Legal Fees, Published in Advance
Barbarian Law® publishes its prices: flat fees for closings, wills, incorporations and notarization, and $350 an hour against a written estimate for work that cannot be scoped in advance. Every figure on this page is + HST. No retainer, no deposit: you are invoiced after the work is delivered, and on a closing the fee is paid on closing, with up to 30 days if you need it.
Flash sale: purchase, sale or refinance $1,500 each, buying and selling together $2,500, plus HST and disbursements, for closings by December 31, 2026.
Real Estate
Flat fees, with the closing software and any similar-name execution letters included. Paid on closing, or within 30 days; no legal fee if the deal doesn’t close. Full real estate fee breakdown · Build your closing-cost quote
| Purchase, including one mortgage | $1,695 with HST · sale to Dec 31, 2026 |
| Purchase, cash (no mortgage) | $1,500 $1,695 with HST |
| Sale, including discharge of the first mortgage | $1,695 with HST · sale to Dec 31, 2026 |
| Purchase and sale together | $2,825 with HST · sale to Dec 31, 2026 |
| Mortgage refinance | $1,500 $1,695 with HST |
| New build, occupancy closing, plus disbursements | $1,250 |
| New build, final closing including one mortgage, plus disbursements | $1,400 |
| Mortgage discharge, stand-alone, plus disbursements | $1,000 |
| Title transfer, plus disbursements | $1,000 |
| Each additional mortgage or charge discharged | $150 |
| Each other debt paid out — credit card, car loan, line of credit | Quoted in writing |
| Builder agreement review | $350 |
| Status certificate review, condo purchase Included in the purchase fee; charged only if the deal doesn’t close | $350 |
| Interprovincial closing, Ontario counsel | $500 |
| Independent legal advice | $500 |
| Independent legal representation | $750 |
| Independent legal advice, family agreement (marriage contract or separation agreement) | $1,000 |
| Commercial real estate purchase or sale, under $1M | From $2,500 |
| Commercial real estate purchase or sale, $1M–$5M | From $4,000 |
Rush closings, estate sales, private lenders, multiple titles and transfers under a separation agreement or court order are quoted in writing. The closing software ($50.85 a file with HST) is inside the prices above: we close on Lawyer Done Deal rather than Unity, whose per-file charge was set at $199 to $249 + HST in 2022, as reported by The Globe and Mail.
Business & Corporate
Fixed prices where the steps are known; $350 an hour against a written estimate where they are not. Incorporations · 50/50 agreements · Buying or selling a business · Leases & contracts
| Incorporation & maintenance | |
| Incorporation, numbered company | $1,000 |
| Incorporation, named company, NUANS search included | $1,250 |
| With the first year of maintenance, numbered · named | $1,300 · $1,550 |
| Dye & Durham filing fee, every incorporation (no HST) | $125 |
| Annual maintenance: resolutions, annual return, minute book storage, plus disbursements | $425/year |
| Annual return filing only, plus disbursements | $87.50 |
| Notice of change (directors, officers, registered office), plus disbursements | $175 |
| Business name registration, plus disbursements | $87.50 |
| Minute book updates, amendments, complex shareholder terms | $350/hour |
| Shareholder agreements | |
| Two shareholders, the 50/50 agreement: planning call and two rounds of revisions | $1,500 |
| Three or more shareholders | $2,000 |
| Incorporation with the 50/50 agreement, numbered · named | $2,250 · $2,500 |
| Unanimous shareholder agreement, sole shareholder | $750 |
| Buying or selling a business | |
| Agreement review only, deal under $1 million | $1,500 |
| Full purchase or sale under $1 million, asset or share: agreement, due diligence review and closing | From $5,000 |
| Over $1 million, or with real estate or financing, against a written estimate | $350/hour |
| Leases & customized commercial contracts | |
| Commercial lease review, acting for the tenant | $750 |
| Commercial lease drafting, acting for the landlord | From $1,500 |
| Contract drafting, review and negotiation: service, supplier, partnership and licensing agreements (one-hour minimum, in person or virtual) | $350/hour |
All + HST and disbursements, except the $300 government filing fee inside the incorporation prices and the Dye & Durham fee, which carry no HST. All in: numbered $1,216, named $1,498.50. Maintenance renews each year with your written consent. Build your corporate quote.
Wills & Powers of Attorney
One signing appointment, affidavits of execution included, no disbursements. Wills & POA plans · Build your wills quote
| Will + both powers of attorney | $1,130 with HST · $1,450 bought separately |
| Couple plan: mirror wills + four powers of attorney $400 less than two individual plans | $1,808 with HST · $2,600 bought separately |
| Will | $750 |
| Mirror wills | $1,200 |
| One power of attorney · both | $350 · $700 |
| Business owner plan: primary + secondary wills + both POAs · couple | $1,750 · $2,800 |
All + HST. The business owner plan covers one private corporation; holding-company and trust structures are quoted in writing.
Notary
By a lawyer, in person in Aurora, so your document can be checked and corrected in the same appointment. Notary services
| Notarization, certified true copy, affidavit or statutory declaration, per document | $75 |
| Every fourth document on the same day is free: 4 documents · 8 documents | $225 · $450 |
| Invitation letter for a visitor to Canada, drafted and notarized | $150 |
| Notarizing an invitation letter you wrote | $75 |
All + HST. Ontario requires notarization in person. Home, hospital and on-site visits carry a travel surcharge, stated in your estimate before the appointment is booked.
General Counsel
One lawyer who knows your contracts, records and risks, on a standing monthly arrangement. Fractional general counsel
| 2 hours a month | $600 |
| 10 hours a month | $2,000 |
| Extra hours, estimated in writing first | $200/hour |
All + HST. Written scope first, invoiced monthly, no deposit. Business purchases and sales are quoted separately.
What Is Extra, and How You Pay
HST applies to every legal fee. Disbursements are passed through at cost, never marked up: on a closing, the title and execution searches, government registration ($86.42 per document), land transfer tax, title insurance and a condo status certificate (up to $100); on other work, corporate searches, filing fees and courier costs. Each is itemized in your written estimate.
No retainer, no deposit
Invoiced after the work is delivered. On a closing, the legal fee is paid on closing, with up to 30 days if you need more time.
A written estimate first
On hourly work you get a scope and a range before anything begins. If the scope changes, you hear about it before the hours are spent.
No deal, no legal fee
If a closing falls through, you pay only the disbursements already spent, such as searches, and the condo status certificate review ($350) on a condo purchase.
Nothing on this page is a retainer agreement. Published prices are current and given in good faith; the figure that governs your matter is the one in your written estimate.
Questions About Fees
How much does a lawyer cost in Ontario?
It depends on whether the work can be scoped in advance. Flat fees cover the predictable files: a residential purchase with one mortgage is $1,750, a sale $1,750, a refinance $1,500, a will with both powers of attorney $1,000, an Ontario incorporation from $1,000, and notarization $75 per document. Work that cannot be scoped in advance is $350 an hour against a written estimate. Every published price is in the tables on this page, + HST.
Do I have to pay a retainer or deposit up front?
No retainer. No deposit. You receive a written fee estimate before any work begins, and you are invoiced after the work is delivered. On a closing, the fee is paid on closing, with up to 30 days if you need more time; if the deal doesn’t close, there is no legal fee.
Why is some work flat-fee and some hourly?
Where the steps are predictable, such as a closing, a will or an incorporation, the price is fixed and published. Where they are not, such as a larger share purchase or a negotiated lease, a flat quote would have to be padded for the worst case; hourly billing against a written estimate means you pay only for the work done.
What are disbursements, and are they included in the legal fee?
Disbursements are third-party costs paid on your behalf and passed through at cost, never marked up. On a residential closing, our published price already includes the closing software and any similar-name execution letters. The title search, execution searches, land transfer tax, government registration, title insurance and a condominium status certificate are added at cost. On other work, corporate searches, filing fees and courier costs are itemized in your written estimate and your account.
What if I have more than one mortgage or debts to pay out on closing?
Each mortgage or charge discharged beyond the first is a $150 + HST charge. Paying out other debts from your proceeds, such as a credit card, car loan or line of credit, is quoted in writing. Every item is listed in your written quote before closing.
Can I get a document notarized online in Ontario?
No. Ontario's Notaries Act requires physical attendance, and because no regulation yet allows notarial acts to be performed remotely, online notary services are not permitted, and the province will not authenticate or apostille a document notarized remotely. Notarization here is done by a lawyer, in person, at $75 per document, so the document can be checked and corrected in the same appointment. Every fourth document notarized on the same day is free.
What if my closing is only a few days away?
Call before you instruct us. If your file reaches us within five business days of closing, you will hear as soon as possible whether we can act in time. A file that reaches us within five business days of closing is quoted in writing.
Will the final invoice match the estimate?
On flat-fee work, yes. On hourly work, the written estimate sets a scope and range, and if the scope changes you are told before the hours are spent.
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1,000+
Clients Served
350+
Transactions Closed
5+
Years in Practice
No retainer. No deposit. Invoiced after the work is delivered. Every file is handled by one lawyer, start to finish, with a written fee estimate before work begins. On a closing, you pay on closing, with up to 30 days if you need it, and if the deal doesn’t close there is no legal fee.