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CONTENT
INITIAL CONSULTATION
Anytime you contact our firm, a helpful member of our team will be available to answer your call and determine whether your matter is within our scope of practice. If within our practice areas, our intake team will arrange an initial call between you and a lawyer who will further assess your situation and answer any questions you may have regarding your matter. Depending on your matter, this initial consultation will either be free or paid. As a general rule, most of our real estate law matters are given a free initial consultation whereas our business law matters almost always entail a paid consultation. Paid consultations are charged at the lawyer’s hourly rate and various payment options are available to you when booking your consultation. In certain circumstances, we credit the cost of the consultation to you if you hire our firm to represent you on a matter relevant to the consultation. Prior to your consultation with us, we recommend you prepare a list of questions or concerns you may have about your matter. You may send your questions to our general mailbox prior to consultation so we are better prepared for the meeting. Initial consultations may be held in person, over the phone, or via virtual platforms such as Google Meet and Zoom.
RETAINER STAGE AND DOCUMENT COLLECTION
Once you decide that you wish to engage the services of our law firm for your matter, we will begin preparing initial documentation that must be executed by you prior to the start of your matter. For example, we will draft a detailed retainer agreement that will set out, among other things, the scope of our services, the cost for the services, matters specifically excluded, and certain important information which you must be aware of prior to our acceptance of your matter. Regardless of what law firm you work with, it is important that you clearly understand the content of the retainer agreement signed by you. Once initial documentation has been signed, we will begin our document collection phase which involves the collection of various necessary documents related to your matter from you. We may ask for your identification, copies of contracts, and relevant correspondence. Once we have the required documentation, we will review them and begin working on your matter.
TRANSPARENCY REGARDING LEGAL FEES AND DISBURSEMENTS
Our law firm has a strict policy of being transparent with our clients regarding fees and disbursements. We are a law firm dedicated to only charging clients in accordance with strict guidelines established by the Law Society of Ontario which set out that lawyer fees must be “fair, reasonable and disclosed to the client in a timely manner”. Our fee structure will always be clearly set out in our initial retainer agreement signed with you, and we will always provide you with a draft invoice prior to charging you on a matter. Once fees and disbursements have been charged in accordance with the draft invoice, you will receive a final invoice from our firm which serves as proof of payment for you.
PROMPT COMMUNICATION
When you work with us, you always have various methods of communication including text, call or email available to you and we will always respond to your correspondence within a reasonable time. We are excellent when it comes to keeping track of communication with our clients and our staff has been trained to listen to clients’ needs, adapt to various communications styles, and retain empathy when dealing with clients. We know that by maintaining strong lines of communication with our clients we can improve our reputation as a reliable and trustworthy law firm. Ask us about various innovative communication methods available to you as a client.
ACCESS TO DOCUMENTATION
During the term of your retainer and after the completion of your matter, you will have full access to documents and information related to your matter. We will never charge you additional fees for providing you with readily available documents related to your legal case and we will provide you with a copy of such documentation as soon as possible after a request for their provision has been received by our legal team. As our client, you have an unqualified right to your matter’s documentation.
AFTER FINALIZATION OF YOUR MATTER
Once your matter has been finalized, we will compile all documents relevant to your matter and send them to you in electronic or paper format as necessary. If required, you will receive a final report from us that sets out exactly what took place during your matter and how funds were received and disbursed. We will keep documents related to your matter for the period required by the Law Society of Ontario. You may also receive an email from us asking that you review our services and provide feedback on how we can do better in the future.
If you have any questions about retaining our firm, call us today to speak with one of our experienced staff who will be glad to answer any questions you may have.