International Law

OFFICE DISBURSEMENTS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

By Karel.Frielink

Not always charged at actual cost

Most law firms charge their fees on the basis of hourly rates, which are determined by the seniority of the attorneys involved. It is standard practice for Netherlands Antilles law firms to also charge separately office disbursements as a percentage, e.g. 6%, of their legal fees. Such disbursements comprise of, a.o., phone and fax costs, secretarial support, including overtime, and photocopying.

Only particular expenses and disbursements, e.g. bailiff costs, court costs, courier costs, translation costs and travel costs, are charged at actual cost. Most clients expect that a law firm will have obtained prior approval with respect to all major ?unexpected? disbursements, e.g., business class tickets, limousine rentals and the like.

BTW, hiring a large law firm is not always cost-effective. An analysis revealed that the average rates for law firm partners grew as the number of lawyers in a firm grew: each additional 100 lawyers raised the average partner rate $13. Size matters!

Karel Frielink
Attorney (Lawyer) / Partner

Full post as published by Karel's Legal Blog on July 19, 2008 (boomark / email).