Attorney Services Agreement
Thank you for selecting The Justice Law Group, PLLC (“attorney”) to assist you with completing your New York uncontested divorce as offered through www.newyorkdivorceonline.com (“website”). Our uncontested divorce service is divided into two separate and distinct phases to align with the New York Court process.
1. Acceptance of Agreement. Our Agreement to assist you begins when you accept this Agreement for Limited Legal Services (“Service Agreement”), and we have received payment of your Phase 1 attorney service fee and remote online notary service fee. Payment shall be made using a credit card on the website.
2. Ending of Agreement. This Agreement will end after we prepare and file your Phase 1 or Phase 2 documents with the Supreme Court, or our service is canceled as limited by our mutual promises of this Agreement.
3. Nature of Services to be Rendered: The object of the unbundled legal services is to provide you with professionally prepared uncontested divorce documents and to file them with a New York Supreme Court. During this process, the attorney provides limited legal advice as necessary to prepare your divorce documents to reflect your agreements with your spouse. All documents are prepared based on the information that you provide to us. The attorney will E-file with the Court the documents that we provide to you only after payment of both the relevant phase service(s) fees and court fees. The limited scope of this service is document preparation and e-filing. You understand that this retainer does not include negotiation with your spouse or interaction with your spouse’s attorney or other representatives in order to help you achieve a settlement of your divorce case.
4. Additional Legal Services. Any additional legal services will require the execution of a separate retainer agreement and additional legal fees.
5. Fees Phase 1: The total fee for Phase 1 service is $475. Your Phase 1 service fee is broken down into two parts: Service Fees ($245.00) and Court Fees ($230.00).
A.Payment of Phase 1 Services Fees: The attorney service fee and remote online notary fee can be paid via the website using a credit card. The service fee payment can be paid via a single payment of $245.00 or two payments of $149.00. The payment of $245 via a single payment or two payments of $149 is considered an advance retainer and the minimum fee required to initiate Phase 1 services.
B.Payment of Phase 1 Court Fees: The court fee for Phase 1 is $230 (total of the court base fee, court surcharge fee, and processing fee). The Court fee cannot be paid via credit card. Court fees can be paid via Zelle or Money Order.
6. Fees Phase 2: The total fee for Phase 2 service is $475. The Phase 2 services are broken down into two parts: Service Fees and Court Fees.
A. Payment of Phase 2 Service Fees. The attorney service fees and remote online notary service fees total $320. Phase 2 service fees cannot be paid via credit card. Phase 2 service fees can be paid via Zelle or Money Order.
B. Payment of Phase 2 Court Fees. The Phase 2 court fees total $155 (total of the court base fees, court surcharge fee, and processing fee). Phase 2 Court fees cannot be paid via credit card. Court fees can be paid via Zelle or Money Order.
7. Limited Advice: Any legal advice provided in conjunction with the limited legal service is limited to questions and/or issues that need to be addressed to prepare your documents properly. If extensive advice is needed and falls beyond the scope of this limited offering and/or your situation materially changes, an additional fee may be required.
8. Limitations of Service: You are making no commitment to use our services at any time in the future. We have not agreed to represent you in any litigation with your spouse or any adversarial matters with your spouse or engage in any legal assistance other than the limited legal services listed above in the Nature of Services to be Rendered (item 3 above) which describes the particular service that you are purchasing. Our representation of you ends upon the completion of the tasks set forth above.
9. Attorney-Client Relationship: By affirmatively accepting this Agreement, an attorney-client relationship is created solely for the purpose outlined in the Nature of Services to be Rendered, item 3, above. This means that all communications with you will remain confidential.
10. Authorization: You have read, understand, and agree to be bound by the above, and you authorize the attorney to prepare your legal documents or provide you with limited legal advice based upon these terms and conditions.
11. Service Cancellation: We reserve the right to cancel if your situation or circumstances do not qualify for our limited legal service or you fail to pay court fees when due, or you fail to adhere to the terms of this agreement at any time or for any reason. You may cancel this service anytime and for any reason however, you understand the minimum Phase 1 service fee will not be refunded once paid. Phase 2 service fee is not refundable once the legal documents are drafted. Court fees for Phase 1 or Phase 2 are nonrefundable once paid to the court.
12. Refunds: The minimum Phase 1 service fee will not be refunded once paid. Phase 2 service fee is not refundable once the legal documents are drafted. Court fees for Phase 1 or Phase 2 are nonrefundable once paid to the court.
13. Optional Service (Case Status): You understand that your spouse may hire an attorney. Should your spouse’s attorney choose to request changes to the documents we prepare for you, in such an instance, we can talk to the other attorney via email regarding minor, nonmaterial language changes to the documents we provided you, but only if you agree with the suggested changes. As explained above, we do not negotiate on your behalf or work to reach a settlement with your spouse. We will simply communicate with your spouse’s attorney only (not your spouse) to make minor non-material changes to your documents so that your uncontested divorce documents can be finalized by you and your spouse. We charge a flat fee of $150 to exchange emails with your spouse’s attorney and revise your documents. You understand this is an optional service and a service that is in addition to the Phase 1 and Phase 2 service fees.
14. Remote Online Notary: New York accepts remote online notarizations. In order to streamline our process for both you and us, we require you to use our remote online notary service provider. The cost of the remote online notary is included in the Phase 1 and Phase 2 service fees. The use of the remote online notary creates a truly virtual divorce process. However, should the remote online notary service not be an option, a traditional in-person notary can be used. However, when using an in-person notary by either you or your spouse, you will be required to scan or mail us the notarized documents. No discount of Phase 1 or Phase 2 service fees is warranted when you use an in-person notary, as we have to convert in-person documents into our digital system.
15. Case Status and Copies of Documents: We will notify you each time an event occurs with your case. The primary method of communicating with you shall be via email. By signing below you consent to the use of email for any and all communications. We will provide you with copies of all documents filed with the court and provide you with documents received from the court. You can check the status of your case directly with the court using the New York court website: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/CaseSearch.
16. Frequency of itemized billing. This is a pay-per-step process. We will invoice you via email for service fees or court fees as you complete each step of the process. Invoices must be paid no later than 90 days after receipt of the invoice. A phase will not be completed until both the phase service fee and court fee is paid in full.
17. Attorney withdrawal. You understand that the attorney may withdraw for your failure to pay service or court fees timely as outlined above or your failure to cooperate or contribute to our processing of your case.
18. Disputes and arbitration. If there is a fee dispute, you have certain specific rights to arbitration, and we will be glad to discuss that with you if it becomes necessary. 19. Statement of Rights. The State of New York requires that you be made aware of your rights when working with an attorney. Please find your Statement of Rights below.
19. Credit Card Fee Explanation: All credit card payments made through our secure checkout portal incur a non-refundable convenience fee of five dollars ($5). This fee helps offset the costs associated with providing a fast, reliable, and secure payment platform. By choosing this payment method, you acknowledge that the convenience fee will be added to your total payment amount, separate from any legal fees or other charges outlined in this agreement. If you prefer not to pay this fee, please contact us for information about alternative payment methods.
20. Court Hearings: Although this Agreement is for limited scope representation, the court may, in some instances, require the attorney to appear on your behalf. If such an appearance is necessary, you agree to pay a flat fee of $300 for any virtual (e.g., Zoom) court-ordered hearing and a flat fee of $400 for any in-person court-ordered hearing. The attorney reserves the right, at their sole discretion, to assign a substitute attorney to appear at the hearing.
21. Priority Drafting Service (Optional Add-On): You may elect to purchase an optional Priority Drafting service for an additional fee of $25.00. If purchased, your matter will be identified internally as a Priority Case and placed ahead of standard, non-priority matters in the document drafting workflow, as reasonably determined by the Company. You understand and agree that the Priority Drafting service is an administrative queue-placement feature only. It is not a guarantee of completion by any particular date or within any specific number of days or hours. The time required to begin or complete drafting may vary depending on, among other things, case complexity, completeness and accuracy of your submissions, how quickly you complete and submit the divorce questionnaire, how quickly you respond to any follow-up or additional information requests from Company’s legal team, the need for corrections or clarifications, staffing availability, workflow demands, and the volume of other matters designated as priority. You further understand and agree that this service does not guarantee: (a) same-day, next-day, or expedited completion; (b) drafting completion by any particular date; (c) filing by any particular date; (d) court acceptance, court processing, or judicial action by any particular date; or (e) any particular legal result or outcome. The Priority Drafting fee is earned for the administrative handling and priority designation of the matter and, unless prohibited by applicable law or expressly stated otherwise in this Agreement, is non-refundable once the case has been designated as a Priority Case.
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STATEMENT OF CLIENT’S RIGHTS
1. You are entitled to be treated with courtesy and consideration at all times by your lawyer and the other lawyers and nonlawyer personnel in your lawyer’s office.
2. You are entitled to have your attorney handle your legal matter competently and diligently, in accordance with the highest standards of the profession. If you are not satisfied with how your matter is being handled, you have the right to discharge your attorney and terminate the attorney-client relationship at any time. (Court approval may be required in some matters, and your attorney may have a claim against you for the value of services rendered to you up to the point of discharge.)
3. You are entitled to your lawyer's independent professional judgment and undivided loyalty uncompromised by conflicts of interest.
4. You are entitled to be charged reasonable fees and expenses and to have your lawyer explain before or within a reasonable time after commencement of the representation how the fees and expenses will be computed and the manner and frequency of billing. You are entitled to request and receive a written itemized bill from your attorney at reasonable intervals. You may refuse to enter into any arrangement for fees and expenses that you find unsatisfactory. In the event of a fee dispute, you may have the right to seek arbitration; your attorney will provide you with the necessary information regarding arbitration in the event of a fee dispute, or upon your request.
5. You are entitled to have your questions and concerns addressed promptly and to receive a prompt reply to your letters, telephone calls, emails, faxes, and other communications.
6. You are entitled to be kept reasonably informed as to the status of your matter and are entitled to have your attorney promptly comply with your reasonable requests for information, including your requests for copies of papers relevant to the matter. You are entitled to sufficient information to allow you to participate meaningfully in the development of your matter and make informed decisions regarding the representation.
7. You are entitled to have your legitimate objectives respected by your attorney. In particular, the decision of whether to settle your matter is yours and not your lawyer’s. (Court approval of a settlement is required in some matters.)
8. You have the right to privacy in your communications with your lawyer and to have your confidential information preserved by your lawyer to the extent required by law.
9. You are entitled to have your attorney conduct himself or herself ethically in accordance with the New York Rules of Professional Conduct.
10. You may not be refused representation on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin or disability.
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This ATTORNEY SERVICE AGREEMENT is executed and agreed upon by:
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