Independent Contractor Paralegals Policy

Purpose

Some NEO matters are handled by licensed paralegals who work with the firm as self-employed independent contractors. This policy explains what that means for you as a client. Paralegals who want to work with us can see our For Paralegals page.

Who acts for you

• Your retainer is with NEO, and it names the licensed paralegal responsible for your matter.
• Every contractor holds a paralegal (P1) licence from the Law Society of Ontario, and must keep it in good standing. They practise under their own licence and the same rules as every licensee, as our Supervision and Delegation Policy explains.
• Paralegal scope only. NEO is a licensed paralegal firm, not a law firm, and contractors provide only the legal services Ontario paralegals are permitted to provide.
• You can always ask who is handling your matter and who is responsible for it.

The same protections on every matter

Whoever handles your matter, the same firm-wide rules apply:

1. Every new matter goes through NEO's conflict check before work starts, under our Conflicts of Interest Policy. NEO may decline a matter.
2. Your identity is verified under our Client Identification and Verification Policy.
3. Every contractor signs a Confidentiality Agreement, and our Confidentiality Policy applies to them.
4. Your file is kept in NEO's systems, the work is done in NEO's name, and our Quality Assurance and File Review Policy applies.

Fees and payments

• Your fee is set by your retainer. How NEO and a contractor share fees never increases what you pay. Fees are shared only between licensees, and where the Law Society's rules require your consent to a division of fees, we ask for it in writing first.
• Pay only NEO. NEO issues every invoice and receives every payment, and money held for you goes only into NEO's trust account, under our Trust Accounting and Client Money Policy. Never pay a contractor personally, in cash or any other way. Use the methods on your invoice or our Pay page; we can credit only money NEO receives. If anyone asks you to pay them directly, call us first, as our Fraud Prevention Policy explains.

Insurance

Each contractor carries their own professional liability insurance that meets the Law Society's By-Law 6, subject to its terms, limits and exclusions. See our Professional Indemnity Insurance Policy.

If a contractor stops working with NEO

1. We tell you promptly, and point out the upcoming deadlines and next steps we are aware of.
2. Until you tell us what you want, NEO remains your representative under your retainer, and a licensed paralegal at NEO looks after your matter, including any urgent deadline.
3. You choose who continues your matter: another licensed paralegal at NEO, the paralegal who has been handling it, or anyone else. No agreement between NEO and a contractor limits that choice.
4. Your file is transferred outside NEO only on your written instructions, and money in trust is paid out only as By-Law 9 permits and as you direct.
5. If you move your matter, your retainer's terms on ending it apply: you owe fees earned and disbursements incurred to that point, and unused trust money is returned as your retainer sets out.

Concerns

Raise any concern with the principal under our Client Complaints Policy.

What this policy is not

It doesn't guarantee any outcome or add obligations beyond your retainer and the law, and where this policy and your retainer differ, your retainer governs. Speaking with a contractor doesn't, on its own, make NEO your representative; we act for you only once the steps in our Engagement and Non-Engagement Policy are complete. Nothing here limits a licensee's duties to you or your rights at law.

Review

This policy is reviewed at least once a year, and whenever the Law Society's By-Laws or rules change. The principal approves every change.

Questions

Email info@neolegalservices.com, call 647-200-3526 or toll-free 888-519-2435, or write to us at Unit 236, 1099 Kingston Road, Pickering, Ontario L1V 1B5.