Our Rates
Traditionally, most law firms tend to bill their fees based on an hourly rate, multiplied by the number of hours spent on a matter. As part of our access to justice goals, our firm is currently piloting a staged fixed fee structure for most of our client services. The below charts contain an overview of the flat fees for services that employee clients can expect to pay at different stages of a matter. The benefits of a flat fee are:
- Predictability: your legal fees are capped, and will be the only fees you pay for a stage of a matter.
- Transparency: you will have an answer at the time of retaining us to the question: “how much will this cost me”
- Clarity for decision making: knowing how much a matter will cost you
We are also open to discussing hourly fees and contingency fee arrangements with clients in accordance with the rules set out by the Law Society of Ontario. We will discuss an appropriate fee structure with you in your consultation with us should you wish to retain our services.
Disclaimer:
Please note that the below fee structures are an estimate, and may be altered depending on the complexity of your case. The below estimates also do not guarantee any specific results to clients. Litigation and legal matters can be unpredictable and may require more than one stage to reach a resolution or outcome.
Fixed Fee Estimates
Standard Employee-Side Services
| Type of Service |
Fixed Fee Rate Employees with Incomes Between $50,000.00/annum - $150,000.00/annum |
Fixed Fee Rate Low Income Employees with Incomes Less than $50,000.00/annum |
|---|---|---|
| Drafting an initial pleading (Statement of Claim, Human Rights Tribunal application, Small Claims Court Claim) | $1,250.00 + HST and disbursements | $850.00 + HST and disbursements |
| Representation from Statement of Claim to Mediation - Superior Court of Justice | $4,000.00 + HST and disbursements, comprising of: $750.00 due at end of Reply Stage $1,250 due at completion of Affidavit of Documents $1,000.00 due at completion of discoveries $1,000.00 due at completion of mediation | $2,850.00 + HST and disbursements, comprising of: $350.00 due at end of Reply Stage $875.00 due at completion of Affidavit of Documents $812.50 due at completion of discoveries $812.50 due at completion of mediation |
| Representation from Plaintiff’s Claim to Settlement Conference - Small Claims Court | $2,850.00 + HST and disbursements, comprising of: $285.00 due after review of Defence. $1,140.00 due after preparation of witness list & document brief. $1,425.00 due after completion of settlement conference. | $1,850.00 + HST and disbursements, comprising of: $175.00 due after review of Defence. $700.00 due after preparation of witness list & document brief. $975.00 due after completion of settlement conference. |
| Representation from Application to Mediation - Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario | $3,500.00 + HST, comprising of: $500.00 payable upon filing of reply/ OR review of Response and determination of no reply needed; $3,000.00, due after completion of HRTO mediation. | $2,100.00, comprising of: $306.00 payable upon filing of reply/ OR review of Response and determination of no reply needed; $1,794.00, due after completion of HRTO mediation. |
| Representation at Mediation only - Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario | $4,000.00 + HST | $2,000.00 + HST |
| Representation in Ministry of Labour complaint process | $2,000.00 + HST, comprising of: $850.00 due after filing of Ministry of Labour Claim; $1,150.00 due after Employment Standards Officer decision reached. | $1,500.00 + HST, comprising of: $450.00 due after filing of Ministry of Labour Claim; $1,050.00 due after Employment Standards Officer decision reached. |
| Representation in Employment Insurance Reconsiderations | $1,250.00 + HST, comprising of: | |
| Representation at trial or merits hearing - All Forums | $10,000.00 + HST and disbursements | $7,500.00 + HST and disbursements |
B. Hourly Rates
For clients who prefer billing on a traditional hourly rate model, we bill at the following rates:
$285.00/hour for most employees
$175.00/hour for employees with incomes under $50,000.00 annually
$500.00 + HST for employer clients, and clients with incomes over $150,000.00 annually.
We do not bill clients for responding to short (less than 175 words) emails from them, or for phone calls with them less than 10 minutes in length.
Contingency Fee Arrangements
Clients interested in a contingency fee arrangement should first consult the Law Society of Ontario’s Guide to Contingency Fee Agreements. We will also provide you with a copy of this prior to entering into a contingency fee arrangement.
Contingency fee arrangements are best suited for clients who may not have the upfront cash to pay a fixed fee or an hourly retainer fee, but are comfortable with a percentage of a monetary outcome being paid to us as our fees for assistance in this matter. They are particularly suited for individuals with matters that are assessed as likely to settle, for individuals in need of assistance with mediations, or for meritorious litigation cases where a client has no funds to pay a lawyer.
Cascades Law P.C. charges a flat rate contingency fee of 25% on the pre-tax amount of any outcome, plus H.S.T. and disbursements. We also offer “partial contingency fee” arrangements, whereby a client may choose to pay some monies upfront in accordance with the above fixed fee schedule, and do the remainder of the matter on contingency.
Please do not hesitate to discuss this further with us if you are considering a contingency fee arrangement.
Payment Methods Accepted
We accept the following methods of payment in accordance with Law Society of Ontario rules:
- Credit card, including Apple Pay and Google Pay
- E-transfer
- Cheque or certified cheque
- Bank Transfer
- Pre-authorized debit
CONTACT US
900-895 Don Mills Road
Toronto, ON M3C 0E8
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Cascades Law P.C. is a law firm located in Toronto, On on the traditional, unceded territories of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. We recognize our obligation to work towards the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the many Indigenous, Inuit and Metis communities that live in the lands around our firm, as well as throughout Canada. We also honour the contributions, the history, and the legacy of Indigenous communities. We encourage every client and visitor to this website to think about how they too can contribute to promoting Indigenous rights and respect for Indigenous peoples.
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