What Makes HEL Different From Other Law Firms

Responsiveness

We understand your file is important to you. We will generally respond to emails and calls by the end of the next business day. If we are unable to provide a material response right away, we will let you know when we can respond or arrange for a colleague to respond if urgent.

High Level of Communication

We generally copy our clients on all material communications sent or received in their matter. For important communications and pleadings, we have you review drafts. When communicating with opposing parties, we set deadlines for response and follow up if we do not hear back. As a result, our clients generally know the status of their file and do not have to call seeking an update.

Cost Effectiveness

Lawyers are expensive and we appreciate that. We offer solutions to claims and problems which take into account the high cost of legal fees — on both sides. In many situations, that means we may recommend a settlement offer over expensive litigation, as settlement provides the closure clients want and caps legal spend.

When providing advice to employers:

• We are able to provide advice on most issues without incurring costs of legal research.
• If research is required, we let you know before starting that research.
• We provide shorter, less expensive email and phone advice rather than costlier written opinions.
• We are upfront about the scope of legal costs and willing to work with clients to find cost effective ways of representing them, e.g. only performing some legal services relating to a claim such as drafting the claim.

As a New Client, Here’s What You Can Expect

One of our employment lawyers will be happy to talk with you for 10-15 minutes about your issue to determine if we can help. We will then run a search to ensure there is no conflict and will need the names of all adverse parties such as employees.

Once our conflict check is complete, (typically only an hour or two), we can begin collecting information and provide you with advice.

We require all new clients to sign our standard retainer letter terms of engagement and to provide a modest retainer payment as a deposit against fees before we can begin providing services.