FEE STRUCTURE
and
COSTS
Fee Structure
It is very important to us at GCM Legal that you are properly informed with regard to costs, as clients often only discover the full extent of fees when they receive their first invoice.
We charge an average of R 2 500, 00 per hour for our services (as of 2023/2024).
In general, we charge an hourly rate for litigation, divorce and all “civil” matters.
To further assist, we have implemented several cost-saving measures to meet your legal needs and provided some useful information regarding the costs below:
Initial Consultation
Your Initial Consultation can be conducted at our offices; over the phone; or even on Skype. During that time, we will assess your case, and if you want us to assist you, we will set out the work we will do for you, the cost implications and direct you to the most suitable professional in our practice to act for you.
During the initial consultation, we will determine the nature of your problem, see whether we can help you and, if so, at what cost?
We are more than happy to accommodate you by accepting reasonable monthly installments.
We offer alternative billing arrangements such as agreeing on a fixed fee agreed up front, that will give you peace of mind by assuring that you won’t be met with unexpected legal fees.
Our fees are exclusive of VAT.
(bear in mind that “per hour” fees do not apply to certain matters e.g. Online Documents, Road Accident Fund cases and Predefined Fees below)
We require 3 things to begin work:
We will often require that you sign our engagement letter to set out the scope of the work, the method of calculating the fee and the payment terms. Click here to see an example of our Letter of Engagement.
We will require a “Trust Fee Retainer” which can be as little as R1,000.00; The average is R9,250,00 (or 5 hours cover at our hourly rate as of 2020 / 2021).
The retainer is protected by the Law Societies of South Africa.
The retainer can be paid by Credit Card, Debit Card, PayFast and EFT.
FICA information – you to supply us with certain information, so that we comply with Section 21 of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, no. 38 of 2001.
iLAWYER
CREATE CUSTOMISED LEGAL DOCUMENTS ONLINE ON-DEMAND
If you need high-quality legal documents at lower prices you can consider iLAWYERS.co.za.
Their online Legal documents are DIY and on-demand … so the cost is much lower.
Documents such as a Last Will and Testament, Property Sale Agreements, Sale of Share Agreement, General or Special Power of Attorney, Leases, Non-Disclosure Agreements are convenient and affordable through them.
Click here to visit iLAWYER.co.za.
Road Accident Fund Claims
If you have been injured in a road accident involving a motor vehicle and you were not the solely to blame, we can help you.
We offer contingency-fee services (NO WIN, NO FEE) to qualifying clients in these cases.
Click here for more information (this link will take you to our RAF Claims website).
GCM Legal Wiki
Our Legal Wiki / glossary is completely free to use.
It is a huge knowledge-base for legal information regarding South African Law.
Browsing these pages may help provide a deeper understanding of your Legal matter; used wisely, it could save you time and money with your attorney.
Click here to start browsing.
Recovering Cost of successful litigation
In the event that your litigation is successful and judgement is granted in your favour by a Court you usually will be entitled to recover a portion of costs on a tariff scale, which is adjudicated by the Court Taxing master, click here for more information.
A cost award usually amounts to between 40%-60% of fees paid to your attorney.
Can’t afford legal fees?
If you cannot afford the services of an attorney, you do have other options:
Legal Aid SA provides professional legal advice and representation to those who can’t afford it. If you are employed, and your take-home pay is under R7,400.00 per month after tax has been taken off (as of 2020).
Attorneys in South Africa provide 24 hours per year of pro bono (free) legal assistance to indigent members of the public on a compulsory basis. Pro bono is administered by the Law Society of South Africa where attorneys are registered.