assist in local marketing initiatives, together with practice planning resources in the form of downloadable advice packs, on-line training sessions or one to one consultations [for which an additional charge may be made by the consultant]
Lead Generation
We will actively procure conveyancing leads through internet marketing and public relations exercises. Such marketing activity will be directed at areas where local groups are established. Each group will have a responsibility to assist however practically possible in generating traffic to the NSA website in order to achieve naturally high listings on all main search engines. Please note that NSA’s ability to source introductions to local groups will be dependant upon suitable numbers of active members within any one local group.
Inter-Member Referrals
The NSA website will contain a mechanism for forwarding referrals of new business to member firms who will agree to pay a 5% referral fee in respect of work introduced upon a fee eventually being received by them. Firms may opt out totally from the referral scheme if they so wish but engagement in referral activity is to be encouraged at both local and national levels.
A separate category of ‘niche’ members will be developed to enable ‘core’ members to refer effectively
Recruitment
The NSA website will contain a dedicated page for the posting of vacancies in member practices. Potential employees will be able to file CVs directly on line with the member firm.
A fee of £250.00 for a post of 6 weeks will be payable and a further £100.00 per 6 week period thereafter will also be payable. It is anticipated that this facility will be live from 1st December 2008.
NSA HIP
NSA will provide a Standard HIP starting at a cost of £310.00 [Freehold] £335 [Leasehold] which can be ordered on line via the NSA website. In addition to the standard HIP, the NSA HIP will include an electronic ID check with the intention of the same supporting individual firms’ internal identification processes. If the HIP Is ordered by a member firm, a donation of £25.00 from the fee payable will be made to Barnardos for charitable works to be carried out as close as possible to the location in which the member firm is situated. The HIP will be available to local Estate Agencies to also order on-line and receive a referral fee of £25.00 or choose a charitable donation. The NSA searches will be made using experienced local personal search organisations providing additional information about the area in which the property is sold over and above that provided by standard Local Searches.
Free phone Calls to Legal Organisations
Firms may choose to adopt this facility which will provide free calls to all Solicitors’ practices, Licensed Conveyancers, Land Registries, Courts, Barristers’ Chambers, local and national Law Societies. Firms participating in this facility will retain their own telephone number and will be required to switch the handling of their calls to NSA telecoms who will, subject to any existing contractual relationships, deal with all costs involved in switching call handling. We/Our agents will make a personal site visit to discuss the details of the facility and its potential savings to each member firm. Provision this benefit will be subject to a separate contract between the member and the service providers introduced by NSA Ltd
New Services
NSA reserves the right to introduce new services to their package which existing members will be able to take advantage of should they so wish.
Currently under consideration is group PI insurance, inclusion of sole practitioner on lender panels and seeking contracts with lenders for the supply of introductions.
DISCOUNTED SERVICES
10% Reduction on First Title Insurance Premiums Available on Line through the NSA Website for so long as First Title PLC make this provision available to members First Title PLC reserve the right to refuse use of the NSA ordering platform
10% discount on digital dictation services through Document Direct Ltd.The Plaza, Old Hall Street, and Liverpool for so long as this offer is made available to NSA members.
Suggestions as to addition services are welcomed.
OTHER SERVICES
Such of services as NSA shall introduce for the benefits of its members
COMMENCEMENT OF SERVICES
All services except lead generation and recruitment will be available upon commencement and/or formation of a local group.
Introduction of potential clients will be dependant upon sufficient numbers of local member firms joining NSA. The actual number will be agreed upon formation taking into account the location and density of population and number of law firms practising within the local area. Commencement will be at the discretion of NSA.
What we expect from you
A commitment to join or assist in the formation of the local legal network. To engage in joint marketing initiatives with local group members. To adopt a constitution and agree to the protocols based on Appendix 1 hereto as amended by the group with the consent of NSA Ltd. To exercise good practice at all times including the adoption and use of the Law Society’s transaction protocols.
Seek to adopt a standardised approach to conveyancing work within any particular given area including restricting additional enquiries to those that area specific to the property in question and, for example, raise no enquiries upon condition of the property.
To promote NSA. To use the NSA website provider as part of the provision and to take all reasonable steps to increase traffic to all NSA websites in order to approve natural listings on all major search engines.
Whenever possible, use the NSA HIP.
Adherence to this Agreement - any local constitution and protocols.
Not to use any of the facilities of NSA in the event of membership being terminated voluntarily or otherwise.
Contribute financially to joint marketing initiatives and/or any other expenses of any local NSA group of which you are a part.
Termination and cancellation
A member will cease to be a member if he, she or it gives notice to NSA Ltd of resignation of membership or fails to pay any contribution due to NSA within one month of being specifically requested to do so by letter, fax or e-mail in the event that membership is terminated within a local NSA group voluntarily or otherwise.
A member is fined or censured by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal or is deemed to have committed some act or been guilty of behaviour inconsistent with the provisions of any local constitution or protocols to which they are a signatory. Acts in contravention of any local constitution.
In the case of voluntary resignation 6 months notice is required.
In the case of termination arising from a breach of either this agreement or any local agreement to which a member is a signatory the balance of their 12 months annual subscription with be due and in any event not less than 6 months subscriptions.
Membership may be cancelled by NSA Ltd upon one months notice.
No refund of fees will be given upon cancellation other than as stated below.
Any member or associate joining on line will be entitled to a full refund on their joining fee upon cancellation in writing being received at the companies registered office within 7 days of the date their application is received.
Joining fee and subscriptions
A joining fee of £500.00 per firm is payable. Monthly subscriptions thereafter are as follows:-
Offices Per Month
1 office £45.00 per month
2-3 offices £65.00 per month
4-6 offices £75.00 per month
7 or more offices £85.00 per month
These figures are in total and not per office.
NSA Ltd reserves the right to increase subscriptions at any time upon 30 days notice.
Discounted title insurance premiums
The offer of 10% discount on title insurance relates solely to products that are underwritten by First Title Insurance Plc.
Discounted digital dictation services
This offer relates solely to services provided by Document Direct of The Plaza, Old Hall Street, Liverpool.
No partnership or agency
A member agrees not to pledge the credit of NSA Ltd nor represent himself or his firm or an employee of the firm, make any declaration or statement claiming to be a member of NSA Ltd or a local NSA Group.
A member agrees not to pledge a credit of NSA Ltd nor represent himself or his firm or an employee of the firm, make any declaration or statement claiming to be a member of NSA Ltd or a local NSA Group.
Third party rights
(i) This Agreement does not create any right enforceable by any person not a party to it except that a transferee, assignee or successor to a member is deemed to be a party to this Agreement.
(ii) This Agreement may be rescinded or varied without consent or the need to give any notice to any person that is a party to it.
Governing law
(i) This Agreement should be read and construed and shall take effect as an agreement made under English law and shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of England and Wales.
(ii) In the event of a dispute arising between the parties, the parties agree in good faith (but not imposing any legal obligation) to seek or resolve that dispute through mediation under the auspices of the Centre for Dispute Resolution.
Trade marks
(i) All documentation provided by NSA is copyright and can only be used and/or amended with permission of NSA Ltd.
(ii) Members shall render to NSA Ltd all reasonable assistance to enable NSA to obtain registration of any trademarks related to the activities of the organisation on a national or local level. In no circumstances will a member firm apply for registration as a proprietor of any trademark related to the Nationwide Solicitors Alliance or any subsidiary activity unless so requested by NSA Ltd.
(iii) The member acknowledges that the goodwill and other rights associated with the trademarks and trade name vest absolutely in NSA Ltd and that all such rights will at all times and for all purposes remain vested in NSA Ltd and in the event that any such rights at any time accrue to a member, the member will at its own expense forthwith on demand do all such acts and things and execute all such documents as NSA shall deem necessary to vest such rights absolutely in NSA Ltd.
(iv) The member will immediately notify NSA Ltd of all circumstances coming to the attention of the member which may constitute an infringement of any trademarks or may constitute passing off in respect of a trade name and any unregistered trademark and shall take such reasonable action as NSA Ltd may direct to assist NSA Ltd in the protection of the trademarks and the trade name. All members accept that notwithstanding any local agreements as to marketing or otherwise members remain independent from each other and are entitled to compete with each other so far as to do so is not inconsistent with agreed joint marketing initiatives. Nothing contained within this agreement alters a firm’s professional obligations to their client or their regulating body.
Privacy statement
NSA Ltd does not store financial details in particular credit or debit card numbers from members paying by either method.
No information about members other than those displayed on the website and in other marketing media as supplied by the member for the purpose of marketing their practice either individually or as a member of NSA will be otherwise displayed without the members consent and shall not be sold or divulged to any third party without consent
Communication between NSA and any member or associate will be by email or post.
Members or associates should contact NSA by email should any information about them by erroneous or inaccurate or should displayed information become so as a result of any change within the member or associated firm.
NSA will store correspondence via any media in order to keep accurate records and accounts and provide good customer service but for no other reason
Responses to questionnaires and surveys may be retained for marketing purposes and in anticipation of improving member services