‘No cure no pay’ is not permitted by the Dutch Law Society [Orde van Advocaten].
In certain cases, a price can be agreed on for the entire case.
An initial orientation visit with one of our lawyers, which does not result in any further activities, is free of charge.
Financed Legal Aid
If you are eligible for financed legal aid, there is a possibility that your lawyer will handle the case ‘pro deo’, – when added (proof of your ‘inability to pay’ was required in the past, but this is no longer a requirement). The Legal Aid Council will make a decision in this regard and will indicate to you the amount to be paid out of your own pocket, based on your income and assets, and based on 2 years before. This also applies in the case of mediation.
For simple legal advice from a lawyer, the personal (own) contribution is 40 or 75 euro.
In certain criminal cases you will automatically be assigned a lawyer and you will not have to pay a personal contribution. The latter also applies if you have been detained.
For more information please refer to the Legal Aid Council [Raad voor Rechtsbijstand] and Dutch Law Society [Orde van Advocaten].
Discounted personal contribution
You are able to claim a discount of € 50.00 on your personal contribution through Juridisch Loket. Further information will be provided, if required, on your first visit.
Legal Aid Insurance
If you have legal aid insurance, you will, in certain cases, be allowed to choose your own lawyer. This is stipulated in Art. 4:67 of the Financial Supervision Act (FSA). This is also possible if the insurance company recommends that you use a lawyer appointed by them. You will always be able to choose your own lawyer if it is mandatory for you to be represented by a lawyer in (court) proceedings. The legal aid insurer will, in that case, pay for the lawyer and procedural fees.
You are, in most cases, also entitled to a second opinion from a lawyer, and the associated fees should be paid by the insurer.
Subscription
It is possible to subscribe to legal services (advice or procedural assistance).
Charges
Legal assistance is not free of charge, and includes court fees, the cost of obtaining extracts, experts that were appointed (a medical advisor, for example) and usher charges. In civil matters, the losing party is usually sentenced to payment of the other party’s procedural fees, in accordance with the court’s applicable fees. The same also applies if you are using financed legal aid.