Terms of Business
1 CONTRACTUAL RELATIONSHIP
1.1 These general terms of business apply to all services provided by Copernica Law – Legal Advisory and its subsidiaries, including www.danskstatsborgerskab.dk, www.permanentopholdstilladelse.dk, and www.familie-sammenføring.dk.
1.2 We will normally send clients an engagement confirmation regarding our advisory services. Our advice will be governed and limited in content by this confirmation. The general terms of business serve as a supplement to the engagement confirmation. In the event of any discrepancy between the engagement confirmation and these terms of business, the individual engagement confirmation shall take precedence.
2 SERVICES AND ADVICE
2.1 We will deliver our services in accordance with the specific confirmation in a given case, as well as these general terms of business.
2.2 We normally agree on and calculate the scope of our services at the beginning of the case. However, the scope may be changed, expanded, or reduced during the course of the case based on the instructions we receive from you, how the case develops, other external factors, unforeseen circumstances, etc.
2.3 Our advice is given in the context of the circumstances of the specific case, the information available to us, and the instructions you provide us.
2.4 In order for us to provide you with the best possible advice, it is important that you give us all relevant information. We assume that the information we receive from you is accurate and complete.
2.6 We are only qualified to advise on Danish law. It is the client’s sole responsibility to decide whether to engage advisors under the laws of other jurisdictions. We assume no responsibility in connection with advice regarding such laws.
2.7 Unless otherwise agreed, it is not part of our services to provide non-legal advice, such as advice on technical, financial, accounting, commercial, or environmental matters, and we assume no responsibility for such matters. Unless otherwise agreed, our advice in a specific case does not include advice regarding tax or potential tax consequences.
3 FEES, EXPENSES, BILLING
3.1 Our fees are generally determined based on a number of factors, including time spent, results achieved, the complexity of the work, time constraints, the amounts involved, and any risks assumed by us. Unless otherwise agreed (e.g. under a fixed-fee arrangement), we bill for each commenced hour. The rate per commenced hour is DKK 3,500 incl. VAT.
3.2 Any fee estimate provided by us should not be regarded as a fee cap or a fixed fee unless this is specifically stated in a written engagement confirmation. As a general rule, we operate with fee estimates only. We will seek to inform the client as soon as reasonably practicable of any material deviation from such an estimate, but the client remains liable for the full amount of our fees, even if they exceed the estimate.
3.3 If a matter is withdrawn, terminated at short notice, or if the client decides not to proceed either before or during the course of the matter, we reserve the right to charge the client for time spent at the rate of DKK 3,500 incl. VAT per commenced hour. The same applies in the event of the client’s cancellation, where we reserve the right to retain any deposit paid and/or invoice for time spent at the hourly rate of DKK 3,500 incl. VAT per commenced hour.
3.4 In addition to our fees, we will charge the client for all costs we incur in connection with the engagement, such as registration and recording fees, courier fees, application fees, fees for translations of documents, etc. Fees and expenses will be invoiced at cost without any markup.
3.5 Our prices are stated including VAT when the client is a private individual, and excluding VAT when the client is a legal entity, e.g. a company.
3.6 Fees are normally invoiced as a total price, which must be paid by the client before the case can be commenced by a lawyer. We may agree with the client that payment can be divided into several installments, in which case payment is invoiced monthly at the beginning of the month.
4 LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
4.1 Our advice is based on a best-efforts obligation, where the engagement confirmation dictates the effort to which we commit. Under no circumstances can or will we guarantee a positive outcome in any cases in which we have provided advice; we have no obligation as to results.
4.2 Copernica Law – Legal Advisory assumes no responsibility for indirect losses or consequential damages arising from our advice.
4.3 Our advisory services are provided on a best-efforts basis, and the engagement confirmation defines the scope of the efforts we undertake. Under no circumstances can or will we provide any guarantee of a favourable outcome in any matter on which we have advised. Accordingly, we do not assume any obligation as to results.