Keystone lawyers and their immediate family may instruct an appropriate colleague in respect of a personal (i.e. non-business/not-for-profit/not an investment) matter such as a home purchase or will, in which case Central Office will waive its proportion of the resulting Invoice, thus reducing the cost by 40%. For the purposes of this benefit, immediate family is defined as those living in the same household as a Keystone lawyer and any children of a Keystone lawyer, even if they are no longer living in the same household. A Keystone business expense counts as a personal matter too, so for example advice on a lease of your Keystone office or as regards a person you employ in your Pod. Do bear in mind your additional obligations of good faith when instructing the firm.
To access this benefit, set up the colleague client as a Central Office client in Keyed-In and note in the Additional Information box that this is personal advice for a colleague or a member of their family, and provide a short explanation should one be required. Time should be recorded at the normal rate, costs estimates should be given to the client at the normal rate and when the Invoice is rendered, it will be assessed by Accounts. If the scheme applies, a 40% discount will be applied. If you would like guidance as to whether a matter qualifies for this benefit, then contact Accounts before starting work.
You must not act for yourself, a member of your family, a member of your Pod or for a group/entity in which you are involved, without the express written consent of the Director of Operations and Compliance. This is because doing so causes issues with whether the firm is acting as agent or principal and it may fall outside our professional indemnity insurance.