How Legal Fees Are Calculated
We appreciate that legal fees are unplanned costs and that they're typically incurred during a difficult time in your life. Each law firm has their own policies when it comes to legal fees. When we’re working on our client’s files, we delegate all non-lawyer work to the law clerks. We do that because the hourly cost of our experienced law clerks is significantly lower than the lawyer’s rate. That policy translates into significant savings for you. At Dubin Legal Advocacy, you won’t be paying lawyer’s fees for proofreading documents for grammar and punctuation or for diarizing important court dates. Our clerks have the skills to complete all supportive tasks in a manner that is efficient and professional, while your lawyer’s mission is to provide you with tailored family law solutions that get the best results for you and your family. 

We do want you to understand that the reality is that it is impossible to guarantee how much your case is going to cost. That’s because every case and family is different. However, we certainly can guarantee that you'll always know what is going on because you'll be included in the decision-making processes so that you can maintain control over the progress of your case.

Step One: Consultation

Your first step toward retaining us is to book a consultation. All you have to do is call in or email the firm with your request for a consultation. You will have about half an hour with Lori Dubin during which you’ll tell her your story and concerns and she’ll respond with tailored advice and recommendations for you.

Some lawyers offer “free” or “complimentary” consultations, but there is no doubt that if you obtain one of those, you’ll see that you get what you pay for. Our consultations aren’t a “sales pitch” for our services. We listen carefully, answer your questions, offer advice, and suggest a personalized strategy to achieve your goals, You'll definitely feel a sense of relief by the end because so much of the uncertainty will have been resolved during your consultation. You won’t be obligated to retain us after the consultation. You can decide after your consultation whether you wish to enter into an agreement for further services. However, if you do retain us within 24 hours of your consultation, your $150.00 consultation fee will be credited to your account.

Step Two: Retainers

Retainers are deposits toward future legal fees. You give us a deposit of money which we put into our trust account. When we do work on your case, we render a bill that is paid from your trust account. You are then required to top up the retainer so that we always have money in trust for your case.

Standard initial retainer amounts to be provided and maintained are:

When your file is active, you will receive a weekly or monthly invoice from us, so you are always aware of the services received and your costs to that point. In some cases, if your fees accumulate quickly, we will send you invoices more frequently. We do not want you to have any surprises about legal fees, so we do our best to keep you informed every step of the way.

Hourly Fees

Normally, law firms bill on an hourly basis. That means that we bill you in increments of 6 minutes based on the hourly rate for each person for all work conducted on your case.