What are Custom Services?
Custom Services are bespoke legal services created by the lawyer to best meet the needs of their client.
Lawyers may build Custom Services when a client requires a service not covered or is beyond the Goodlawyer's Fixed Fee menu.
▶️ Custom Services are to be used when the service is not covered or is beyond Goodlawyer’s Fixed Fee menu.
▶️ A member of the Legal Concierge™ Team must approve Custom Services before the Quote is sent to the Client.
▶️ Custom Services should be priced according to their scope and value.
▶️ As with our Fixed Fee services, all Custom Services delivered over the Platform include one round of “Minor Revisions”, which means any other work related to the deliverable that takes the lawyer less than 30 minutes to complete.
▶️ Titles and descriptions of Custom Services should clearly articulate the scope and price of the service.
▶️ All Disbursements are to be billed as Custom Services.
▶️ Goodlawyer’s Custom Quoting tool allows lawyers to create a Custom Quote that can include multiple related Custom Services on one Quote for efficiency purposes.
What is Included in a Custom Service?
Custom Services are typically built from scratch and are ultimately up to the lawyer to decide what to include. BUT, as with our Fixed Fee services, all Custom Services delivered over the Platform include one round of “Minor Revisions”. This means that any other work related to the deliverable that takes the lawyer less than 30 minutes to complete.
Custom Services are not necessarily more or less expensive than Basic or Complex services and should be priced according to their scope and value.
When pricing a Custom Service, it is best practice to take time to think about the matter, assess its complexity and value, and determine the approximate time it will take to complete.
Not only will taking this time assist you in accurately Quoting the project, but it will also allow you to be more efficient in delivering the service.
The Quote should clearly articulate the scope and price of the service.
How do I Put Together a Quote for Custom Services?
There is a lot to know about quoting Custom Services. Read these instructions over carefully.
How do I quote a Custom Service if I am selling a block of time?
If the Client requires a block of time for legal research, negotiations, or any other matter, the title should describe what the time block is for, and how long it will require.
For example:
- Asset Purchase Negotiations (5 Hours)
- Legal Research re: Directors Obligations for Payment of Wages (3 Hours)
The title should be descriptive enough that the Client understands what is being done, and how long it will take.
Additional comments and information can be included in the “Line-item description.”
What if I don’t know how long the Custom Service will take?
Sometimes, there will be contingencies outside of your control that will not allow you to accurately predict how long a Service will take to complete.
These situations typically emerge with more complex files that involve many moving parts (e.g., Asset Purchase involving negotiations). In those cases, any contingencies to the Quote should be discussed with the Client upfront.
For example, if your matter involves negotiations, let your Client know how long you expect them to take (and what will be included in the quote), but if they go beyond that time, you will need to bill them for that additional time.
Therefore, it is critical to include a detailed description of the Service when delivering a quote to the Client. If these contingencies are discussed beforehand, the Client will likely be much more receptive to any other fees if the circumstances arise.
These contingencies should only arise if the matter is not entirely within your control (i.e., it involves some third-party interaction beyond your control), then a flat rate Custom Quote is required and expected to be honoured.