This Fee and Refund Policy articulates the principles governing professional fee determination, billing methodologies, out-of-pocket disbursements, statutory ethical prohibitions, taxation treatment, and refund mechanics at Standing Lawyers. Fee arrangements in individual mandates are governed by the Engagement Letter.
1. Professional fee structures
1.1 Preliminary consultations. Preliminary discussions to evaluate dispute posture and assess capacity to act are conducted without fee. No financial obligation arises until an Engagement Letter is executed.
1.2 Fixed-task professional fees. Discrete legal tasks with defined scopes, such as statutory demand notices, NCLT applications, summary suit plaints, or settlement agreements, are billed on an agreed fixed-fee basis. Fixed fees do not fluctuate based on procedural delays caused by counterparties.
1.3 Portfolio mandate fees. Retainers involving receivables portfolios, ongoing corporate debtor liquidations, or multiple debtor accounts are structured as milestone-based mandate fees defined in the Engagement Letter.
1.4 Staged litigation milestone fees. Contentious litigation is billed in predetermined stages reflecting procedural milestones, recognizing that judicial timelines remain outside advocate control.
1.5 Absence of billable hours. The firm avoids open-ended hourly billing, which provides clients with zero advance cost certainty. Where hourly rates apply to out-of-scope work, rates are agreed in writing in advance.
2. Composition of professional fees
2.1 A quoted professional fee covers the specific tasks articulated in the Engagement Letter: case analysis, evidentiary review, drafting pleadings, statutory notices, tribunal filings, and routine client reporting.
2.2 Unless expressly incorporated, professional fees exclude senior counsel briefing fees, out-of-pocket disbursements, appellate proceedings, collateral disputes, and foreign legal advice.
2.3 Fees payable for advocacy, not results. Professional fees compensate legal skill, time, and representation regardless of outcome. An advocate cannot lawfully guarantee judicial success. The firm charges no fees for claims advised against, nor continues charging on matters advised to be settled or abandoned.
3. Fee revision parameters
3.1 Where the volume or complexity of work departs materially from the agreed factual matrix, the firm will notify the client and agree on a revised fee prior to undertaking additional work.
3.2 Fee revisions do not apply retroactively to work already invoiced.
3.3 Fee estimates are provided in good faith and do not constitute absolute caps unless expressly designated as such.
4. Statutory fee prohibitions under Bar Council of India Rules
4.1 In accordance with the Advocates Act, 1961 and the Bar Council of India Standards of Professional Conduct and Etiquette, the following fee arrangements are strictly prohibited and will never be offered by Standing Lawyers:
- Absolute prohibition of contingency or success fees. Rule 20 of Chapter II of Part VI of the Bar Council of India Rules strictly prohibits an advocate from stipulating for a fee contingent upon the results of litigation or agreeing to share the proceeds thereof. The firm cannot and will not act for a percentage of recovered debt, damages, or settlement values. Any agreement providing for a contingency fee is unlawful and void under Indian law;
- Client protection arising from non-contingent fees. Because the firm takes no percentage of recovery proceeds, the client retains one hundred percent of all funds recovered from debtors. Furthermore, our legal advice remains completely objective and uncompromised by financial stakes in the outcome, ensuring we never keep unviable claims alive merely to chase speculative percentages;
- Prohibition on fee splitting with non-advocates. Rule 2 of the same Chapter prohibits sharing legal fees with any person who is not an advocate. The firm pays no referral fees, commissions, or kickbacks to intermediaries or claims introducers;
- Prohibition on acquiring interest in actionable claims. Rule 21 prohibits an advocate from buying or trafficking in any actionable claim, and Rule 22 prohibits bidding for or acquiring property sold in execution of a decree in a matter the advocate is engaged in. The firm acquires no financial interest in the subject matter of litigation; and
- Prohibition on lending to clients. Rule 32 prohibits an advocate from lending money to a client for the purpose of any action or legal proceeding. The firm does not finance litigation expenses.
5. Preliminary consultation evaluation
5.1 Initial consultations provide candid assessments of claims, evidentiary requirements, and procedural hurdles. Where a direct statutory route is adequate, we inform the client without fee.
5.2 Initial consultations do not create an advocate-client relationship, and procedural deadlines are not monitored prior to formal engagement.
6. Out-of-pocket disbursements
6.1 Disbursements represent direct expenditures incurred on behalf of the client, including court fees, process server charges, stamp duty, arbitral fees, certified copy expenses, newspaper publications, courier costs, and travel. Disbursements are billed strictly at cost without any administrative surcharge.
6.2 The firm may require clients to provide advance disbursement funds prior to incurring substantial third-party expenditures.
7. Goods and Services Tax and reverse charge mechanism
7.1 Professional fees are exclusive of applicable taxes.
7.2 Under Notification No. 13/2017-Central Tax (Rate), legal services provided by an advocate or firm of advocates to a business entity located in the taxable territory are subject to the Reverse Charge Mechanism (RCM). The recipient business entity is statutorily liable to pay Goods and Services Tax (GST) directly to the government. Invoices issued by Standing Lawyers to business entities do not add GST.
7.3 Legal services provided by an advocate to non-business individuals or small business entities below the statutory turnover threshold specified in Notification No. 12/2017-Central Tax (Rate) are fully exempt from GST.
7.4 Clients are responsible for determining their own tax obligations, and Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) under the Income-tax Act must be remitted under applicable statutory sections with certificates furnished promptly.
8. Invoicing schedules and banking channels
8.1 Fees must be remitted via legitimate banking channels to the bank account designated on the invoice. Standing Lawyers will never alter bank details via email alone.
8.2 The firm strictly enforces Section 269ST of the Income-tax Act, 1961, prohibiting cash receipts of ₹2,00,000 or more.
8.3 Invoices are payable within the period indicated thereon. Where an invoice is disputed, notice must be given within seven days, while undisputed portions must be settled.
8.4 Where invoices remain unpaid after reasonable notice, the firm may suspend work or disengage in conformity with Bar Council rules.
9. Comprehensive refund mechanics
9.1 Paid consultation cancellations. Where a formal paid consultation is cancelled at least twenty-four hours in advance, the fee is refunded in full or rescheduled. Cancellations within twenty-four hours are non-refundable as reserved time cannot be reallocated. Where the firm cancels, a full refund is issued immediately.
9.2 Fixed-fee assignments. Where an assignment terminates prior to completion, the firm refunds the unearned portion of any advance based upon the proportion of work completed. Where the firm withdraws without client fault, unperformed portions are refunded in full.
9.3 Monthly advisory retainers. Retainers are billed monthly in advance. Started months are non-refundable as capacity was allocated. Where multiple months were prepaid, unstarted future months are refunded in full upon termination.
9.4 Contentious staged milestones. Where litigation settles or terminates prior to completion of a billed stage, the firm invoices accrued work and refunds the unexpended balance of stage advances.
9.5 Disbursements. Unspent disbursement advances are refunded in full upon matter conclusion. Expended disbursements are non-refundable.
9.6 Billing errors. In the event that a billing review confirms an overcharge, the firm rectifies the error and refunds the excess immediately.
10. Refund processing workflow
10.1 Refund applications must be submitted via email to work@standinglawyers.com specifying matter reference, payment particulars, and justification. We determine refund requests within seven business days.
10.2 Approved refunds are remitted within fourteen business days to the originating bank account.
10.3 Disputed refund determinations may be escalated under our Grievance Redressal Policy.
Effect, review and contact
A This Fee and Refund Policy takes effect on 11 October 2026 and supersedes every earlier version published on this website. The version published on this page constitutes the operative regulatory instrument at any given point in time.
B Standing Lawyers reviews this Fee and Refund Policy at least annually, and forthwith upon any amendment to applicable statutes, subordinate rules, regulatory notifications, or firm operational systems. Where an amendment is material, formal notice shall be published on this page, and where the amendment concerns personal data in respect of which contact particulars are maintained, direct notification shall be transmitted.
C All formal communications, statutory notices, and grievances arising out of or in connection with this Fee and Refund Policy must be addressed to work@standinglawyers.com, marked for the attention of the Grievance Officer where the communication constitutes a formal complaint.
