Terms of Service: Advance Legal Retainer

Our Philosophy: Absolute financial transparency, full client control over all services, and adherence to the highest standards of international legal ethics.

1. How the Legal Retainer System Works

You place an advance deposit into a Segregated Attorney Trust Account managed under the direct supervision of your designated lead attorney. This ensures immediate operational readiness without administrative delays or payment approvals for every single action.

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  Ownership & Personal Control: Your funds are held in a segregated trust account with a top-tier bank, strictly separate from the firm’s operating assets. Fund disbursements and report approvals are handled exclusively by your lead attorney, ensuring personal accountability for every charge.

  
  


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  Indefinite Balance Retention: Upon project completion, any unearned balance does not expire. You may keep the remaining funds on deposit to cover future legal matters at any time upon request.

  
  


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  Prompt Refund on Demand: You retain the unconditional right to request a full refund of any unearned deposit balance back to your bank account (processed within 3–5 business days).

  
  


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  Deposit Threshold Monitoring: We proactively notify you once 80% of your deposit has been utilized to ensure uninterrupted legal protection.

  
  


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  No Hidden Fees: When there are no active assignments, your deposit incurs no maintenance fees, subscription charges, or service costs.

  
  

2. Fees & Transparent Billing

Legal fees are billed on an hourly basis based on actual time dedicated to your matter by the firm’s team.

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  Base Rates: Ranging from €100 to €250 per hour (depending on matter complexity and fee earner seniority: Associate, Senior Attorney, Partner).

  
  


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  Billing Increment: Time is tracked in 30-minute increments (0.5 hour).

  
  


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  Estimated Budget: Individual hourly rates and project fee estimates are capped and fixed in the Legal Services Agreement prior to commencement.

  
  


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  Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Official court fees, registry costs, and statutory payments are disbursed from your deposit strictly at cost, without any markups or surcharges.

  
  

3. International Reporting Standard (UTBMS / LEDES)

Deductions from your deposit occur exclusively after your review and explicit approval of a detailed activity report (issued weekly or upon milestone completion):

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  Comprehensive Itemization: Thorough breakdown of every performed action, current project stage, and concrete deliverable achieved.

  
  


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  Time Entries: Transparent log of time spent per task alongside total calculated fees matching approved hourly rates.

  
  

5 Steps to Get Started

1. 
   

   Initial Consultation & Roadmap — Assessing objectives, defining strategy, and establishing budget estimates.

   
   


2. 
   

   Engagement Agreement — Securing agreed hourly rates, operating terms, and initial deposit amount.

   
   


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   Retainer Placement — Transferring advance funds to the dedicated trust account managed by your lead attorney.

   
   


4. 
   

   Execution & Reporting — Active representation, continuous status updates, and milestone billing approvals.

   
   


5. 
   

   Completion or Extension — Final deliverable sign-off, maintaining the remaining balance for future needs, or requesting a prompt refund.