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Rates

  1. Introduction

    Involvement in your affairs is impossible without clarity, for example concerning the costs of our work. Van Veen Advocaten (VVA) will fully inform you beforehand and agreements are reached before we begin. Our monthly invoices are of course precisely specified.

  2. Keynote

    Our services are principally based on an hourly rate. In special cases and in consultation with your lawyer, we may diverge from that principle, for instance by agreeing on a fixed amount for a fee in suitable cases. Certain cases may also be handled based on a Dept Collection-rate (see Dept Collection cases below).

  3. Invoicing

    In principle, our work is invoiced at the end of each month. A final invoice will be created once the assignment has been completed.
    An invoice consists of the fee, expenses and VAT. Expenses claimed by third parties towards our office (for example court fees, legal dues, serving fees) will be specified and on-charged. Expenses which are more difficult to specify (such as costs for postage, telephone, fax, copying, and so on) will be added to the invoice as a fixed six percent of the fees (specified as 'general expenses').
    The fee is subject to VAT. Not all expenses are subject to VAT.
    The amount and the kind of work done for each assignment is recorded and this specification is included with the invoice.
    In principle, a retainer is due at the start of an assignment which is booked as such during the entire period of service and is settled in the final invoice.

  4. Determining the Fee

    The fee is determined based on three elements:

    • the basic hourly rate;
    • the number of hours worked;
    • special circumstances.

    The calculation is as follows:
    fee = basic hourly rate x number of hours worked x special circumstances.

  5. The Ourly Rate

    As of January 1st 2008, the basic hourly rate is € 215,- excluding VAT. The rates are adjusted yearly on January 1st.
    These rates are further adjusted based on the experience of the specific lawyer who is doing the work. If the lawyer in question has less than four years of experience, the rate is adjusted downwards. If the lawyer in question has more than ten years for experience, the rate is adjusted upwards by a factor of 1.1. More than twenty years of experience results in a factor of 1.2.

  6. Special Circumstances

    Special circumstances that may apply to the basic hourly rate pertain to the importance and the nature of the case. Importance in this context means the amount of money involved in the case. These circumstances are applied as follows:

    • if the importance cannot be expressed as a monetary value or is less than € 100.000, this results in a multiplier of 1;
    • an importance between € 100.000 and € 250.000 results in a multiplier of 1.25;
    • an importance between € 250,000 and € 500,000 results in a multiplier of 1.5;
    • an importance exceeding € 500.000 results in a multiplier of 2.

    In cases that need to be handled with special urgency result in a multiplier of 1.5.

  7. Dept Collection

    Cases that primarily involve the collection of money can be handled based on a collection fee, in consultation with your lawyer. This means that the fee is determined based on a percentage of the collected amounts, or as a combination of such a percentage and a (lower) hourly rate. Collected fees in this context also include payments made directly to you as a result of a summons made by VVA.

  8. Cost Award

    If your case result in litigation and your opposing party is ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings, these amounts are awarded to you. This amount is usually substantially less than the total fees you owe your lawyer.

  9. Questions and Objections

    Should you have any questions related to this rates brochure, please feel free to discuss these with your lawyer.
    Should you have any questions or objections relating to the invoice (s) you received, these can best be discussed with your lawyer first. The lawyer will strive to clarify as much as possible. If you still have objections after this clarification, please feel free to contact our office manage, mister O. Meijnen. Should this consultation fail to lead to a satisfactory conclusion, you can turn to the Supervisory Committee of the Bar Association in the district of Arnhem.