Information for Our Clients

IPG is pleased to have the opportunity to serve you. We are providing the following information about some of our standard client service practices and billing procedures. These practices and procedures will apply to your account unless you have reached a different written understanding with us.

Basis for Fees

Our fees for a particular matter may be based upon a variety of factors, depending on the nature of the representation. Those factors might include the time spent on the matter; the novelty and difficulty of the questions involved; the experience, reputation, and abilities of the lawyers rendering the services; the amount at issue; the results obtained; time limitations imposed by you or by the circumstances of the matter; and whether work on this matter will preclude the firm from rendering services to other clients. We are guided (but not controlled) in setting fees by the customary hourly rates of our lawyers and legal assistants for working on comparable matters. These rates may be adjusted periodically.

In addition to regular hourly fee arrangements, we routinely negotiate special fee arrangements with our clients that range from “hybrid” fee arrangements where we agree to reduce our regular hourly rates in exchange for a percentage of the recovery thereby sharing the risk of the matter with our clients to more creative business fee arrangements where we provide ongoing services for our clients in exchange for a monthly retainer and future success fee. We are open to creative arrangements provided that the engagement results is a fair, ethical fee that makes sense for our clients and for the firm.

Costs and Expenses

We may from time to time advance or incur certain costs and expenses that will be charged to you. Such charges include court filing fees, deposition or transcript fees, consulting or expert witness fees and expenses, title company reports, long distance telephone charges, photocopying, computerized printing, computerized legal research, travel expenses, messenger services, clerical and overhead on certain services. All such expenses are your responsibility and we assume no liability for payment. For administrative ease, IPG, acting on your behalf, may advance payment to certain of these providers if your account is current. When the amounts involved are large, however, we will forward invoices to you for direct payment.

Monthly Invoices

IPG typically bills on a monthly basis, and payment is due upon receipt of the invoice. A Statement of Account will be forwarded to you automatically each month if you have any outstanding invoices. We ask you to review your statement and call any questions or concerns to our attention. In our experience the ability to accurately review and correct billing statements diminishes substantially with the passage of time. Accordingly we ask that you review the billing statements within thirty days of receipt and call any questions or concerns to our attention. Invoices that are not paid in a timely manner are subject to interest rate charges that are consistent with industry practices.

Retainers

IPG requires a retainer for all new clients. The amount of the retainer that is charged is reflected in and governed by the terms set forth in the engagement letter. Monies received on retainer for a client are maintained in a separate sub-account in accordance with the California State Bar Guidelines. The retainer charge will vary in accordance with a number of factors including the scope of the engagement, nature of the client relationship etc. Amounts held in retainer are only used in accordance with the client’s written instructions.

Termination of Services

We retain the right to cease performing legal services, and to terminate our representation of you, for any reason consistent with the applicable ethical rules, including unanticipated conflicts of interest or delinquency or nonpayment of legal fees and expenses incurred on your behalf.

Questions

One of our goals is to ensure that legal services are delivered effectively and efficiently and that all billings are accurate and understandable. Please direct any questions about services, billing practices, or payment status to Guillermo Marrero at gmarrero@ipglaw.com or contact him at 619-515-1482.