Standard consultation at the fixed fee of $ 50.00 only on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, by appointment.
The private consultation at the fixed price of $ 80.00 every other day, by appointment. Urgent consultation at a cost of $ 100.00, fixed by priority according to the possibilities of the agenda.
It includes an immediate oral opinion based on the documents presented and is payable immediately.
It has the advantage of obtaining an opinion without committing you to anything.
If, after this advice, you wish to have a lawyer involved, you will have to agree on how to calculate the fees.
This calculation can be done on the basis of an hourly fee or a result fee.
History
Originally, lawyers could not charge a fee. At that time, their only education in itself was proof that they did not need to earn a living.
Until recently, lawyers set their fees "at the client's head". This is what the law says very modestly: Lawyers tax their fees with the discretion that one should expect from their department, which can mean two things:
It is the lawyer who decides the amount of his fees in a discretionary manner and not his client ... who nevertheless retains a recourse if the fees exceed the limits of fair moderation ...
Discretion implies that the lawyer should be expected to keep the taxation of his or her fees low.
Some older lawyers set their fees by the slat, i.e. by measuring the thickness of their case in centimeters. They often arrive at the same result as the computer which calculates everything in detail!
The increase in consumerism, the invasion of information technology, the pre-eminence of European law, particularly in terms of free pricing, a corollary of free competition which prohibits scales, has not solved the problem of fees which are still too expensive.
In the event of a dispute over fees, there is a free conciliation organised by the Bar Association (a lawyer, member or former member of the Bar Council is appointed by the President of the Bar and tries to reconcile the parties by enlightening them).
If the conciliation is unsuccessful, the dispute is settled by the court on the basis of a fee notice given by the Council of the Bar.
The fees cover the services and duties performed in your case by the firm's lawyers. They include all intellectual services such as the exchange of correspondence, the drafting of pleadings (summons, motions, conclusions, agreements, etc.), the drafting of agreements, negotiation meetings, interviews, research into doctrines and jurisprudence, written consultations, etc. Fees are charged at an hourly rate of $100.00. For cases that can be evaluated in money, the fees charged to you are calculated at a rate of 15% of the amount at stake in the dispute, with a minimum of $100.00 per hour.
2. Fees Fees are calculated in addition to the fees, and are of two types: - The firm's fees: - Opening and closing of the file: $50.00. Secretarial, typing, per letter or page: $8.00. Transmissions, e-mails, written messages, photocopies, per unit: $0.50. Telephone: included in fees. Travel outside Brussels: 0, 50 € per kilometer with a minimum of 25, 00 $. Court fees and disbursements, i.e. without this list being restrictive: The costs of bailiffs, clerk's office, copying of documents at the clerk's office, expertise are charged as claimed from the firm.
When the file is opened, an advance on costs and fees is requested. The payment of the latter always conditions the continuation of the intervention. Intermediate statements of costs and fees will be sent to you at regular intervals and in principle at the end of each stage of the procedure, which will enable you to check the duties charged as and when they are incurred and to see the cost of the value of the services requested. The law of 7 August 2002 on late payment states that an invoice must be paid within 30 days of receipt and automatically provides for the payment of interest in the event of late payment.
Predictability of fees In litigation, it is very hazardous, if not impossible, to predict the number of hours that will be needed to process a case. However, when the stakes are sufficiently known, and within a reasonable period of time, I will be able, if you wish, to give you an indication of the working time that the envisaged procedure(s) may require, without this indication being obligatory for me. I would like to draw your attention in particular to the fact that you can help to limit my costs and fees by encouraging negotiation.
