Fees, Cancellations and Refund Policy

1. Definitions and Interpretation

Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Policy have the meanings given in Section 1 of the Website Terms of Use. In addition, in this Policy:

• "Fees" means amounts charged by the Firm for Services, however calculated (including hourly, flat-fee, or retainer-based arrangements).
• "Advance Payment" means funds a Client pays before the corresponding Services have been performed, including retainers held on account.
• "Earned Fees" means Fees that correspond to Services already performed, or costs already properly incurred, and that the Firm is accordingly entitled to retain.
• "Unearned Funds" means Advance Payments, or any portion of them, that do not correspond to Services performed or Expenses properly incurred at the relevant time.
• "Expenses" means reasonable, properly incurred third-party disbursements associated with a matter, such as filing fees, courier costs, or expert fees.

2. Scope and Relationship to the Engagement Agreement

This Policy applies only where a Client has entered into an Engagement Agreement with the Firm. It describes general principles the Firm intends to follow; it does not itself create a payment obligation, and it is superseded, to the extent of any inconsistency, by the specific terms of the applicable Engagement Agreement and by any mandatory requirement of Applicable Law or applicable professional-conduct rules governing client funds and fees.

3. No Online Payments or Checkout on This Website

This Website does not process payments, does not offer an online checkout, and does not store payment card or bank details. It does not solicit or accept advance payment of Fees through any online form. Any payment arrangement is agreed separately, in writing, as part of or following the Engagement Agreement, through payment channels the Firm specifies directly to the Client at that time. If you receive a message purporting to be from the Firm that directs you to pay through an online checkout on this Website, that message did not originate from the Firm and should be treated with caution and reported consistent with the Acceptable Use Policy.

4. Fee Arrangements Generally

Depending on the nature of a matter, the Firm may propose Fees on an hourly basis, a flat or fixed-fee basis, a retainer basis, or another arrangement agreed with the Client, or a combination of these. An hourly arrangement typically charges for time spent at an agreed rate; a flat-fee arrangement typically charges a set amount for a defined scope of work; and a retainer arrangement typically involves an Advance Payment held on account and drawn down as Services are performed, or a periodic payment for ongoing availability, depending on what is agreed. No specific Fee structure, rate, or amount is promised on this Website, and nothing here should be read as a quotation, estimate, or offer capable of acceptance. Fee terms applicable to a given matter are set out in that matter's Engagement Agreement, agreed before Services begin, and typically also address how Fees are calculated for work that falls outside the originally anticipated scope.

5. Advance Payments and Retainers vs. Earned Fees

Where an Engagement Agreement calls for an Advance Payment, the Firm intends to hold such funds in accordance with Applicable Law and applicable professional-conduct rules governing client funds, which commonly require Advance Payments to be held separately from the Firm's own operating funds, often in a designated client or trust account, until they are earned. As Services are performed, or Expenses are properly incurred, the corresponding portion of an Advance Payment becomes Earned Fees, which the Firm may transfer to its own account consistent with those rules and with the Engagement Agreement. The remaining, unearned portion remains client funds until it is earned or refunded. This distinction matters because it determines what happens to funds already paid if a matter ends earlier than expected: Earned Fees are not refundable simply because the engagement later ends, while genuinely Unearned Funds are addressed under Section 9.

The Firm intends to keep records sufficient to show, at any point in an engagement, how much of an Advance Payment has been earned and how much remains unearned, and to make that accounting available to the Client on request, consistent with applicable professional-conduct rules on client funds.

6. Invoicing and Expenses

Where applicable, the Firm intends to provide Clients with invoices or statements describing Fees charged and Expenses incurred, at a frequency and in a format agreed in the Engagement Agreement, such as monthly billing, milestone-based billing, or billing on completion of a matter. An invoice will generally distinguish, where practicable, between Fees for Services performed and Expenses incurred on the Client's behalf, so that a Client can review each category separately. Clients are encouraged to raise questions about an invoice promptly, using the contact details in that invoice or in Section 15 below, and the Engagement Agreement may specify a period within which objections to an invoice should be raised.

7. Cancellations Prior to Engagement

Because no Services are provided and no Fees are charged before a signed Engagement Agreement is in place, there is nothing to cancel before that point. A prospective client may withdraw an Inquiry at any time without cost. If any Advance Payment were, exceptionally, requested before signature of an Engagement Agreement, the terms of its refundability would be disclosed in writing at the time it is requested, consistent with Section 9.

8. Cancellation or Termination After Engagement Begins

Once an Engagement Agreement is in place, either the Client or the Firm may seek to end the engagement on the terms set out in that Engagement Agreement and consistent with Applicable Law and applicable professional-conduct rules, including, where relevant, rules requiring court approval to withdraw from a pending matter (see Section 18 of the Website Terms of Use). Ending an engagement does not, by itself, determine whether any Advance Payment must be refunded; that question is addressed by Sections 9 and 10 below and by the Engagement Agreement.

9. Refunds of Unearned Funds

Upon completion, termination, or cancellation of an engagement, the Firm intends to account to the Client for any Advance Payment held, and to return Unearned Funds to the Client within a reasonable time, consistent with Applicable Law, applicable professional-conduct rules, and the Engagement Agreement. The Firm does not apply a blanket policy that all payments are non-refundable. Whether, and to what extent, a refund is due depends on: the amount of the Advance Payment; the Earned Fees and properly incurred Expenses at the time of cancellation or termination; and any specific terms agreed in the Engagement Agreement.

Where a matter ends before an agreed flat-fee scope of work is completed, the Firm intends to determine the refundable portion by reference to the work actually and reasonably performed relative to the full scope, applying a fair method disclosed in the Engagement Agreement (such as a pro-rata assessment by task, milestone, or estimated time), rather than treating the full flat fee as automatically earned on payment. This reflects the general professional-conduct principle that a fee must bear a reasonable relationship to the value or work actually delivered.

10. Circumstances Where Refunds May Not Be Available

A refund will generally not be available to the extent funds represent Earned Fees for Services already properly performed, or Expenses already properly and irrevocably incurred on the Client's behalf, since those amounts are not Unearned Funds. Flat or fixed fees may, depending on the terms agreed in the Engagement Agreement and Applicable Law, be earned in stages or on completion of defined milestones rather than strictly by the hour; the applicable approach for a given matter is set out in that Engagement Agreement.

A refund may also be limited or unavailable where: the Client terminates the engagement in a manner that itself causes the Firm to incur additional properly chargeable costs (such as costs of transitioning the matter to new counsel); Applicable Law or a court order restricts release of funds pending resolution of a fee dispute; or the Advance Payment has already been properly applied to Earned Fees or Expenses consistent with Section 5. None of these circumstances permit the Firm to retain funds that have not been earned and are not properly chargeable Expenses.

11. Optional Cryptocurrency Payment Provision (Inactive)

This section is inactive and provided only as an optional template. This Website and the Firm do not currently accept cryptocurrency as a form of payment for Fees or Expenses, and nothing on this Website should be read as an offer to do so. Should the Firm, in the future, decide to accept cryptocurrency payments, it will do so only after: (a) confirming its banking, accounting, and client-funds-handling arrangements can properly accommodate such payments consistently with applicable professional-conduct rules on client funds; (b) confirming compliance with applicable anti-money-laundering, sanctions, and tax-reporting requirements for virtual-asset transactions; and (c) updating this Policy to describe the accepted digital assets, valuation methodology, conversion practice, associated risks (including volatility and irreversibility of transactions), and refund mechanics specific to cryptocurrency payments, before activating this functionality. Until such an update is published, this provision has no operative effect.

12. Disputes Over Fees

If a Client disputes a Fee or Expense, the Client is encouraged to raise the concern promptly using the contact details in Section 15, so the Firm can review the matter. The Firm intends to respond to a good-faith fee query with a clear explanation of how the disputed amount was calculated and, where an error is identified, to correct it. Where applicable, a Client may also have rights to seek fee review or fee arbitration through [APPLICABLE FEE-DISPUTE OR TAXATION MECHANISM — PLACEHOLDER], consistent with Applicable Law and applicable professional-conduct rules. A fee dispute does not, by itself, entitle either party to disregard other obligations under the Engagement Agreement, such as obligations relating to undisputed amounts or to the orderly conclusion or transition of the matter.

13. Applicable Professional Rules Govern

Nothing in this Policy overrides any mandatory requirement of Applicable Law or of the professional-conduct rules applicable to the Firm concerning fees, client funds, trust or escrow accounting, or refunds. Where this Policy and such mandatory rules conflict, the mandatory rules govern, and the Firm will apply its practices accordingly. This includes, where applicable, rules requiring that fees be reasonable in light of the factors recognized under the governing professional-conduct code, such as the time and labor required, the novelty and difficulty of the matter, the fee customarily charged for similar services, and the experience and reputation of the lawyer involved.

14. Changes to This Policy

The Firm may update this Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page reflects the date of the most recent update. This Policy does not retroactively alter the terms of an Engagement Agreement already in force; changes to fee or refund terms for an existing engagement require agreement between the Firm and the Client, or as otherwise permitted by that Engagement Agreement and Applicable Law.

15. Contact Information

Questions about Fees, invoices, or this Policy may be sent to contact@salamandralab.example.