Correspondent Attorney in Cape Town
Are you a correspondent attorney who wants more work? Email lawyer@capetownlawyer.co.za
Are you an instructing attorney looking for a suitable correspondent? Email lawyer@capetownlawyer.co.za
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Are you a lawyer receiving instructions outside the jurisdiction of the Cape Town Deeds Office, Cape Town Master’s Office, Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, Cape Town Regional Court or Cape Town High Court? Before turning down work you may consider using a Correspondent Attorney.
From property transfers to deceased estate matters and civil litigation, a correspondent lawyer can provide legal services tailored to your needs.
The flexibility in fee structures, ranging from percentage-based fees to per attendance fees, allows for fair compensation based on the level of service provided. Additionally, their ability to handle urgent instructions and provide regular updates ensures efficient collaboration with instructing attorneys.
Overall, utilizing the services of a Correspondent Attorney can streamline legal processes and expand the reach of legal professionals beyond their usual scope, benefiting both clients and legal practitioners alike.
Correspondents in Conveyancing matters
Correspondent Attorneys may be instructed by Attorneys who are not admitted as Conveyancers; or Conveyancers who are not in daily attendance at the Deeds Office.
Fees charged by Correspondent Attorneys can be negotiated depending on whether the Correspondent drafts the documents (50% fee) or whether the Correspondent preps your documents (30%) or merely lodges your prepped documents (10%).
For efficiency in Conveyancing matters a Correspondent attorney may be instructed by an instructing Attorney , services include:
- Attending to Deeds Office searches.
- Drafting all documents relating to property and commercial transactions.
- Preparing instructing attorneys transfer documents.
- Arranging for signature of transfer documents.
- Applying for Rates, Levy and Transfer Duty Clearance Certificates.
- Rectification of errors.
- Arranging lodgement with linked transactions.
- Removing any notes raised by the Deeds Office.
- Arranging simultaneous handing in for registration.
- Registering documents at the Deeds Office.
- Delivering registered Deeds to Clients directly or Correspondent Attorneys via Registered Docex or Courier.
- Providing instructing attorneys with Regular updates.
- Attendances at Surveyor General’s office for Diagram copies.
- Attendances at Master’s office for submission and collection of endorsed Power of Attorney.
- Notarial documents; attending to signature.
Correspondents in Estate matters
Assistance may be required in winding up of an estate by Attorneys who are not experienced in estate matters; or who may not be located in the vicinity of the Master’s office.
Are you an executor in an Estate who requires assistance with winding up an estate?
Fees charged by a Correspondent Attorney attending to winding up of an estate on your behalf may be percentage based on Executors commission (Eg. 2,5%) .
If you are able to wind up the estate yourself; you may need the assistance of a “Runner” at the Master’s office – in this instance fees can be negotiated per attendance. Services include; submission of documents; follow ups and collection of documents from the Master’s office.
Correspondents in Litigation matters
A Correspondent Attorney must be used to issue Summons or Applications when the address of an instructing Attorney does not fall within the 15 kilometres from the Court House. The Correspondent Attorney is to attend to the instructions from the instructing attorney with the same duty of care as that which is placed on instructing attorneys. Fees charged by a Correspondent Attorney can be negotiated and range from a Party and Party Scale to Magistrate’s Court tariff.
Correspondent services for you can be negotiated at a rate suitable to your firm. Correspondent services provided in and around Cape Town include :
- Urgent and same day instructions.
- Issuing; serving and filing documents at Court.
- Forwarding documents to the Sheriff.
- Drawing of Court files.
- Drafting documents.
- Section 65A Appearances and debt collections.
- Postponements.
- Indexing and Pagination of Court file.
- Queries.
- Default Judgement Submissions.
- Debt Review Applications and oppositions.
- Unopposed motions.
- Attendance at Court with Counsel.
- Warrants of Execution.
- Ancillary Instructions
- Attending Sheriff Clerk of Court/Registrar.
- Regular updates