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Legal Consultancy

Qualified solicitor.Direct legal consultancy on your case.

Eugene Pienaar advises on the full substance of your legal matter. Not just the procedure — the actual law, your actual position, and your realistic prospects. Family, employment, housing and civil law. England and Wales.

verified_userQualified solicitor, E&W gavelSouth Africa bar schoolOxford MBA verifiedFrom £95/hr
Eugene Pienaar
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Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and WalesNon-practising. Consultancy in a personal capacity.
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Admitted to the South African BarDual jurisdiction qualification.
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Accredited MediatorFamily, civil, commercial and workplace.
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MBA with Distinction, Oxford BrookesCommercial and business understanding alongside legal expertise.
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Founder, Be Your Best Lawyer38 guides and 121 articles for litigants in person.

Legal consultancy from £95 per hour

Free 20-minute scoping call. All fees agreed upfront.
Book a Free Scoping Call
What legal consultancy means

Not procedure. Substance.

The difference between Eugene's consultancy and reading a guide is the difference between knowing what the law says in general and knowing what it means for your specific facts. Eugene advises on your case — not a hypothetical version of it.

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Your legal position

Is your position strong or weak? What are the arguments for and against you? What would a court likely decide on your facts? Eugene tells you plainly.

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Your options and strategy

What should you do next? Should you negotiate, mediate or litigate? What is the best sequence of steps? What should you avoid doing? Tactical, specific advice.

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Realistic prospects

What outcome can you realistically expect if this goes to court? What is the likely range of outcomes? What settlement would be worth accepting? Honest assessment.

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Settlement strategy

What is the right number to accept or offer? How should you approach ACAS, mediation or negotiation? What leverage do you have and how do you use it?

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Written advice note

Where required, Eugene provides a written advice note summarising your legal position, the options available and the recommended course of action.

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Follow-up by email

Questions that arise after the session can be followed up by email. The session is not a one-off conversation — it is the beginning of a supported matter.

Practice areas

Legal consultancy across all LiP case types

Click any area to see the dedicated service page.

What makes this different from seeing a solicitor

When you instruct a solicitor at a regulated firm, you are paying for the firm's overheads, their professional indemnity insurance, their support staff, their billing system and their compliance infrastructure. The hourly rate reflects all of that — not just the legal knowledge you are actually receiving.

Eugene provides the same level of legal knowledge in a consultancy arrangement without any of that overhead. He is not acting as a solicitor of record. He is not managing your case file. He is not your solicitor in the traditional sense. What he is providing is direct, qualified legal consultancy on your specific situation — at a cost you can actually afford.

"The knowledge I bring to your case is identical to the knowledge I would bring as a practising solicitor. The difference is the cost."

The free scoping call

Every engagement starts with a free 20-minute call. This is not a sales call. Eugene uses the time to understand your situation, assess whether he can genuinely help, and tell you what level of support your case needs and what it will cost. If the honest answer is that you do not need paid support — that the free BYBL guides are sufficient — he will tell you that.

How sessions work

Sessions take place by telephone or video call. Eugene reviews any documents you send in advance. The session focuses on your specific facts — not general legal principles. You leave with a clear understanding of your legal position, your options, and what to do next. Where a written advice note is required, it is provided within 48 hours.

The guide credit

If you have bought a Be Your Best Lawyer guide within the last 14 days, the purchase price is credited back against your first session. The guide is the starting point — the consultancy is where you get the law applied to your specific facts.

Common questions

Legal consultancy — what people ask

Is this the same as getting legal advice from a solicitor?expand_more
The knowledge and analysis is equivalent to what you would receive from a practising solicitor in private practice. The difference is the arrangement — Eugene is not acting as your solicitor of record, not managing your case file, and does not hold a current practising certificate. What he provides is direct legal consultancy in a personal capacity. For the purposes of understanding your legal position and deciding what to do, the quality of analysis is substantively identical.
What is the difference between legal consultancy and a McKenzie Friend?expand_more
Legal consultancy is advice on the substance of your case — your legal position, your options, your realistic prospects. It happens before and between hearings. A McKenzie Friend is someone who accompanies you to a hearing to provide support on the day. Eugene provides both, but they are different services with different purposes. Most clients start with a consultancy session and then consider whether court attendance support is also needed.
How much does a legal consultancy session cost?expand_more
Legal consultancy is charged at £95 per hour. The initial scoping call is free. All fees are agreed upfront before any work begins. There are no hidden charges and no ongoing retainer — you pay for the time you use. If you have bought a Be Your Best Lawyer guide within the last 14 days, the guide price is credited back against your first session.
Can Eugene advise on cases outside England and Wales?expand_more
Eugene is qualified in England and Wales and South Africa. He can advise on matters governed by English and Welsh law and South African law. Cross-border matters involving both jurisdictions are also within scope. For matters governed by the law of other jurisdictions, Eugene can provide general guidance but cannot advise as a qualified local lawyer.
What areas of law does Eugene advise on?expand_more
Family law (child arrangements, divorce, financial remedy, domestic abuse), employment law (unfair dismissal, constructive dismissal, redundancy, discrimination, settlement agreements), housing law (Section 8, possession proceedings, Renters Rights Act 2025), and civil claims (small claims, contract disputes, debt recovery, neighbour disputes). If your matter falls outside these areas, the free scoping call will establish whether Eugene can assist.

Ready to understand your legal position?

Book a free 20-minute call. Eugene will tell you exactly where you stand and what to do next.

Or email [email protected]

menu_bookFree legal guides for litigants in person at beyourbestlawyer.com — understand your rights before your consultancy session.