Hourly rate

As a general rule, the firm's fees are calculated on the basis of the number of hours actually worked at a rate which depends on the seniority and experience of the partner or staff member involved in the case. This rate currently varies from €75 to €250 excluding VAT. An adjustment may be made, depending on the financial stakes of the case, the difficulty and the urgency.

Several people may be called upon to work on the same case: the partner whom the client has contacted, and other lawyers in the firm, according to their areas of preference and availability, in order to ensure efficiency and limit expenses. For example, research into case law and jurisprudence and adjournment hearings, or the work involved in joining proceedings as a civil party, which often tend to be time-consuming, are usually undertaken by the most junior associates. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly common for two lawyers to handle a case, so as to ensure constant follow-up with a view to improving the quality of the thought put into the case and hence the quality of the work.

As each case has its own particular characteristics, it is extremely difficult to foresee the volume of work that will be required to complete it. This depends on the complexity of the case and the extent of the negotiations that the client asks us to monitor with or to conduct, but also, where litigation is involved, the resistance of the opposing parties. However, the client can at any time obtain details of the amount of work undertaken so far. If this is considered useful, and every time the client so requests, provisions will be placed in the account or interim fee statements will be drawn up.

Success fee

Legal cases, negotiations and defences which produce the anticipated result in whole or in part may be subject to either a coefficient adjusting the hourly rate or the application of an additional lump sum. This “success fee” will be calculated in line with the result obtained. For cases that can be assessed in monetary terms, it will not exceed the following percentages :

Costs

The administrative costs (€ 25 + VAT), secretarial costs (€ 7.50 + VAT per typed page), travel expenses (€ 0.61 + VAT per kilometre), photocopy and fax costs, etc., are charged to the client and correspond to the actual operating costs incurred by the firm. The firm may also prefer charging a fixed amount of internal costs, equal to 10% of the charged fees. Other costs and expenditure, such as legal costs, correspondence and translation expenses, the costs of express courier companies and bailiffs are charged separately.

VAT

Fees and (some) expenses are subject to VAT (21%) as from 1 January 2014.