General terms

Method of charging

  1. The hourly rate is indexed annually (on 1 January) in conformance with the consumer price index for all households as issued by the CBS for December of the previous year. Hourly rates are rounded up to whole Euros. In addition to the indexation stated here, the hourly rates for trainee lawyers and staff agreed when accepting a case are also adjusted annually in line with the applicable hourly rate scales of the Firm. The hourly rate scales will be sent on request. If the agreed rate should be subject to an interim adjustment other than those stated previously, the client will be informed promptly.
  2. Other expenses such as courier services and travel costs, will be charged separately.
  3. Should activities need to be carried out urgently or in the weekend, the agreed hourly rate can be raised by 50% – 100%.
  4. Activities shall only be undertaken on the basis of an advance.
  5. The hours worked and the costs made shall be charged regularly. Invoices should be paid within fourteen days after dispatch, without the deduction of any discount or compensation. If required, invoices can be issued monthly or quarterly. Should the invoice remain unpaid after several demands, the Firm shall be forced to charge the legal interest and costs of at least 1% per month or the pro rata proportion of a month.
  6. In the event of liquidation, insolvency, bankruptcy or suspension of payments of the client, all obligations immediately become due and payable.
  7. Any payments made by the client shall first be used to defray all interests and costs owed, and secondly to pay all outstanding invoices in the order of date, even if the client states that the payment relates to a later invoice.
  8. The advance shall not, unless there is written agreement to the contrary, be used to settle interim invoices during the activities. Settlement shall take place with the balance of the final invoice after all activities have been completed. Any amount remaining from the advance will be returned.
  9. Outstanding invoices can be settled with any monies the lawyer is holding in deposit for the client, to the extent that these monies may be paid to the client without impediment, notwithstanding any regulations issued by the National Bar Association.
  10. If the outstanding invoices remain unpaid after various demands, the Firm shall place the matter in the hands of a collection agency. The extrajudicial collection fees are set at a percentage of 15% and are calculated over the outstanding principal, with a minimum of € 150.00 unless there exists any legal provision opposing such fees.
  11. The Firm is entitled to suspend its obligations until the client has met all his or her outstanding obligations.
  12. The Firm is entitled to settle all claims it may have on the client with every debt that the Firm may owe to the client.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: +31 (0)20 627 5411