Access to Justice and Professional Fees

Access to justice is a significant issue in the disability community.

As much as possible, I will be offering reasonable flat fee arrangements that will allow clients to know up front what their legal fees will be. Consider it not pro bono, but relatively low bono legal service.

Creative Fee Arrangements

Some law firms only offer one method of billing for their services, and that may work for them; however, I recognize that providing legal services is not a “one size fits all” approach.

MMC Legal Services offers flexible pricing and creative fee arrangements that will depend upon the specific circumstances of each case, i.e., fixed fee, contingency fee, hourly fee or blended fee. Unlike many law firms, I offer fixed fees both to handle an entire case or to perform particular tasks [see the Unbundled Legal Services tab, above.

Consultation Fees:

• My initial consult fee is $150.00 + HST. I will spend as much time as necessary to provide you with the information you require to decide on next steps. I will also provide information respecting other unrelated legal issues that could be relevant to your situation.
• This fee will apply to every initial meeting with a client, even if the client knows that he or she wishes to  retain me to provide a particular service, such as  drafting a Will or applying for representation, for  example. However, should you retain me the same topic as the initial retainer within three months, that fee will be credited back on your first invoice.

Contingency Fees: 

• A  contingency fee arrangement means that you only pay lawyer fees if there is a recovery.

Retainers: 

• A retainer will be required for any matters going beyond a consultation.

Fixed Fees: 

• As much as possible, I will quote you a “fixed” fee before work is begun.

Fee for Time

• When it is not possible to estimate the amount of time and effort required, fees are charged on an hourly basis. My standard hourly rate is $125.00.

Disbursements

• Disbursements are any payments I make to a third party on your behalf, such as court filing fees. These payments are charged in addition to the fee. You will only pay what I pay to the third party.

Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)

• As noted above, HST will be charged at the rate of 15% for all services.

I will work extremely hard on your case, but regardless of the legal     

issues involved, no lawyer can ever guarantee a successful outcome.   

Return to Areas of Practice