RETAINER AGREEMENT
Legal fees for residential files are as follows (excluding permitted disbursements, payouts, registration fees, HST and title insurance)*:
Purchase (cash): $1,375 (up to $2 million and increase by $250 per million thereafter)
Condo Unit Purchase: $1,975 (up to $2 million) including preliminary status certificate review.
Mortgage (Refinance): $1,275
Sale: $1,275
Purchase + Institutional Mortgage: $1,575 (up to $2 million)
Purchase + Institutional Mortgage new build no interim occupancy: $1,775
Private mortgage on purchase: $300 additional
Independent Legal Advice: $675
Title Transfer: $975
Interim Occupancy Closing: $675
Transactions involving Power of Attorney additional cost: $375 +
Review (oral) of Status Certificate: $475 (estimated and subject to change based specific circumstances on $300 per hour)
Discharge of Charge: $875
Payout: $100
Payout and close: $120
Assignment of Rents: $275
Postponements: $275
Initial Draft/Review of Simple Residential Purchase Agreement: $600+
Non-Resident withholdings: $500.00 to $1,000 depending on work involved (Estimated)
Transmission Application: $775
Corporate resolutions: $500
Cottage, Rural, Commercial or Farm Properties: $2,500 +
*Additional costs for RUSH files, late mortgage instructions, added complexities or additional work. Hourly Rate for any Additional Work: $475 per hour. Purchase over $2million add $200 to fee for every million dollars on purchase.
The above fees have been quoted to you on the understanding that we will not encounter unusual difficulties in the completion of the transaction or extensions of the closing date. In the event that unexpected difficulties or extensions arise as a result of matters beyond our control, we reserve the right to increase our fees to reflect any additional time expended by the undersigned, our clerk and other staff in the completion of the transaction. We will provide a detailed final account setting out the work completed and any additional work completed on the files. The above fees have also been quoted for a maximum of one payout on a refinance transaction and a maximum of one institutional mortgage on a mortgage transaction.
All the above fees are owing notwithstanding whether the above file is completed partially, at all, or not to a standard which you expect.
A retainer in the amount of $300 is required for all files to cover the ongoing disbursements. Payment of the retainer can be made by email transfer or certified cheque. We reserve the right to alter the amount of the retainer for each individual file as required.
In addition to these fees, for any purchase you are required to pay on closing Land Transfer Tax (LTT) to the Province of Ontario. Your total amount for LTT depends on the purchase price of the home and if you are eligible for any rebates, including the first time home buyer LTT rebate.
If there are two clients, I understand that you are representing us jointly, in the above transaction, and notwithstanding being so advised, the undersigned joint parties hereby expressly consents to you acting in this capacity. The undersigned joint parties further acknowledges being advised that all information received in connection with this transaction from any one of us cannot be treated as confidential insofar as the other joint party is concerned, and that the rules of the Law Society of Upper Canada require that when law firms represent clients jointly, I must raise certain issues with each of the joint party and obtain their consent as to the course to be followed in the future if a conflict arises. The undersigned joint parties further acknowledges having been advised that in the event of a material conflict between any one of us which cannot be resolved, you will advise me thereof, and it may be necessary for you to discontinue acting for either party in this matter.
For any purchase before your closing date, you must therefore provide me with sufficient funds by certified cheque, bank draft, or money order to complete your transaction that is immediately available in our trust account. These funds include the amount owing to the vendors plus legal fees, disbursements and adjustments for extra expenses and taxes.
We/I consent to you sharing information internally among your associates at Brykman Lefler Lawyers, Practicing in Association and to be added to firm email list.
To prevent fraud and ensure the safe and accurate receipt, release, and transfer of any funds or assets, the following steps will always be taken to safeguard such assets:
The lawyer will only accept funds by way of wire transfer, Inter-Bank Transfer (if I/we bank with The Toronto-Dominion Bank), e-transfer to bobby@bllawyers.ca, or cash (if under $2,000) to the lawyer trust account. The lawyer account information is Bank 004, Transit 10852, Account 5353311.
The lawyer will only transfer funds to me/us by way of EFT or Wire Transfer to the bank account, or cheque/certified cheque physically picked up at the lawyer's office. The lawyer will only accept a void cheque sent via file email to the lawyer's office.
The lawyer will only release funds or assets to a third party upon receiving verbal confirmation of the transfer and any other party necessary to confirm the veracity of the transfer details.
I/we should not expect to receive any revised instructions for the transfer of funds or assets from the lawyer other than as stated herein. If I/we receive any written communication advising of such a change that appears to come the lawyer office, immediately contact you at 905-300-4991 to verbally confirm these changes.
If the lawyer receives any changes to my/our contact information, or any changes to the instructions for the transfer of funds or assets as set out above, they will not act on these changes until they verbally confirmed the new instructions in-person or by calling at the phone number provided on this intake form.
Client Intake Disclosure and Consent
By submitting this form, you acknowledge and agree as follows:
Submitting this form, uploading documents, communicating with Brykman Lefler Lawyers, Practicing in Association, or booking an appointment does not create a solicitor-client relationship. Our firm is not retained to act for you unless and until we confirm in writing that we have agreed to act, complete any required conflict check, and, where applicable, receive a signed retainer agreement and any requested retainer funds.
This form is for intake, conflict-checking and administrative screening purposes only. You should not treat any website content, intake response, automated reply, scheduling communication or preliminary communication as legal advice. No legal advice will be provided unless and until our firm confirms in writing that it has agreed to act for you.
You should not rely on this form for urgent matters, closing dates, requisition deadlines, court deadlines, limitation periods, mortgage enforcement deadlines or any other time-sensitive matter. Our firm is not responsible for protecting any deadline unless we have confirmed in writing that we have agreed to act for you in relation to that specific matter.
Our firm must complete a conflict check before confirming whether we can act. You agree to provide the names of all relevant parties, including any opposing parties, spouses, corporations, lenders, borrowers, purchasers, sellers, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, tenants, landlords, beneficiaries, trustees, guarantors or other persons involved in the matter. We may be unable to act if a conflict or potential conflict exists.
You confirm that the information you provide in this form is true, complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge. Our firm may rely on this information for conflict checks, file opening, client identification, risk assessment, communication and, if we agree to act, the provision of legal services.
You understand that you should only provide information requested by this form and should avoid submitting unnecessary sensitive, confidential or highly personal information until our firm confirms that it can receive it and has agreed to act. Submitting information to the firm before a retainer is confirmed does not mean that the firm has agreed to act for you.
You consent to our firm collecting, using, storing and disclosing the information you submit for the purposes of reviewing your inquiry, conducting conflict checks, opening and administering a file, communicating with you, complying with legal and professional obligations, verifying identity, assessing risk, processing payments, and providing legal services if our firm agrees to act.
You consent to our firm using third-party service providers and technology platforms for file management, client intake, email, cloud storage, document storage, identity verification, video meetings, electronic signatures, payment processing, accounting, title insurance, Teraview or registration-related services, courier services, IT support, transcription, document automation, legal research and other administrative or legal-service purposes. These providers may store or process information electronically, including through servers located outside Ontario or outside Canada.
You consent to our firm communicating with you by email, telephone, text message, video conference, secure portal, electronic signature platform or other electronic means. You understand that electronic communications carry risks, including misdirected communications, delay, interception, unauthorized access, technical issues or transmission errors. You agree to promptly advise our firm if your contact information changes or if you do not want the firm to use a particular method of communication.
You consent to our firm using video conferencing for meetings, consultations, client identification and verification, document review, signing appointments and file-related communications. You understand that certain video meetings, calls or conferences may be recorded or transcribed for identification, verification, note-taking, training, quality control, file management, compliance or risk-management purposes. You consent to those recordings and transcripts being securely stored as part of the firm’s file or administrative records.
You understand and consent that our firm may use technology-assisted tools, including artificial intelligence tools, transcription tools, document automation tools, legal research tools, drafting tools, summarization tools and file-management tools, to assist with administrative tasks, document review, legal research, drafting, summarizing information, file organization and improving efficiency. You understand that the firm’s lawyers and staff remain responsible for exercising professional judgment and for reviewing work as appropriate before relying on it or sending it externally.
You understand that our firm’s review of this intake form is limited to determining whether we may be able to assist you. Unless our firm confirms otherwise in writing, we have not reviewed your documents for legal issues, have not advised you on your rights or obligations, have not agreed to take any step on your behalf, and have not agreed to protect any deadline.
You authorize our firm to contact you using the contact information you provide in this form for purposes related to your inquiry, conflict checking, scheduling, intake, file opening, retainer arrangements, and, if our firm agrees to act, the provision of legal services.
By submitting this form, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to the above disclosure and consent terms.
Optional Marketing Consent
You agree to receive legal updates, newsletters, announcements, event invitations or other marketing or informational electronic communications from Brykman Lefler Lawyers, Practicing in Association, you may unsubscribe or withdraw your consent at any time