Frequently asked questions

Yes, in all cases, VAT will be added to our fees at the prevailing rate of 20%. Our VAT number is 388453255.

Yes, we charge for incidentals which may be applicable during the course of the matter such as extensive photocopying of papers. We will let you know if any incidentals become applicable during the course of the matter and will ask you to pre-approve them so that there are no surprise costs.

Also, to progress some matters, we may need to incur some other expenses on your behalf. We refer to these as disbursements. Disbursements are not included in our fees. Before any disbursements are incurred by us, we will require your approval and payment from you on account. VAT, where appropriate, is payable in addition, on most disbursements which we incur.

We will be invoicing for our services and reimbursable expenses on a monthly basis and our invoices are payable within 30 days.
It is our usual policy not to start work until we hold an agreed sum to cover our anticipated fees, VAT and expenses. If, on an exceptional basis, we commence work without funds on account, we will keep this under review and may require funds on account in future, before continuing to act. If we hold any money for you, we may use it to settle anything you owe us.

Please note that any money we hold on account is paid into MR&T Advisory’s general business bank account with Starling Bank and is held on trust for you. No interest is applied to any payment on account. If our bank becomes insolvent, we are not liable for any loss or damage caused to you. You may qualify for some limited protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. See www.fscs.org.uk

Please email or call Milena to arrange an initial conversation. After such initial conversation, if she determines that she is able to assist you, she will send you an engagement letter and terms of engagement. The engagement letter sets out the most important terms, which include the scope of services Milena is going to provide, timeline, fee estimate or fixed fee (as applicable) and certain client care matters. The terms of engagement are MR&T Advisory’s general standard terms of business that apply to all our clients.

You will need to review, sign and return the engagement letter, provide us with any client identification and evidence of source of funds documents Milena may request and, if applicable, make any requested payment of money on account. Once we have a signed engagement letter, client due diligence documents and money on account, you can consider us as engaged to provide the services agreed in the engagement letter.

Any proposal for work or fee quote is valid for a reasonable time, but, unless otherwise indicated in the proposal or fee quote itself, not more than 14 calendar days.

No, MR&T Advisory Limited (or MR&T Advisory in short) is not a law firm.  MR&T Advisory is an English limited liability company (with company number 13506723 and VAT number 388453255) which is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (the “SRA”).

MR&T Advisory is a legal consultancy which employs Milena Radoycheva. Milena is a qualified solicitor and is regulated as an individual solicitor by the SRA. As such, Milena must comply with the high standards of ethical conduct required of individual solicitors by the SRA such as the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs and RFLs.

Since MR&T Advisory is not authorised and regulated as a law firm by the SRA:

(1) Milena is not permitted to handle the following matters:

• the exercise of a right of audience – Milena can’t appear before and address a court or call and examine witnesses;
• the conduct of litigation – Milena can’t issue proceedings before any court in England and Wales nor commence, prosecute or defend such proceedings (or perform any ancillary functions in relation to such proceedings (although Milena can provide legal advice or assistance in connection with the application of the law or with any form of resolution of legal disputes));
• reserved instrument activities – Milena can’t prepare any instrument of transfer or charge for the purposes of the Land Registration Act 2002, make an application or lodge a document for registration under that Act; and she can’t prepare any other instrument relating to real or personal estate for the purposes of the law of England and Wales or instrument relating to court proceedings in England and Wales;
• probate activities – Milena can’t prepare any probate papers for the purposes of the law of England and Wales or in relation to any proceedings in England and Wales;
• notarial activities – Milena can’t carry out activities which were customarily carried on by notaries under the Public Notaries Act 1801;
• the administration of oaths – Milena can’t exercise powers conferred on a commissioner for oaths under the Commissioners for Oaths Act 1889; the Commissioners for Oaths Act 1891; and section 24 of the Stamp Duties Management Act 1891;
• immigration law – Milena can’t advise on immigration law matters;

(2) MR&T Advisory is not required to have professional indemnity insurance that meets the SRA minimum terms and conditions (although it does have professional indemnity insurance in place with a reputable insurer – see question regarding insurance);

(3) money held on account by MR&T Advisory do not benefit from possible access to the SRA compensation fund in the highly unlikely event that Milena mishandles the funds. Note that Milena herself is not permitted to hold client money;

(4) in relation to complaints, clients may be able to complain to the Legal Ombudsman about the services provided by Milena individually and have the right to complain to the SRA about Milena’s professional conduct but clients may not complain to the Legal Ombudsman or the SRA about MR&T Advisory itself. If you have any concerns with the services provided by Milena please see the question about handling complaints.

Experience: With 18 years of experience as a solicitor, including leading in-house legal teams at a world class university and a mission-driven environmental consultancy, Milena understands the challenges and constraints of running a business and has honed a unique blend of skills and knowledge that goes beyond traditional legal advice.

Commitment: Milena is committed to supporting science-led companies and mission-driven organisations in developing and selling their products and services.

Competitive price: One of the key advantages of choosing Milena as your legal partner is her commitment to providing top-tier legal services at a fraction of the cost of traditional law firms. Legal expenses can be a significant burden, especially for emerging companies and non-profit organisations and Milena’s approach is designed to deliver expert professional support with agility and understanding of your vision and objectives, ensuring that you receive the best value for your investment.

Complying with the ethical and professional standards set by the UK Solicitors Regulation Authority: Whilst Milena provides her services via MR&T Advisory which is not a law firm, Milena is regulated by the SRA as an individual solicitor and must meet the same high standards set for all solicitors.

Clients may have the right to complain to the Legal Ombudsman about the services provided by Milena individually and have the right to complain to the SRA about Milena’s professional conduct but clients may not complain to the Legal Ombudsman or the SRA about MR&T Advisory itself. If you have any concerns with the services provided by Milena:

1. you must contact Milena and complain as soon as possible, being clear on what the issue is and how you would like it to be resolved;
2. Milena must respond to you as quickly as possible and will make all reasonable efforts to find a satisfactory solution to the complaint within eight weeks;
3. if after eight weeks you are not satisfied with the response then you may be able to complain to the Legal Ombudsman which deals with poor service, such as: delayed or unclear communication, problems with bills, loss of documents.

The Legal Ombudsman can be contacted by:

• • calling them on 0300 555 0333
  • emailing them at enquiries@legalombudsman.org.uk


For more information, please see the Legal Ombudsman’s website – https://www.legalombudsman.org.uk/

If your complaint relates to Milena’s conduct (e.g. dishonesty, fraud, discrimination) then you may report Milena to the SRA.

Consumers have a 14-day cancellation period and can normally cancel service at any time, for any reason, in the first 14 days from the start date of the contract. This 14-day period is referred to as the cooling-off period.

To cancel within the cooling-off period, you must tell Milena this by sending an email to m.radoycheva@mrtadvisory.co.uk.

If you cancel the contract during the cooling-off period, we will refund all payments we have received from you, unless you asked Milena to do any work before the end of the cooling-off period. If you had done so, we can charge you for the work Milena has done. This charge will be a proportion of the full cost of the work, as set out in our engagement letter.

You will have to pay the full cost set out in the engagement letter, and lose the right to cancel, once Milena has completed all the work, even if this happens within the cooling-off period.

In the event that Milena becomes unavailable to provide services during an engagement for services she will recommend other lawyers and will hand over your matter to another lawyer of your choosing.

Yes. While we are not required to take out professional indemnity insurance that meets the minimum standards of cover required of law firms by the SRA, we have put in place professional indemnity insurance with a reputable insurer to cover our services up to a limit of £1,000,000 per any one claim. If you have any questions about the cover, please do let us know.