Costs
Hourly rate
At Berte Advocaten, our attorneys will discuss in advance with you what the hourly rate will be. We apply an commercially hourly rate, which varies between EUR 175 and EUR 350 excluding VAT. Unlike many other law firms, we do not charge office costs. For each assignment the hourly rate is discussed in advance. Our attorneys will provide an estimated overview of the costst you can expect. In addition, our invoices are provided with hour specifications in which you will find a detailed description of all the work carried out. The amount of the hourly rate depends on, among other things, the complexity of the case, urgency of the case and the interests at stake. Which hourly rate applies to you will be agreed upon in advance.
Fixed price
In most situations it is possible to agree upon a fixed price for the legal assistance of our attorneys. The advantage of a fixed price agreement is that you know in advance what the costs for the legal assistance will be.
Financed legal aid / "pro bono"
Legal aid does not have to be expensive. If your income is low and you do not possess many assets there is a chance you qualify for financed legal aid. If you qualify for financed legal aid the state will pay (partly) the fee of the attorney.
The Legal Aid Board decides based on the case and on the combined income and assets of you (and your partner) whether you are eligible for funded legal aid and how much you will have to contribute.
Funded legal aid is, for example, not an option if you want to challenge the decision of the tax authorities or the CJIB. The same counts for the application procedure for a regular residence permit. The Legal Aid Board shares the opinion that these procedures do not require legal assistance per se. If your attempt to challenge the decision of the authorities or your filed application was not a success, most of the time funded legal aid is an option for the follow-up procedure.
If your case is eligible for funded legal aid, your lawyer will apply for funded legal aid on your behalf you. Our office cooperates with the High Trust Legal Aid Board, what makes that the Legal Aid Board will take a decision at short notice.
The Legal Aid Board will inform you about the decision she has taken. The income and assets that are taking into account by the Legal Aid Board are the income and assets in 2018. If the total value of the income and/or assets of you (and your partner) in 2020 is lower compared to the total value in 2018, much lower now than it was two years ago, a so-called 'verzoek peiljaarverlegging' can be filed. Our attorneys will discuss this possibility in detail with you during the intake.
For more information about funded legal aid, including current income and assets limits, please visit the website of the Legal Aid Council.
The Legal Advice Centre and discount on your own contribution
You can often get a discount on your own contribution if you are referred to our office by the Legal Advice Centre.
For more information, please visit the website of the Legal Help Centre: www.juridischloket.nl.
The Legal Advice Centre can be reached by phone (0900-8020) on Mondays to Thursdays from 09:00 am till 00:30 pm and 01:30 pm till 05:30 pm and on Fridays from 09:00 am till 01:00 pm. In addition, there the Legal Advice Centre provides walk-in consultation hours on Tuesdays from 09:00 am till 11:00 am and on Fridays from 09:00 am till 11:00 am. The Legal Advice Centre in Tilburg is located at the Spoorlaan 404.
In some situations funded legal aid is completely for free.
Under certain circumstances, for example if a person only receives a social assistance benefit under the Participation Act, it is possible that the municipality reimburses the personal contribution imposed on you via the special assistance. Berte Advocaten has forms for this purpose for clients from the municipality of Tilburg and will be happy to help you apply for special assistance to cover the costs of the personal contribution. Â
The Rechtswinkel Tilburg
