These general terms apply to all cases and matters and will be updated from time to time as needed. The most current version of these terms will always be available at our website using the URL http://privacyfirm.law/terms-of-representation.
INTEREST/FINANCE CHARGES We will invoice you monthly, or as needed, based on the progress of your case, and the expenses involved. Invoices will be delivered to you electronically. If you specifically request it, we will also send you a copy of your invoices by mail. Payment is due on receipt and is considered late after two weeks from the date of the in- voice. If any portion of your invoice remains unpaid for thirty (30) days, a FINANCE CHARGE will be added to your next bill. The amount subject to the FINANCE CHARGE will be that part of the previous balance not paid or otherwise credited before the invoice date. The FINANCE CHARGE will be determined by applying a monthly percentage rate of 2% added to the unpaid previous balance. You may avoid any additional FINANCE CHARGE by paying the entire current balance on or before the due date.
These terms are not intended to encourage a credit arrangement or to provide for deferred payments. Rather, the FINANCE CHARGE is assessed to offset the additional expenses we incur for carrying past-due accounts. If you fail to pay a bill within 30 days of receipt, the firm may terminate all legal services. Additionally, we reserve the right not to attend on your behalf any proceedings that occur while your account with the firm is past due.
CREDIT CARD POLICY We accept credit cards for payment of fees, subject to the terms & conditions in the firm’s Credit Card Policy http://privacyfirm.law/credit-card-policy. When you provide your credit card information to us for payment you agree to be bound by those terms.
COMMUNICATION & CONFIDENTIALITY We will communicate with you primarily by email, and occasionally, or when necessary, by telephone. To protect the confidentiality of these communications, and to preserve attorney–client privilege, you must provide us with a secure, password-protected email address, which belongs to you—and only you—and to which you are the only one with access. In addition, you must not access that email on any shared or public device, or that which belongs to your employer (except when your employer is the firm’s client).
To ensure that you receive all attorney–client communications and other important notifications related to your case, you should add the following email addresses to your anti-spam, trusted senders, or whitelist:
notifications@clio.com
info@clio.com
From time to time as the need arises, we may consult, collaborate, or partner with other attorneys or law firms regarding your case. We do so at our own discretion and expense, and you will not be charged additional fees for any outside legal services unless you give us specific authorization to do so.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION This agreement is intended to be governed by the laws of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and any action to enforce its terms must be brought in a Pennsylvania state court of competent jurisdiction. Prior to instituting any lawsuit over legal fees, however, you agree to have any dispute heard by a mediator, which should be a qualified PA attorney or retired judge to be jointly selected by the parties. Client agrees to be responsible for half the cost of mediation.
If a resolution cannot be reached after a good faith attempt to mediate the dispute, and the firm is the prevailing party in any other proceeding relating to the fees charged or services provided in connection with this agreement—whether instituted by the firm or client—client is liable for all expenses incurred by the firm, including collection fees, interest, and reasonable attorney’s fees that are a result of prosecuting or defending such action or claim(s).
PAPERLESS TECHNOLOGY & SECURITY We are a paperless law firm. This helps us to communicate and share documents with you in real time, and helps us to keep overhead low. Except where specifically required by law, we will not maintain paper copies of documents for your case. Unless you instruct us otherwise, it is our policy to immediately scan and return to you any original documents that you provide to us during our representation.
We use a variety of technology and third-party cloud-based services for document and law practice management. You consent to our use of these services to store your files, to communicate with you, and to carry out any other tasks necessary to your representation. You acknowledge that when you sign any document(s) electronically, your electronic signature will have the same force and legally binding effect as any analog or “wet ink” signature.
TERMINATION You may terminate our representation at any time, for any reason, by giving written notice of termination to us by Certified Mail. Upon similar written notice, we reserve the right to terminate the attorney–client relationship if you make our representation unreasonably difficult by failing to cooperate with us, failing to respond to communications, failing to cooperate in discovery, failing to be truthful with us, or for other good cause.
DOCUMENT RETENTION POLICY At the conclusion of your case, we will provide you with a digital copy of your client file. We will also maintain a digital copy for up to seven years, or as required by law. Our internal notes, attorney work product, and other file documents developed by the firm remain our own intellectual property, and are not disseminated outside of the firm, or otherwise released unless required by law. Upon seven years from the closing date of each file, all related data is automatically purged from our server(s) along with all backup copies, and cannot be retrieved.
GUARANTEES The firm guarantees that we will work hard on your case, that we will make our best effort to be up front regarding fees & costs, and that we will do everything we can do to earn your trust. Because of the inherent uncertainties in litigation, and with the law in general, we cannot and do not guarantee specific results.
PRIVACY POLICY NOTICE Attorneys, like other professionals who advise individuals on personal financial matters, are now required by federal law (the Gramm-Leach- Bliley Act) to inform their clients of their policies regarding privacy of client information. Law firms have been and continue to be bound by strict professional standards of confidentiality, which are already even more stringent than those required by law; therefore, the Privacy Firm P.C. has always protected your right to privacy and will continue to do so.
Your Social Security information will only be used in the event you hire the firm to represent you in legal matter, and then only when necessary during the course of your case. Typically, we collect Social Security numbers from all clients. Social Security numbers are most often used to positively identify parties but may also be used in connection with process service, in court orders, or in cases of emergencies. Some courts even require us to supply the Social Security numbers of all parties.
All information received from a client is confidential. Numbers are not released from the firm unless authorized by the client or required in the course of representation as previously stated herein. We take every step to protect the privacy of our clients. As such, unless specifically required by law, we do not retain paper copies of documents having clients’ social security numbers, banking data, or other confidential information. Social Security numbers are securely stored in using proprietary software designed to provide a level of security that meets or even exceed that of major financial institutions. These systems are protected by extensive firewalls with complex passwords, and accessible only via two-factor authentication in our system, which is further protected by extensive firewalls.
We retain records relating to the legal services we provide so that we are better able to assist you with your professional needs and, in some cases, to comply with professional rules, regulations, and guidelines. In order to protect any nonpublic personal information we collect from you, we maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with our professional standards.