Unity – SBID

Unity is pleased to announce that it has become an accredited supplier of legal services to the Society of British and International Designers [SBID]. The professional body representing the interests of the design community. Unity will provide advice and assistance to SBID members on issues which affect their day-to-day business”.

It’s probably best to start with what Unity is not. We are not a firm of solicitors. We are not a regulated body which means that we cannot represent clients in litigation and nor do we want to. What we are is a portal to the legal market. Clients knock on our door with a legal issue and then we can offer the following services:

• Talking through the issues which designers face on a daily basis and deciding on the best course of action.
• Providing legal advice from our team of consultant solicitors and barristers. In the context of possible litigation, this will be preliminary advice as to the client’s chances of success.
• Sourcing-identifying the most appropriate solicitor, barrister, or expert witness for a matter, set against detailed criteria such as budget, type of case, specialism, size, experience, and location.
• Procurement-negotiating the best possible fee arrangement and cost structure for the client by scoping for accurate pricing and introducing process efficiencies.
• Project Management-managing delivery of large matters in accordance with the client’s needs to ensure that they are run efficiently on budget. Including scrutinizing fees and monitoring performance.
• Brokering litigation funding-assisting clients find appropriate sources of finance and insurance for dispute resolution.
• Arranging mediation. Mediation is a cost-effective method of solving disputes. Unity can provide qualified mediators or provide advice as to strategies to achieve a successful result from a mediation.
• Challenging legal fees-very often clients have concern about the size of legal bills. Our experienced team can advise as whether there has been overcharging and assist in the process of resolving the issue
• Coaching. We can provide the assistance of a trained coach who can assist clients going through the stress of litigation or other difficult life events.
• Video advocacy-a new and compelling method of advocacy is for a video to be produced of the client’s case for settlement negotiations and mediations.

Please note that our team is not acting in the capacity as regulated solicitors or barristers. Unity does carry professional indemnity insurance.

Unity Legal Solutions on SBID website: https://www.sbid.org/supplier/unity-legal-solutions/