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During the initial consultation, the Firm will agree upon a
fee arrangement and sign a contract for legal assistance
detailing what services we are to perform for the client and
how much the client will be charged for those services. We
use the following types of fee arrangements: flat fees,
hourly fees, contingency fees and combination fees. The type
of fee arrangement depends on the nature of the matter in
question and on the type of the Firm’s engagement, that is
whether it is for a single task or representation for a
certain period of time. The last one is often called
retainer agreement. When the Firm enters into retainer
agreement with a client, it binds the Firm to the client and
prohibits us from representing the client’s competitors.
This kind of agreement guarantees that the Firm will be
available to represent the client whenever the client needs
legal services. Retainer agreements are concluded for a
certain period of time, typically for a year. Additional
fees beyond the retainer may be required when a matter is to
go to court.
Flat fees
Flat fees, sometimes called fixed fees, are usually used for
standard services allowing a lawyer to fairly accurately
predict the amount of time needed to handle the matter.
These typically include setting up a legal person (a
company, partnership, an NGO), preparing routine agreements
and other legal documents.
When we agree to a flat fee, we usually do not ask for any
further legal fees and thus any expenses (long distance
phone or fax charges, travel expenses, expert witness fees,
etc.) incurred under flat fee arrangements are still the
client’s responsibility.
Hourly fees
Hourly fees are used because most legal matters are much
more complicated than they may first appear. Some of the
many unpredictable factors that the Firm has to take into
consideration are: level of complexity, need of research
into the current state of the law, investigation of the
facts, time constraints beyond the Firm’s control, etc.
The services are paid in advance by an initial minimum fee
that prepays for a certain number of hours. Expenses (see
below) are separate charges that are not included in the
hourly rate or initial retainer.
Contingency fees
The client only pays contingency fees when his/her matter
has been successfully resolved. We apply this type of fee
arrangement to most civil cases, including commercial
disputes, employment matters, i.e. when the outcome is not
absolutely certain. In such cases, the fee will be a
percentage of the recovery. The percentage will depend on a
number of factors, including difficulty of the case;
prospects of recovery; the likely time and expense required
in bringing the case to a close; as well as the particular
lawyer's skill and reputation.
Combination fees
Fee agreements often involve elements of more than one of
the general types of fee. For example, we may require an
initial flat fee, to take a case, and then an additional
hourly or contingent fee to handle it to conclusion.
No matter what type of fee arrangement we apply to your
particular case, we make sure that the fees are realistic
and the service provided is effective.
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