Fees
Clear, transparent pricing
The majority of the experts on our panel undertake publicly funded work, in criminal and civil proceedings alike. For cases in England and Wales, the table below lists the applicable Legal Aid Agency rate for each discipline: figures are hourly unless marked as a fixed fee, civil and criminal rates are shown separately for London and elsewhere, and every fee excludes VAT. Where a matter is privately funded, we agree a bespoke quotation with you before work begins.
| Expert | Civil Non-London | Civil London | Criminal Non-London | Criminal London |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A&E consultant | £100.80 | £108 | £115.92 | £124.20 |
| Accident reconstruction | £72 | £72 | £82.80 | £62.56 |
| Accountant | £64 | £64 | £73.60 | £73.60 |
| Accountant (general staff) | £40 | £40 | £46 | £46 |
| Accountant (manager) | £86.40 | £86.40 | £99.36 | £99.36 |
| Accountant (partner) | £108 | £115.20 | £132.48 | £132.48 |
| Anaesthetist | £108 | £108 | £124.20 | £82.80 |
| Architect | £79.20 | £72 | £91.08 | £82.80 |
| Back calculationsFixed fee, not hourly. No civil non-London rate published. | N/A | £165.50 | £173.88 | £173.88 |
| Benefit expertNo civil non-London rate published. | N/A | £83 | £83 | £83 |
| Cardiologist | £115.20 | £115.20 | £132 | £83 |
| Cell telephone site analysis | £72 | £72 | £83 | £83 |
| Child psychiatrist | £108 | £108 | £124 | £83 |
| Child psychologist | £100.80 | £100.80 | £116 | £83 |
| Computer expert | £72 | £72 | £83 | £83 |
| Consultant engineer | £72 | £54.40 | £83 | £63 |
| Dentist | £93.60 | £93.60 | £108 | £83 |
| Dermatologist | £86.40 | £86.40 | £99 | £83 |
| Disability consultant | £54.40 | £54.40 | £63 | £63 |
| DNA (testing of sample)Charged per test. | £252 | £252 | £289.80 | £289.80 |
| DNA (preparation of report) | £72 | £72 | £83 | £83 |
| Doctor (GP) | £79.20 | £72 | £91 | £83 |
| Drug expertNo civil non-London rate published. | N/A | £83 | £83 | £83 |
| Employment consultant | £54.40 | £54.40 | £63 | £63 |
| Enquiry agent | £25.60 | £18.40 | £29 | £21 |
| ENT surgeon | £100.80 | £100.80 | £116 | £83 |
| Facial mappingNo civil non-London rate published. | N/A | £124 | £83 | £83 |
| Fingerprint expertNo civil non-London rate published. | N/A | £83 | £43 | £43 |
| Fire investigationNo civil non-London rate published. | N/A | £83 | £63 | £63 |
| Firearm expertNo civil non-London rate published. | N/A | £83 | £83 | £83 |
| Forensic scientistNo civil non-London rate published. | N/A | £104 | £83 | £83 |
| General surgeon | £108 | £72 | £124 | £83 |
| Geneticist | £86.40 | £86.40 | £99 | £83 |
| GP (records report)Fixed fee, not hourly. | £50.40 | £72 | £57.96 | £82.80 |
| Gynaecologist | £108 | £72 | £124 | £83 |
| Haematologist | £97.60 | £72 | £112 | £83 |
| Handwriting expert | £72 | £72 | £83 | £83 |
| Interpreter | £28 | £25 | £32 | £29 |
| Lip reader/signer | £57.60 | £32.80 | £66 | £38 |
| Mediator | £100.80 | £100.80 | £116 | £116 |
| Medical consultant | £108 | £72 | £124 | £83 |
| Medical microbiologist | £108 | £108 | £124 | £83 |
| Medical reportNo civil non-London rate published. | N/A | £91 | £83 | £83 |
| MeteorologistLondon figures are fixed fees; non-London figures are hourly. | £100.80 | £144 (fixed fee) | £116 | £165.60 (fixed fee) |
| Midwife | £72 | £72 | £83 | £83 |
| Neonatologist (non-clinical negligence, cerebral palsy case) | £108 | £108 | £124 | £83 |
| Neonatologist (clinical negligence, cerebral palsy case)Civil rates only. | £180 | £180 | N/A | N/A |
| Neurologist (non-clinical negligence, cerebral palsy case) | £122.40 | £72 | £141 | £83 |
| Neurologist (clinical negligence, cerebral palsy case)Civil rates only. | £200 | £200 | N/A | N/A |
| Neuropsychiatrist | £126.40 | £72 | £145 | £83 |
| Neuroradiologist (non-clinical negligence, cerebral palsy cases) | £136.80 | £136.80 | £157 | £83 |
| Neuroradiologist (clinical negligence, cerebral palsy case)Civil rates only. | £180 | £180 | N/A | N/A |
| Neurosurgeon | £136.80 | £180 | £157 | £83 |
| Nursing expert | £64.80 | £64.80 | £75 | £75 |
| Obstetrician | £108 | £108 | £124 | £83 |
| Occupational therapist | £54.40 | £54.40 | £63 | £63 |
| Oncologist | £112 | £112 | £129 | £83 |
| Orthopaedic surgeon | £115.20 | £115.20 | £132 | £83 |
| Paediatrician | £108 | £72 | £124 | £83 |
| PathologistLondon figures are fixed fees; non-London figures are hourly. | £122.40 | £432 (fixed fee) | £141 | £496.80 (fixed fee) |
| Pharmacologist | £97.60 | £97.60 | £112.24 | £82.80 |
| Photographer | £25.60 | £25.60 | £29.44 | £21.16 |
| Physiotherapist | £64.80 | £64.80 | £74.52 | £74.52 |
| Plastic surgeon | £108 | £108 | £124.20 | £82.80 |
| Process server | £25.60 | £18.40 | £29.44 | £21.16 |
| Psychiatrist | £108 | £108 | £124.20 | £82.80 |
| Psychologist | £93.60 | £93.60 | £107.64 | £82.80 |
| Radiologist | £108 | £108 | £124.20 | £82.80 |
| Rheumatologist | £108 | £108 | £124.20 | £82.80 |
| Risk assessment expert | £50.40 | £50.40 | £57.96 | £57.96 |
| Speech therapist | £79.20 | £79.20 | £91.08 | £82.80 |
| Surveyor (housing disrepair) | £85 | £115 | £46.00 | £46.00 |
| Surveyor (non-housing disrepair)Civil rates only. | £40 | £40 | N/A | N/A |
| Telecoms expert | £72 | £72 | £82.80 | £82.80 |
| Toxicologist | £108 | £108 | £124.20 | £82.80 |
| Urologist | £108 | £108 | £124.20 | £82.80 |
| Vet | £72 | £72 | £82.80 | £82.80 |
| Voice recognition | £93.60 | £72 | £107.64 | £82.80 |
| Geneticist (enhanced rate)Enhanced hourly rate above the codified legal aid rates. | £171 per hour | |||
| Lip reader/signer/deaf intermediary (enhanced rate)Enhanced hourly rate above the codified legal aid rates. | £57.60 per hour | |||
| Paediatric neuro-radiologist (enhanced rate)Enhanced hourly rate above the codified legal aid rates. | £180 per hour | |||
| Paediatrician, London (enhanced rate)Enhanced hourly rate above the codified legal aid rates. | £108 per hour | |||
| EndocrinologistNot codified in the Remuneration Regulations. | £108 per hour | |||
| Genetic testingNot codified in the Remuneration Regulations. | £2,250 | |||
| NephrologistNot codified in the Remuneration Regulations. | £108 per hour | |||
| Ophthalmologist (including paediatric ophthalmologist)Not codified in the Remuneration Regulations. | £108 per hour | |||
| Paediatric haematologistNot codified in the Remuneration Regulations. | £122.40 per hour | |||
Rates are hourly unless marked as a fixed fee. N/A means no rate is published for that combination. All fees exclude VAT.
Terms & notes
- Fees are stated in pounds sterling and do not include VAT, which is added at the prevailing rate. Every figure is an hourly rate unless described as a fixed fee.
- Privately funded work is priced individually. Before anything is done we issue a written estimate or quotation describing what the instruction covers and any likely disbursements, travel and overnight stays included; a binding contract arises only when you accept it in writing.
- Questions put to an expert after their report has been delivered, whether new or seeking clarification, count as a fresh instruction: we price the work and obtain your agreement before the expert begins.
- Factual corrections cost nothing when requested in writing within 14 days of receiving the report and the detail was left out by mistake. Later requests are passed to the expert, and any further fee is put to you for approval before the work proceeds.
- Where an expert is holding dates for a court, tribunal, conference or hearing and those dates fall away because the listing is vacated, adjourned or cancelled, the charge depends on the notice given: with more than 5 working days' notice we may waive or reduce the fee at our discretion; at 5 working days or fewer, up to 100% of the agreed attendance fee can be charged; on same-day cancellation or non-attendance the full attendance fee falls due. Preparation, travel and waiting time stays billable even if the hearing never takes place.
- Each missed appointment may attract a charge; none is made where you give at least 3 working days' notice.
- Business clients with an agreed credit facility are invoiced once the work is finished, and payment falls due 30 days after the invoice is deemed to have been received. Clients who do not clear our due-diligence checks may be asked to pay on account; that invoice is raised at the point of instruction and is payable straight away.
- Interest runs on overdue balances at 8% a year above the Bank of England base rate.
- Invoices settled late also carry an administration charge, banded by invoice value: £40 up to £999.99, £70 between £1,000 and £9,999.99, and £100 at £10,000.00 or more. Should a debt collection agency have to be engaged, its reasonable recovery costs are added to the sum due.
- Deferred payment can be requested in writing with a proposed schedule. We respond within 14 days and are free to agree the proposal, offer different terms or refuse it; until an arrangement is in place, the standard payment terms continue to apply.
- A report remains the property of Pearl Experts until paid for in full, and may not be used or relied on in proceedings unless the invoice is settled within 30 days of its date or you have shown, to our reasonable satisfaction, that you intend to honour that 30-day term.
- On legally aided matters, work starts once we have sight of the Legal Aid funding certificate or your written confirmation that funding has been granted; by confirming, you agree to bear our fees should the Legal Aid Agency later amend or revoke the certificate. Where an interim payment can be claimed, please apply for it as soon as our invoice is raised.
- If you instruct us as a consumer, you may change your mind within 14 days of the email confirming your instruction. We refund you within 14 days of learning that you wish to cancel, using your original payment method and deducting the value of any work carried out at your request in the meantime.
Need a quotation?
Every case is different. Send us your requirements and we will confirm a written quotation before you instruct.