近年来，客户频繁提出新的付费模式要求，导致律所和客户之间传统的收费结构愈发受到挑战，而经济环境的起伏不定更是进一步挤压了法律服务的预算。几家亚洲律所和ALB分享了客户对它们提出的收费方面的安排要求，以及它们如何应对以实现持续盈利。
过去一年中，客户对收费安排和付款条件是否提出了新要求？贵所是如何应对的？
陆国辉，香港泰德威律师事务所合伙人：我们理解在目前的环境下，尤其是考虑到过去三年，客户的需求在不断变化。泰德威以能适应不断变化的客户需求为荣。我们有创新的收费安排和支付条款，优先考虑透明度和能够为客户带来的价值。
确保收费透明是核心。为此，在适当的情况下，我们同意就特定服务和事项收取固定费用。我们会向客户提前告知与收费相关的信息，使他们能做出更明智的商业决策，并享有更高的财务稳定性。替代收费安排已成为我们客户为本战略的关键布局。在适当的情况下，我们可以向客户提供灵活的选择。比如批量业务可以采取封顶费用或阶梯折扣，还有混合费率，这些都使我们的利益与客户的利益能保持一致。这促进了我们与客户的合作关系，进一步证明我们对在预算内实现商定目标的承诺。开展业务时，我们会仔细平衡合伙人和普通律师的业务参与度，最大限度地提高效率，最终为客户创造更大的价值和成本效益。
计费方面，我们提供详细的月度账单，全面解析所提供服务的明细，优先考虑客户参与度和满意度。沟通是我们维护客户关系的基石。我们始终保持沟通渠道畅通无阻，定期提供业务进展最新情况，及时为客户解忧。我们始终致力于让客户了解业务情况并有参与感，并让客户帮助我们实现以其满意的方式提供最优质的法律服务这一目标。
徐敬彦，新加坡Eugene Thuraisingam律师事务所合伙人：随着新加坡在2022年松绑了条件收费协议和第三方融资的相关规定，特别是仲裁相关事务，客户对费用安排的要求更多、更复杂了，尤其是那些习惯了风险代理费的客户。这与新加坡形成对比：直到最近新加坡都严格禁止风险代理费协议，而且政策松绑也只针对某些规定事项。如果客户要求使用风险代理费方式，新加坡律师就必须非常仔细地研读法规，以确保所涉业务事项确实属于限定的例外情况，并必须以通俗易懂的方式，正确、透明地告知客户各种条件——其中有些条件可以说是相当复杂的。
2021年，新加坡针对法院诉讼业务引入了新的收费指南，当事人之间的费用裁决数额普遍提高。这反映了新加坡的通胀环境，也意味着客户的律师费用成本呈上升趋势。这使得更多客户提出了延期付款请求，甚至要求使用风险代理费安排。然而，适用风险代理费的事项范围仍然很窄，违反这一规定可能会对律师造成严重的职业后果。
但是，费用安排预计会有更多创新。未来几年，我们应该也会看到条件收费协议和第三方融资的更广泛运用，尤其是在后者继续成为一项不断增长的行业服务，且争议金额越来越大的情况下。
叶焕信，香港高叶律师行创始合伙人：就我个人经验而言，客户总是希望法律服务高度确定。这体现在他们寻求的法律建议中，也体现在他们为法律建议支付的费用上。绝大多数非讼业务，如法律文件的起草和咨询服务，经验丰富的律师应该能够提供费用报价并遵守其报价。
若出现了不可预见的情况导致律师花费的时间增加、费用高过报价，律师应立即通知客户。客户和律师一样讨厌出现意外情况！这对已经高度商品化的法律服务尤甚，如书立遗嘱（不过我们律所代理过不少遗嘱相关的诉讼业务），对于这类服务，客户的决策过程受价格高度影响。为保持市场竞争力，我们需要向潜在客户解释，我们向他们提供额外的高水平服务，以确保能做好业务，所以我们的收费可能不是市场上最低的。
对于无法提供固定费用报价的法律服务，如诉讼业务，鉴于客户的财力和资源，我们可以考虑灵活的付费安排。香港不允许律师与客户订立风险代理费协议，但我们完全可以考虑每月分期付款等付费安排。同时，我们也在计费过程中保证高度透明，并为客户提供固定计费周期，帮助他们理解和结算账单。
ALL ABOUT THE MONEY
In recent years, the traditional pricing arrangement between a law firm and a client has been increasingly challenged by requests for alternative frameworks, while the turbulent economic environment has further squeezed budgets on legal spending. Law firms in Asia share what they have experienced with clients’ demands in fee arrangements and how they are navigating the new dynamics to achieve continued profitability.
Have you seen client demands when it comes to fee arrangements and payment terms evolved in the past year? How are you adapting to the same?
EDDIE LOOK, partner, Tanner De Witt: We recognise the evolving demands of our clients in today's landscape, especially in light of the past three years. At Tanner De Witt, we take pride by adapting to changing needs, offering innovative fee arrangements and payment terms that prioritise transparency and value.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. To address this, we will agree to fixed fee structures for specific services and matters where appropriate. By providing clients with upfront information on costs, we enable them to make better-informed business decisions with greater financial certainty. Alternative fee arrangements have emerged as a key component of our client-centric strategy. We can offer flexible options, where appropriate, such as capped fees and stepped discounts for volume work or blended rates, which all align our interests with those of our clients. This fosters a collaborative relationship and underscores our commitment to achieving the agreed objectives within budget. Our delivery approach is to maximise efficiencies by carefully balancing the involvement between partners and associates when executing tasks, ultimately leading to greater value and cost-effectiveness for our clients.
Our billing practices prioritise client engagement and satisfaction by providing detailed monthly billing statements, offering a comprehensive breakdown of services rendered. Our communication is the cornerstone of our client relationships. We maintain open channels of communication, providing regular updates on case progress and addressing client concerns promptly. This approach demonstrates our commitment to keeping clients informed and engaged throughout and helps us to achieve our goal, which is to deliver unparalleled legal services with client satisfaction.
CHOOI JING YEN, partner, Eugene Thuraisingam: With Singapore relaxing its rules surrounding conditional fee agreements and third-party funding, especially in arbitration-related matters in 2022, clients are demanding more sophistication in fee arrangements. Especially so if they come from jurisdictions where contingency fees have been the norm, in contrast to Singapore’s strict prohibition against the same until recently and only in respect of certain prescribed matters. If requested to do so, a Singapore lawyer would have to consider the regulations very carefully to ensure that the matter in question does fall within the circumscribed exceptions, and that the client is properly and transparently informed in plain language of the various contingencies, some of which can tend to be quite complex.
The introduction of new costs guidelines for contentious court matters in 2021 also saw a general uplift in party-and-party costs awards. This is reflective of the inflationary environment in Singapore and also means that solicitor-client costs have been on the general uptrend. This has translated to more requests for deferred payment schemes and even requests for contingency fee arrangements. Unfortunately, the range of matters for which contingency fee arrangements are allowed are still narrowly circumscribed, and to fall foul of this can lead to grave professional consequences.
That said, more innovations to fee arrangements are only to be expected and we should see an expansion in the utilisation of conditional fee agreements as well as third party funding in the coming years, especially as the latter continues to be a growing industry service and dispute amounts grow larger.
ALFRED IP, founding partner, Hugill & Ip: In my experience, clients always expect a high level of certainty for legal services, from the advice that they seek to the price that they pay for the advice. In most of the non-contentious matters, such as drafting and advising on a legal document, experienced lawyers should be able to provide a fee quote and adhere to the same.
If there are any unforeseen circumstances leading to an escalation of time spent and change of quotation, they should inform the clients immediately. Clients hate surprises as much as lawyers! This is particularly the case when we are talking about legal services which are highly commoditised, such as will writing (although we have litigated a lot of those wills), when the decision-making process is highly driven by price. To stay competitive, we need to educate our potential clients that we are providing an extra level of services to do a proper job for them, and therefore, our fees may not be the lowest in the market.
For some of our legal services that we cannot provide a fixed fee quote, e.g., in contentious legal proceedings, we may consider flexible payment arrangement, taking into account clients' financial means and resources. In Hong Kong, we cannot enter contingency fee arrangement with our clients, but we can certainly consider payment arrangement such as monthly instalments. We also consider it part of our job to provide a high level of transparency in our billing process and a regular billing cycle for our clients to understand and settle their bills.
