Waiting time

Waiting time is subsumed within the minimum charge of one hour.

If your client arrives late and the interpreter has to wait, they will be paid for the time spent at the appointment or from the commencement of the hearing.

However, if the solicitor is late, for example because previous appointments have overrun, then we should not be charged waiting time by the interpreter.

You are responsible for waiting costs incurred in these circumstances and should expect to be billed by the interpreter. However, if you have been held up at court then consideration will be given to meeting the waiting costs of the interpreter depending on the circumstances.

We will look at the time the appointment was due to start when considering the waiting time. All meetings with interpreters should be scheduled, where possible, to ensure that there are no gaps between meetings since, in these circumstances, the interpreter stands to be unremunerated.

Where this is not possible, we will consider the circumstances of how this arose and discuss with the individual firm how, if appropriate, this will be paid. If payment is deemed to be appropriate, a rate of £3.75 will be chargeable per quarter hour block.