The service
Oakens receives enquiries, conducts a structured initial assessment and prepares suitable matters for consideration by independent solicitors. Our work is designed to reduce avoidable repetition at the beginning of a matter—not to replace the solicitor’s professional judgment or regulated work.
What a case pack may contain
- client and matter details;
- a factual summary and dated chronology;
- the parties and organisations involved;
- an index of documents and supporting information described or supplied;
- urgency and potential limitation indicators;
- missing facts, inconsistencies and questions requiring clarification;
- a concise handover note for initial professional review.
Professional independence
The receiving firm retains complete control of conflict and identity checks, legal merits, capacity and vulnerability considerations, client onboarding, advice, limitation analysis, funding, conduct of the matter and regulatory obligations. A referral is an invitation to review; it is not an instruction and Oakens does not promise acceptance to the enquirer.
Commercial basis
Where agreed in writing, Oakens is paid for genuine intake, fact-gathering and case-preparation services completed before handover. The basis and amount of payment must be reasonable for the work actually performed, documented with the participating firm and compliant with all applicable professional and regulatory requirements.
Oakens is not paid merely for introducing or referring a person. Personal injury arrangements must comply with the statutory prohibition on referral fees, and the participating firm must be able to evidence that any payment is for genuine services rather than a disguised referral fee.
The payment is not a deduction from the client’s compensation. It does not include damages or compensation, disbursements or VAT. The instructed solicitor remains responsible for explaining the client’s own costs and funding arrangements.
Governance and handover
Handover criteria, data handling, consent, pack format, rejection reasons, status reporting and commercial terms should be documented for each participating firm. Oakens can align the intake structure to the firm’s agreed requirements while keeping the final legal assessment with the solicitor.