Addressing Common Questions Our Clients Ask

A: I am here to assist you by providing advice and leadership to you in a difficult time, but I will not provide services you do not need. Instead, I will simply assist you in assessing the legal risks of your situation, providing direction relative to your choices and the probable consequences of those choices. While I can’t accurately estimate your costs in advance, since I don’t control every aspect of the case, I will settle your file as quickly and economically as possible.

A: No, as a family lawyer in St. Catharines, I offer mediation services. This means that I can help negotiate a resolution that is reasonable for both of you, which will save you money unless the two of you can’t reach an agreement within a certain amount of time.

A: All information you give me remains confidential. I will not divulge any details that would violate your privacy in any way. In fact, your privacy is protected by law in Ontario and must be observed unless you waive it.

A: While my office hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM throughout the week, we sometimes make appointments available outside normal hours if circumstances require it. However, those appointments are the exception. We can minimize the number of costly appointments you need to attend here at our office through voice mail, email and fax. In fact, we suggest that you email us at the following addresses:

• J. Leigh Daboll, Lawyer: jld-law@xplornet.com
• Samantha Bouwers, Law Clerk, Criminal/Civil/Estates: jldoffice1@xplornet.com
• Heidi Topa, Law Clerk, Family/Divorce: jldoffice2@xplornet.com
• Jennifer Bourque, Law Clerk, General Matters: jldoffice3@xplornet.com

Weekend and holiday appointments are also not generally available, but are available in cases of emergency or by special prior arrangement. Unfortunately, we are not available for consultation without appointments.

A: We charge to the nearest one-tenth of an hour for all activity on your case. Each hour billed to you is based on actual work done on your particular case. These are our present rates:

• J. Leigh Daboll  $350.00 per hour
• Law Clerks  $100.00 per hour

You will be billed a flat consultation fee of $300.00 (including applicable HST) for the first two hours of your initial consultation, payable at the time of the meeting and/or prior to my advice being provided to you. This payment may be made by way of cash or cheque only. Our fees are also based on one or more of the following elements:

• The time spent on your behalf, and the service which is performed;
• The complexities of the issues, and your potential emotional and monetary exposure;
• The extent to which the expertise of this firm contributed to a successful outcome;
• The degree and type of resistance encountered; and,
• The extent to which any work needs to be performed on an emergency basis.

These rates may be adjusted at any time. However, unless you are advised otherwise, we will not raise our fees more than $50.00/hour.

A: By minimizing the time we spend on your case. This means that it’s a good idea to give some thought to your appointment before you show up or call. You might, for instance, come with a written list of questions and concerns. By our first meeting, you should provide us with any documentation or written materials we may need. We suggest that you prepare a written chronology of your situation for clarity. It is best to provide as much as possible by email. Do not send us non-essential electronic replies to emails we send you or telephone conversations we have had with you, as we will bill you for the time it takes to read, print and file those communications. Also, when you call us and leave a voicemail, please clearly state the reason for your call (i.e., status of the case, etc.)

A: Disbursements are actual file expenses incurred in your matter: printing, photocopying (25 cents per page), couriers, long-distance telephone calls, fax transmissions (25 cents per page), postage, court filing fees, parking costs, consultations with outside experts, etc.

A: The retainer is an amount paid to our firm in trust on the understanding that it will be used to satisfy our accounts for legal services and disbursements, at the time accounts are delivered. The retainer is a source of payment for your accounts. The retainer is not a flat fee nor an estimate of the cost of our services. The amount of the retainer is arbitrary to some extent. Before the issues are clarified and before we know the degree of resistance offered by the other side, we cannot predict the amount of work necessitated, nor the time needed to complete it.