HST on Legal Fees and Disbursements
Ontario residents are obligated to pay HST on legal fees and on some of the disbursements. This means that lawyer will collect HST on the client’s behalf and then will remit it to the government via the law firm account. Lawyer’s statement of account must always include an HST Number. Please feel free to consult information posted on the Ontario Law Society website for these purposes.
Hourly Fee
Anna Tamir’s hourly fee for consultations requiring legal opinion ranges from $360/hr to $400/hr +HST.
We are happy to offer discounts to repeat clients, both on a contingency percentage and on an hourly fee basis. We also accept a small number of pro bono cases per year. The selection is made on a case-by-case basis, considering such factors as client’s access to financial resources, health status, family situation etc.
Professional Liability / Discipline
Fees for these types of matters are often covered by the client’s Errors & Omissions Insurance. Our focus is not only on effectively defending our clients but also on making sure that the amounts that they will have to pay out of pocket are minimal.
Employment Law
Most matters commencing with issuing a Statement of Claim are billed on a contingency basis, or a combination of contingency basis and hourly fee. Review and re-negotiation of employment agreements and severance packages, strategy and consulting are all billed on an hourly basis of $360/hr +HST and disbursements.
Medical Malpractice
At this time any person who wishes to bring a claim for medical malpractice in Ontario must obtain a written expert report confirming that the Defendant physician or nurse were indeed negligent. Cost of such expert report ranges between $2500 to $5000. If the file is particularly large or/ and complex, costs can go as high as $5000-$10000.
Before such report can be commissioned it is necessary to obtain a complete copy of the medical file from each practitioner/ facility that part took in patient’s treatment at the relevant time frame. Cost of each medical file falls between $35-$250 per file, depending on the size of the file and its location. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer will be able to “ballpark” whether your case has a chance of success and how much it will cost to get the case going, before you will spend any money. If your case has a high chance of success, your lawyer may be prepared to carry the costs of obtaining report and other disbursements until the file is resolved. Legal fees can be billed on either contingency or hourly basis.
Denied Insurance Claims
Most such files are accepted on contingency basis. This means we charge commission on the total amounts of money we obtain on your behalf. We are getting paid when you are getting paid, unless our retainer is terminated. Contingency fees range between $25% +HST to 33% +HST, depending on complexity and several other factors. Repeat clients are always entitled to a lower / discounted rate. On some matters disbursements must be paid on ongoing basis. Those are third party costs that must be covered in order for your case to move along.
Compliance Audit
This is the service we provide for health professionals in independent practice. We review compliance with standards of care re services provided, as well as with federal and provincial laws and regulations re all aspects of the professional practice. We charge either block or hourly fees as per client’s preference. Hourly fees are at $380/hr +HST.