How to become a client of ACL Law

1. Book an Initial Consultation

The first step is to schedule an initial meeting and complete our new client intake form.

Please use the link to the firm’s initial consultation calendar and choose a convenient date and time to meet with the lawyer.

If your matter is urgent or you need assistance scheduling your initial consult, please call 416-907-5652 and speak to reception.

Initial Consultations take place by videoconference or by phone. You will receive an e-mail with a link to join the meeting from your preferred device and location.

2. Complete the Intake Form

If you are booking through the website, you will be asked to provide basic identifying and contact information that we are required to collect from you to provide you with legal services.  You will also be asked to why you are looking for legal assistance, to help us understand if ACL law is a good match for your need and how we may assist you.

If you are scheduling the consult in another way, you will be provided with a link to access our intake form and ask that you complete it before the initial meeting.

3. Conflict Check

We require the names of all adversarial parties involved in your matter to make sure that we have no conflicts of interest that would prevent us from assisting you.

In College matters, relevant names typically include the following:

  • the individual who filed the complaint,
  • your employer(s) or former employer(s)
  • the name of the facility who made the report, and
  • any other individuals who may be involved in the matter.

Please provide us with all the names to the best of your knowledge before the initial consult takes place.

4. The Initial Meeting

We will meet with you by videoconference (Zoom) or speak with you on the phone to talk about your concerns and what you need assistance with.

During this meeting, we will discuss the following:

  • your needs and desired outcome
  • how we can help you
  • the lawyer-client relationship
  • our required retainer agreement
  • anticipated fees and retainer deposit
  • the next steps

In College matters, we can provide you with general information including an overview of the process and what to expect.

All legal advice provided is subject to a charge based on our current hourly rates. 

We no longer offer free initial consultations. This permits us to make efficient use of our initial meeting and provide you with practical and case-specific advice right from the start.

We offer a one-time consultation at a flat rate of $350 + HST.  Ongoing assistance following a one-time initial consultation is subject to charges based on our current hourly fee rates.

5.  Review and Sign the Retainer Agreement

Following the initial consult, we will provide you with a Letter of Engagement that outlines what you have asked us to do for you, the applicable fees and required retainer deposit, our billing processes, and other information that is important for you to know when working with us.

We will send the Letter of Engagement to the e-mail address you have provided to us in PDF format and will ask for your electronic signature. Please review the agreement sent to you and sign it.

If you have any questions about the retainer agreement, please let us know.

6. Pay the Financial Retainer (Trust Deposit)

We require financial Retainers in most matters that involve our ongoing assistance or representation.  Here is what you can expect about financial retainers:

  • Financial Retainers are held in trust: The retainer funds are held in trust for our client. The trust funds are typically used to pay for firm accounts (invoices) that are issued throughout the engagement.
  • Financial Retainers are refundable: We only charge our client for work completed on your behalf. If retainer funds are left over after a matter is completed the amount is refunded to our client.
  • Financial Retainer amounts are not fee estimates: The amount of the financial Retainer depends on the nature and complexity of each case. We may ask our clients for additional retainer funds during an ongoing matter, for example, in circumstances where we are asked to do additional work, there are unforeseen developments in a case, as the case progresses over time.

Financial Retainer can be paid to the firm by Interac e-Transfer or by credit card. Instructions on how to make the payment are outlined in our Letter of Engagement.

If you have questions about financial retainers, please contact us.

7. Working Together

Once the retainer is confirmed, we will set you up with our client document portal, ask that you provide us with all relevant documents and let you know about the next steps.

If you have any questions, contact us.