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At Bune Law, client fees are competitive, open and transparent. The employment lawyer will only proceed with your case upon being retained if we agree on payment arrangements and estimated costs before starting work with you on your matter, and clients are constantly updated on what costs have been incurred on a regular basis – the aim is to be up-front and transparent about costs.
Bune Law prefers having an open and frank discussion about legal fees from the outset, and genuinely considers any comments you have about our fees and payment options. During the initial consultation, you will discuss with an experienced employment lawyer all estimated costs so that you – the client – can fully understand your options, strategy and potential outcomes, and so you can have any questions answered before you decide to proceed with your matter.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
At Bune Law, an experienced employment lawyer will weigh up your options of taking legal action vs. not taking legal action – sometimes referred to as a “Cost Benefit Analysis.” The cases that the employment lawyer deals with are not always about recovering money or severance compensation. Sometimes, resolving a difficult workplace dispute, being able to keep your job and avoiding a termination of employment is far more valuable to clients than receiving a payment from the employer.
Clients are given reasonable cost estimates using our best judgment of the potential cost based on general experience with such cases and the specific circumstances of your matter.
At Bune Law, the firm’s employment lawyer believes costs should not be a barrier to access to justice, and always looks for ways to achieve desired results within each client’s means. That is why, in some cases, clients may also be offered a fixed-fee arrangement with a “price cap” on costs, so that when the costs reach a certain amount, the client can decide whether to proceed further (see below).
Initial Consultation Meeting
The initial consultation enables the employment lawyer to understand your case, and for you to get to know the employment lawyer and understand his expertise. At the first consultation meeting, the employment lawyer will identify the relevant facts and legal issues in your particular case, advise you on your options and next steps, suggest a payment (retainer) option, and advise you on the potential cost of instructing Bune Law. If you decide to retain the employment lawyer’s services following the initial meeting, you will have the option to review and sign a retainer agreement detailing the service terms and conditions.
In some cases, the employment lawyer may be able to offer a reduced initial consultation fee depending on the circumstances.
Fee Payment Options
Once retained, there are a number of ways for clients to pay legal fees that Bune Law offers:
- Hourly Rate (or ‘Pay as you Go’) – an agreed hourly rate for a particular piece of work.
- Contingency – the legal fee is contingent on obtaining payment from a settlement or judgment.
- Fixed Fee – an agreed total fee for a particular piece of work.
Hourly Rate
You can agree a reasonable hourly rate that the employment lawyer in charge of your matter will charge, which will depend on the type of matter, the complexity of the work involved, and the volume of work involved. The employment lawyer will discuss your matter with you in order to determine the complexity of your matter and potential resolution outcomes. You will be provided with a general cost estimate for the work and a retainer agreement with the terms and conditions, including outlining in writing what the applicable hourly rate.
As the work in your matter progresses, you will be provided with a regular update on what costs have been incurred in your matter and sending you a cost breakdown whenever requested.
Note: if legal fees are a significant impediment, Bune Law is usually able to work with you or provide the guidance to steer you in the right direction!
Contingency Fee
Contingency Fee means just that: if we are not ‘successful’ in obtaining a successful resolution of your employment matter together, then you will not have to pay any legal fees. ‘Success’ normally means obtaining a settlement or court judgment. And if there is a legal fee to be paid, it will normally be based on an agreed upon percentage of any amount that is awarded under a settlement agreement or by court judgment (the general maximum contingency fee rate is 40%).
Fixed-Fee
In certain circumstances (e.g., severance negotiations, or reviewing an employment contract), we may be able to agree on a fixed fee for this work. We will agree on this fixed fee with you before the employment lawyer undertakes the work.
Key Stages
Depending on the retainer option chosen, legal fees cover some (or all) of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:
- Taking your initial instructions, reviewing all relevant documents and advising you on the merits of your case and some likely outcomes
- Engaging in severance package negotiations (to explore whether a settlement can be reached) with your former employer
- Reviewing and advising on discussions with former employer
- Exploring and negotiating settlement
- Preparing a claim
- Preparing for and conducting a preliminary hearing (e.g., settlement conference or mediation)
- Exchanging relevant documents with the former employer and agreeing a bundle of documents
- Preparation and conducting trial
How Long Will my Claim Take?
The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved.
If a settlement is reached during the severance negotiation stage before legal proceedings, most cases take at least take 6-10 weeks. If legal proceedings are required, most cases take anywhere from 1-2 years to conclude. However, these are just general estimates, and cases can take a longer or shorter period of time to conclude depending on the facts of each person’s case.
Disclaimer: The content on this website and blog is not legal advice or legal opinion of any kind, and is only general information. It is in no way particular to your individual case and should not be relied upon in any way. The outcome of a legal matter depends on its unique circumstances, and prior successes are not indicative of future results. No portion or use of this website or blog will establish a lawyer-client relationship with the author, this law firm or any related party. Should you require legal advice for your particular situation, please fill out the form below, or call 647-822-5492, to request an initial consultation.
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