1. Purpose and Scope
This Fees, Cancellations and Refund Policy (this "Policy") describes, in general terms, how [FIRM LEGAL NAME], operating as loramora (the "Firm," "we," "us," or "our"), approaches fees, advance payments, cancellations, and refunds in connection with legal services. This Policy is general background information published on the Website; it does not itself set the fees or payment terms for any specific matter. This website is contact-only: it does not process payments, and there is no online checkout, invoicing, or payment portal on the Website itself.
2. Definitions
Capitalized terms not defined in this Policy have the meaning given in the Website Terms of Use. In addition, in this Policy:
- "Advance Payment" (sometimes called a retainer) means funds a Client pays before the Firm has performed the corresponding work, held on account of fees, expenses, or both that have not yet been earned or incurred.
- "Earned Fees" means fees that correspond to legal services the Firm has actually performed, calculated in accordance with the applicable Engagement Agreement.
- "Unearned Funds" means any portion of an Advance Payment that does not correspond to Earned Fees or to Expenses actually incurred, and that therefore has not yet been applied.
- "Expenses" or "Disbursements" means costs the Firm incurs or pays on a Client's behalf in connection with a matter, such as filing fees, courier costs, or third-party expert fees.
- "Engagement Agreement" has the meaning given in the Website Terms of Use.
3. Relationship to the Engagement Agreement
The specific fees, billing method, invoicing frequency, retainer requirements, and cancellation and refund mechanics applicable to a particular matter are set out in the Engagement Agreement signed by the Firm and the Client for that matter, together with any applicable rules of professional conduct governing client funds and fee arrangements in the relevant jurisdiction. Where this Policy and a specific Engagement Agreement address the same subject differently, the Engagement Agreement controls for that matter, provided it is consistent with Applicable Law and mandatory professional conduct rules.
This Policy is published so that a prospective Client has a general sense of how fee-related questions are typically handled before receiving a proposed Engagement Agreement; it is not a substitute for reading that agreement carefully once it is offered, and a prospective Client is encouraged to ask questions about any term that is unclear before signing.
4. General Fee Arrangements
Depending on the nature of a matter, the Firm may propose different types of fee arrangements, which may include, without limitation, hourly billing, flat or fixed fees for defined scopes of work, retainer arrangements, or other structures permitted under Applicable Law. No specific fee, rate, or fee structure is quoted on this Website. Any figures, rates, or fee models discussed with a prospective Client are proposed on a matter-by-matter basis and become binding only once reflected in a signed Engagement Agreement.
5. Invoicing and Timing of Payment
Where a matter is billed other than through a single Advance Payment applied in full at the outset, the Engagement Agreement will describe the invoicing frequency (for example, monthly, at defined milestones, or upon completion of the matter), the level of detail an invoice will contain, and the period within which payment is due. The Firm intends to provide invoices that allow a Client to understand, at a reasonable level of detail, the work performed or the milestone reached and the Expenses charged, subject to any generalized description necessary to protect privileged or confidential information from disclosure to third parties who might later review the invoice.
6. Advance Payments and Handling of Client Funds
Where an Engagement Agreement calls for an Advance Payment, the Firm intends to hold such funds in accordance with Applicable Law and applicable rules of professional conduct governing client trust or escrow accounts, including rules requiring the segregation of Client funds from the Firm's own operating funds until the funds are earned or otherwise properly applied. Specific account arrangements, including the institution and jurisdiction in which Client funds are held, are matters of operational detail to be confirmed by the Firm and, where applicable, disclosed to the Client in the Engagement Agreement.
7. Earned Fees and Unearned Funds
As the Firm performs work on a matter, the corresponding portion of any Advance Payment becomes Earned Fees and ceases to be Unearned Funds. The method for calculating Earned Fees (for example, by reference to time recorded, milestones reached, or a fixed-fee schedule) is set out in the applicable Engagement Agreement. Any portion of an Advance Payment that remains Unearned Funds continues to belong to the Client until it is properly earned, applied to Expenses, or refunded.
8. Expenses and Disbursements
Expenses and Disbursements the Firm incurs or pays on a Client's behalf are generally chargeable to the Client as described in the Engagement Agreement, whether paid from an Advance Payment or invoiced separately. The Firm will describe, in the Engagement Agreement or subsequent invoices, the nature of Expenses charged to a matter. Where an anticipated Expense is significant relative to the overall matter (for example, an expert witness fee or a substantial filing fee), the Firm intends to discuss it with the Client in advance where practicable, rather than incurring it without notice.
9. Currency and Taxes
Unless the Engagement Agreement states otherwise, fees and Expenses are expected to be quoted and payable in the currency specified in that agreement. Any applicable taxes, duties, or similar governmental charges connected with the Firm's fees are the Client's responsibility in addition to the stated fees, except to the extent the Engagement Agreement expressly states that such charges are included. Where a payment is made from a different currency than the one in which fees are billed, any conversion costs or exchange-rate differences are generally borne by the paying party unless the Engagement Agreement provides otherwise.
10. Cancellation Before Engagement
Because sending an inquiry through the Website does not create an attorney–client relationship or any payment obligation, a prospective Client may withdraw an inquiry at any time before a signed Engagement Agreement is executed, without charge, except where an Advance Payment has already been paid in connection with work the Firm has already been asked to perform (for example, an urgent preliminary review requested and carried out before formal engagement), in which case Section 12 applies to any Unearned Funds. A prospective Client is encouraged to raise any questions about scope or cost before asking the Firm to begin preliminary work, so that expectations about fees are clear even at this early, pre-engagement stage.
11. Termination During an Engagement
A Client may generally terminate an engagement at any time, subject to the terms of the applicable Engagement Agreement and Applicable Law, including any professional conduct rules governing the Client's right to discharge counsel. The Firm may withdraw from an engagement only as permitted by Applicable Law, applicable rules of professional conduct, any order of a court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction, and the terms of the Engagement Agreement, as also described in the Website Terms of Use. On termination by either party, the Firm will account for fees earned and Expenses incurred up to the effective date of termination, and will handle any remaining Unearned Funds in accordance with Section 12.
12. Refunds of Unearned Funds
Where an engagement ends, whether by termination, completion, or withdrawal, before an Advance Payment has been fully earned or applied to Expenses, the Firm will account to the Client for the funds held and will return any remaining Unearned Funds to the Client, subject to the terms of the applicable Engagement Agreement and Applicable Law. This Policy does not impose a blanket rule that payments are non-refundable; whether, and to what extent, a specific payment is refundable depends on how much of it corresponds to Earned Fees or incurred Expenses at the relevant time, as determined under the Engagement Agreement and applicable professional conduct rules governing client funds.
13. Items Not Subject to Refund
Earned Fees, corresponding to work the Firm has actually performed in accordance with the Engagement Agreement, and Expenses the Firm has actually incurred or is contractually committed to pay on a Client's behalf, are not treated as refundable simply because an engagement later ends, because they do not constitute Unearned Funds. The specific treatment of any fixed or minimum fee arrangement, where used, will be described in the applicable Engagement Agreement, consistent with Applicable Law governing the reasonableness and refundability of such arrangements.
14. Disputes Over Fees
If a Client disagrees with an invoice or the application of an Advance Payment, the Client should raise the concern with the Firm promptly using the contact details in the Engagement Agreement or in Section 18 of this Policy. Many jurisdictions provide a fee-dispute resolution process, such as fee arbitration or mediation through a bar association or similar body; where applicable, details of such a process are [DESCRIBE APPLICABLE FEE-DISPUTE MECHANISM, IF ANY]. The Firm intends to respond in good faith to a Client's written objection to an invoice, including by explaining the basis for the disputed charge, before pursuing collection of the disputed amount, except where doing so would be inconsistent with an applicable limitation period or court deadline.
15. Accepted Payment Methods
The Website does not process payments and does not represent that any particular payment method is currently accepted. Accepted payment methods for a specific engagement (for example, bank transfer or another conventional method) will be confirmed directly with the Client as part of the Engagement Agreement or subsequent invoicing, and are to be finalized by the Firm: [LIST ACCEPTED PAYMENT METHODS ONCE CONFIRMED].
16. Optional Cryptocurrency Provision (Inactive)
This Section is included as an optional, clearly marked placeholder only and is not currently active. The Firm does not currently accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment, and nothing on the Website should be read as an invitation to send cryptocurrency to the Firm. This Section may be activated by the Firm in a future revision of this Policy, and only after the Firm has (a) confirmed its banking, accounting, and payment-processing arrangements for handling cryptocurrency, (b) confirmed compliance with Applicable Law, including anti-money-laundering, client-funds, and tax requirements applicable to cryptocurrency receipts, and (c) updated this Policy to describe the accepted digital assets, wallet or processor details, valuation and conversion methodology, and refund treatment specific to cryptocurrency payments: [TO BE COMPLETED ONLY IF AND WHEN ACTIVATED].
17. Changes to This Policy
The Firm may revise this Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised. Changes to this Policy do not retroactively alter the terms of an Engagement Agreement already signed; amendments to a specific engagement's fee terms require the parties' agreement in accordance with that Engagement Agreement and Applicable Law.
18. Contact
[FIRM LEGAL NAME]
Email: inquiries@loramora.example
Address: [FIRM OFFICE ADDRESS]
This Policy is one of six Website Policies published by the Firm. It should be read alongside the Website Terms of Use, Acceptable Use Policy, Privacy Policy, Legal Disclaimer, and Compliance and Law Enforcement Requests Policy, each of which addresses a different aspect of the relationship between a visitor to the Website and the Firm.