The following provisions set forth the regular operating procedures a client should expect from the law firm. These are not material elements of the agreement for legal services, but rather they are guidelines for us to follow in order to have the best possible attorney-client relationship. As a client, you are welcome to suggest changes or additional terms to meet your needs.
Unless you have a true retainer with me or have arranged for a flat fee, this firm's legal services will be billed at an hourly rate. For cases that are billed hourly, I will make best efforts to always use time-tracking software or a stopwatch to track billable time, in the hopes of having the most accurate and fair billing entries possible. Unless your fee agreement specifies otherwise, I will invoice you monthly, and you will have 30 days to pay any balance and to restore any positive trust account balance ("evergreen trust") to the contractually-required level.
From time to time and as may be necessary under the circumstances, I may assign certain parts of your case to be worked on by a law clerk or paralegal. I will ensure that they are properly supervised, and that their work meets the same high quality standards I set for myself. If you are being billed hourly, you will also enjoy a cost savings, as their time will be billed at a lower rate than mine, with the exact value to be calculated based on their level of experience and training, between $25/hr. and $75/hr.
No matter what your personal feelings may be toward the opposing party in your case, I have a duty to maintain the integrity of the Judicial System and any administrative bodies before which I practice. I cannot knowingly allow you to lie in any documents or oral testimony submitted to the Courts. Many times, it is possible to overcome unfavorable facts by putting on a stronger case in other areas, and many times it is possible to say and do nothing instead of telling a lie. However, if you insist on dishonesty as a course of action, the ethics of my profession and the North Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct may require me to withdraw from representing you.