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Seeing a template contract for HR Consultancy work

I'm often approached for HR or ER advice by people who know I'm an HR professional so I've now decided the time is right to start charging for my services. My professional indemnity / 3rd party public liability insurance is being set up but I need help with the "client / consultant" contract especially in respect of limiting my financial liability to the client.

Is any existing consultant able to share a simple contract? If not, I suppose an Employment Law solicitor would be able to draft one although it might be expensive!! I'm trying to keep start up costs to a minimum. Thanks.

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  • Hi Tracy,

    I have something I could share with you, it might need legal to look over, but I used it when I did consultancy work a few years back. 

  • In reply to Lynsey:

    Hi Lynsey, sorry to muscle in but Im looking for a template too, would you be able to share. Kind regards Anne
  • In reply to Anne Yarker:

    Can I be cheeky and ask for a copy too please?

    Am waiting to hear if I can take early retirement from my current role later this year and am actively looking at establishing a consultancy
  • . I never used a solicitor. I've been self employed for over 20 years although not always as an HR consultant.

    A solicitor is unlikely to know the circumstances of your agreement with any company and aren't likely to know more than you about what should be included unless they've been a consultant themselves!

    HR writes up its own policies and procedures and rules and so on. Isn't that exactly the same for your 'conditions of consultancy' document? Much like the Main Statement of Terms and Conditions?

    Salary, hourly rate, or rate per day etc.,

    Number of days the work is likely to cover.

    Are you asking for payment in the event of something being cancelled by the client?

    Notice period if the agreement is to be cancelled by either party.

    Who is providing what facilities and resources?

    And so on.

    After a meeting/meetings I'd write to them summarising the points we'd agreed on and what we'd actually agreed to do, and who was responsible for doing what, and by when.  That was my idea of a suitable contract.  And unless I've forgotten, I can't recall anything different when I employed (mainly) training consultants.

  • Hi Lynsey, sorry could you also share the copy with me please.

    Kind regards

    Liz
  • In reply to Lynsey:

    Hello Lynsey,
    I'm also starting up as an HR Consultant - would it be OK to let me have a look at your T&Cs as well, please? (s.smith@sshr.co.uk) Thank you.
  • In reply to Lynsey:

    Hi Lynsey
    I can see your original post was quite some time ago although you've recently been asked to share your draft contract with several others since! Would you be able to do the same for me? I'm considering "going it alone" to offer consultancy on a day-rate basis... (baines.nikola1@gmail.com) Many thanks
  • In reply to Lynsey:

    Hi Lynsey

    I'm going to be cheeky as well and ask whether you could share it with me too. Pretty please :) (julia.crawford@peoplepillar.co.uk)

    Thanks

    Julia
  • In reply to Lynsey:

    Hi Tracy, I am setting out as a HR Consultant again after a few years and would really appreciate it if you were able to ping me the contract too please? Sue@yellowhr.co.uk thanks so much :) Sue
  • A solicitor will probably consult something like LexisNexis Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents and charge you several hundreds at least for doing a 'boilerplate job' on these templates. But there are hordes of different templates and some are concise and some detailed and some pro-client and some pro-consultant. So it's most important that all the appropriate bits get assembled together and you'll get a guarantee that it's all fit for purpose and protective of your own interests.

    Commercially aware clients will try to contract with you on their own t and c which will be decidedly not pro-consultant but designed to protect their own interests and not yours so if you get the chance to contract unambiguously on terms of your own choosing then you're onto a good thing, potentially.

    Much as it's a nice little earner for solicitors, the implications of getting it wrong can be very severe indeed so it's probably worth paying them in this instance rather than merely copying from another source without necessarily fully understanding all the implications and hoping for the best.

  • In reply to Lynsey:

    Hello, Linsey, Sorry to join this bus) however could I ask to share with me too, I'm starting my own Consultancy as well, I'm in Qatar but would love to look for some insights. if I'm lucky here is my email: akulataev@gmail.com