It depends on whether the work can be scoped in advance. At Barbarian Law®, predictable work is charged at a published flat fee — a residential purchase or sale from $1,500, a refinance from $1,250, a will $750, a power of attorney $450, notarization $75 per document, and independent legal advice $500. Work that cannot be scoped before the documents are seen is billed hourly: $350 for corporate, contract, and general counsel work, and $395 for commercial purchases of assets or sales of shares. All figures exclude HST and disbursements.

No. Barbarian Law® holds no money in trust against your file — there is no deposit to get started and no retainer to top up. You receive a written fee estimate before work begins and are invoiced after the work is delivered. The firm carries the risk of getting paid.

Because a flat fee on unscoped work is a worse deal for the client, not a better one. Where the steps are predictable — a residential closing, a will, an incorporation — the price is fixed and published. Where they are not, such as a share purchase or a negotiated commercial lease, a flat quote has to be padded to cover the worst case, and most clients end up paying for a risk that never materializes. Hourly billing against a written estimate means you pay for the work actually done.

A specific retainer is scoped to one defined matter: the engagement covers that matter, and it ends when the matter does. An evergreen retainer requires the client to keep a balance topped up in the firm's trust account on an ongoing basis. Barbarian Law® uses specific retainers only. There is no standing monthly draw, apart from a small number of fractional general counsel arrangements agreed in writing.

Disbursements are third-party costs the firm pays on your behalf and passes through at cost — they are not part of the legal fee and are not a markup. They include title searches, government registration charges, title insurance premiums, corporate search and filing fees, and courier costs. On a real estate file every disbursement is itemized in your statement of adjustments, and on other matters they are set out in your written estimate.

No. Ontario's Notaries Act requires physical attendance for notarial acts, and the Law Society of Ontario confirmed on 26 February 2025 that online notary services are not permitted in the province. Notarization at Barbarian Law® is in person only, at $75 per document. Note that commissioning an affidavit is a separate act from notarization and is governed by different rules — if you are unsure which one your document actually needs, ask before booking.

At Barbarian Law®, a will is $750 to draft and execute, and a power of attorney for property or personal care is $450. A $750 surcharge applies to home or hospital visits, where attendance cannot take place at the Aurora office. All figures exclude HST.

On flat-fee work, yes — the published figure is the figure. On hourly work, the written estimate sets out a scope and a range before any work begins, and if the scope changes you are told before the hours are spent rather than discovering it on the invoice. Published prices are given in good faith, but the figure that governs your matter is always the one in your written estimate.