Conditions
Delivery of services: Engaging a lawyer involves obligations of resource and due diligence. These obligations can only be met in a spirit of collaboration and to the extent that the client provides the lawyer in a timely fashion with the information required to protect the interests of the client. The engagement entails adherence to the laws governing the legal profession as well as to the rules and recommendations issued by the French Bar Council (Ordre français des avocats) at the Brussels Bar to which the lawyer belongs.
The Altea practice lawyers always work as a team. Your case is jointly managed by a partner and an associate. This means we can continuously improve the quality of our work, reduce the costs of a case, increase our availability and reduce our response times.
Altea’s lawyers work on a payment basis of provision in advance for costs and services involved in a case.
They try, as far as possible, to evaluate the cost of the case at the time it is opened.
The client receives a detailed breakdown of the case fees when any additional payment is required, as well as on request.
All payments are made to the account of Altea International SRL IBAN BE70 363 1096861-25 Srl Altea International - (BIC: BB RUBEBB) with the ING Bank quoting as reference the case number or client name
Rates are subject to indexation and may be adjusted annually.
- The cost of a single consultation (or successive single consultations), without a case open with the practice, is a fixed price (220 €) for about 30 minutes.
- If a case is open, as a rule lawyers’ fees are calculated by totalling hours worked.
The basic hourly rate used is:
- between €150 and €210 ex. VAT per hour for private clients or non-profit organisations,
- and between €170 and €230 ex. VAT per hour for companies and public bodies.
The rate is set when the case is opened. It will be higher, for instance, if the case requires high levels or specialisation or is urgent.
The client should be aware that they can, if they wish, contribute to limiting costs and fees, in particular by preparing named, full and well compiled files as promptly as possible - with clear notes, by avoiding sending several questions or documents in separate emails, by avoiding the lawyer needing to send reminders about unpaid fees or missing information, and so on.
Exceptionally, and subject to written confirmation by the lawyer on opening the case, a fixed fee per phase of the process may be proposed for simple or repetitive procedures.
Standard costs associated with the operation of the Altea legal practice are passed on as a fixed percentage: +10% excl. VAT of fees (hours). Non-standard costs, such as fees for any travelling expenses, translations or research in the National Register, are not included in the above percentage and are re-billed to the client separately.
Any disbursements (court bailiff fees, court listing dues, etc.) advanced by the lawyer on behalf of their client will be re-billed to the client (without VAT).
In accepting these Terms and Conditions by opening a case, the client agrees to electronic invoicing.
In case of non-payment when due, hours billed and expense statements are subject by right and without prior warning to annual interest at 10%, with the client also liable for costs of registered letters and other outgoings associated with recovering the sums owed. If payment in stages has been expressly authorised, late payment of an agreed monthly tranche entails the full payment of all sums due.
Any credit remaining due to the client from an advance provision is reimbursed on completion of the case, according the final balances of fees and costs.
If a client meets the requirements to qualify for free legal aid, they will be so notified. Except in rare exceptions, partners do not work “pro bono”. Information concerning access thresholds to legal aid, and lawyers who do work pro bono, can be found through the legal aid offices of each Bar: Https://avocats.be/fr/bureaux-daide-juridique-baj Any client engaging Altea’s services acknowledges having received information about access to legal aid prior to opening their case, and having received from the lawyer all the information they wanted on legal aid, such that it was with clarity and before signing the contract that they waived any claim to legal aid. Accepting the Terms and Conditions by opening a case includes waiving the right to free legal aid.
Clients with legal protection insurance are invited to check with their insurer the conditions under which the insurer will pay all or part of the fees and costs for a consultation or case. Since legal protection insurers do not cover VAT if the client is VAT registered and can deduct it, such clients with legal protection cover who are VAT registered and are able to deduct it will be personally responsible for paying VAT to the practice. To help with the practice’s accounting and so as to avoid any difficulty in recovering VAT from a client subject to VAT, any request for payment or final invoice will be addressed for payment directly by Altea to the client, the latter then being solely responsible for seeking reimbursement of the payments and fees paid ex. VAT from the legal protection insurer. They will be sent an invoice paid notification on receipt of payment, to be used to obtain reimbursement from the insurer in question.
Third party costs and solvency: The client should be aware that the law stipulates, where the legal process ends with an unfavourable ruling, that the losing party pays procedural compensation to the other party, set according to the value of the dispute, as well as other costs (expert fees, listing dues, etc.). If a case is successful, and the other party does not volunteer payment, the ruling will require enforcement action, the cost of which the client will have to advance. A losing party’s limited solvency can compromise the chances of recovery; a fact for which the lawyer cannot be held responsible.
Third parties: Funds the lawyer may receive on the client’s behalf or on behalf of a third party will transit their third party account with the ING bank, IBAN BE 03 6304 2639 5184, which is subject to monitoring by the Bar Council (Ordre de l'avocat).
Protecting your personal data and privacy: Altea regards the protection of your privacy and the security of processing your private data as being of utmost importance. Personal data is processed in compliance with the provisions resulting from the applicable legal texts regarding protection of privacy with regard to the processing of personal data. More information under the “Confidentiality” tab on our website www.altea.be.
Prevention of money laundering and terrorism financing: The lawyer complies with his legal obligations regarding the identification of the client or his principal, who undertake to spontaneously provide all documents enabling their identity to be clarified and authorise the lawyer to make copies thereof. The obligations of the lawyer and client derive more specifically from the provisions of the law of 18 September 2017 on the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism and on the limitation of the use of cash. The information that must be provided by the client varies depending on whether the client is a natural person, a legal person or an authorised representative.
The client shall inform the lawyer as soon as possible and spontaneously of any change in their situation and provide proof thereof.
Where the nature of the case (assistance to the client in the preparation or execution of transactions such as the purchase or sale of buildings or commercial enterprises; management of securities funds or other assets belonging to clients or to his principal; opening or management of bank accounts, savings accounts or portfolios; organisation of contributions necessary for the incorporation, management or administration of companies; incorporation, management or administration of trusts, companies or similar structures or interventions in the name and on behalf of the client in all financial and real estate transactions) or when the particular situations provided for by the aforementioned law 18 September 2017 (country of origin, identification difficulties, unusual relationship between the client and the lawyer or nature of the transactions, public personality or similar) require the lawyer to exercise increased vigilance, the client undertakes to answer any question from the lawyer enabling him to comply with his legal obligations in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
When the lawyer assists the client in his legal defence or when he provides him with legal advice (evaluation of his legal situation), he is bound by strict professional secrecy.
The law requires the lawyer to inform the President of the Bar as soon as he becomes aware, outside his mission of legal defence or legal consultation, of facts that he suspects to be linked to money laundering or terrorism financing. The President of the Bar, who guarantees respect for professional secrecy, transmits the declaration of suspicion to the C.TIF (Cellule de traitement des informations financières - Financial Information Processing Unit) where applicable.
By making an advance payment to open a case with Altea, the client acknowledges that they have read these, the practice’s Terms and Conditions of engagement, that they have received a copy, and that they register their agreement with the contents and the limitation of liability embodied, as well as the client’s express authorisation for the legal practice to use their personal data.
Legal notices:
- Nature of services: Lawyer Activities / Code NACEBEL 2008: 69101
- Professional liability insurance: ETHIAS Insurance Company, voie Gisèle Halimi No. 10 - 4000 Liège (Tel: 04/220.31.11). Geographic cover provided by the insurance: worldwide except for the United States of America and Canada.
- Indiscretion Insurance (Assurance Indélicatesse): ETHIAS Insurance Company, voie Gisèle Halimi No. 10 - 4000 Liège (Tel: 04/220.31.11). Geographic cover provided by the insurance: worldwide.
