Express Music Contract Terms
Engagement Agreement
The following terms are agreed to between you (the “client”) and Cordero Law LLC (the “law firm”). Please print this page and/or download it for your records.
1. All fees are fully refundable until services are rendered. The client is entitled to a refund of money for services not yet rendered, at any time during the process. If services have only partially been rendered, the client is entitled to a reasonable partial refund. Fees will be treated as the law firm’s own until the client requests a refund or services are rendered. Any other money that would normally be held in escrow such as court awards and out-of-court settlements will be treated as the law firm’s own until disbursed to the client.
2. The client acknowledges that the law firm may currently represent, may have represented in the past, or may represent in the future, a competitor of the client or even a party legally adverse to the client. The client consents to representation in the aforementioned situations. However, the law firm will not represent one client in a way that violates the law firm’s duties to any other current client, and will withdraw from representation in a matter where it believes it cannot in good conscience fully represent both clients.
3. The law firm and the client both reserve the right to terminate the attorney-client relationship at any time. In such a case, the client is will receive a refund for any services not yet rendered.
4. The client is only retaining the law firm to represent it on the matter detailed in the form or otherwise agreed to between the law firm and the client. Further, the law firm is not obligated to perform any additional services relating to this matter that it has not agreed to until those services are agreed to by both the law firm and the client. The law firm will not charge an unreasonable amount for any further services, and will base all fees, whether billed hourly or on a flat fee basis, on the law firm’s hourly rate of $525. The law firm will give estimates of how long such tasks will take before client agrees to them and these estimates will generally be accurate to within one half-hour. The law firm’s hourly rate is subject to increase as the firm’s demand, experience, and client base grow. However, the law firm will not increase its hourly rate to an unreasonable extent.
5. The client agrees that funds paid to Cordero Law LLC will be deposited to the law firm’s operating account and treated as the law firm’s own funds, as allowed under New York Bar ethics rules.
6. The client gives the law firm permission to publicly acknowledge the client’s status as a client and to use the client’s name and branding on the law firm’s website and in promotional materials, as a way of showing examples of “success stories.” The client gives the law firm permission to write about details of the client’s case or the client’s business on the law firm’s website, legal blog, and social media, and to quote emails from the client for testimonial purposes. The client may revoke either of these privileges at any time. Regardless, the law firm will not reveal any information of the client’s that it deems to be sensitive. Note that any data you enter into the law firm’s forms or that you otherwise reveal to the law firm might be used for the law firm’s own internal analytics, or might be compiled anonymously into data reports. The law firm also makes use of Google Analytics to track various data about visitors to its website.
7. The client is paying not only for the specific contract drafting requested, but also for the availability of an attorney, as well as communication with the attorney. Any fees or reimbursements still held by the law firm after one month from the date of payment will be considered to have been earned as an “availability fee” and will no longer be refundable after that amount of time has passed, unless long-term holding has specifically been arranged between the law firm and the client.
8. The client understands that these engagement terms are subject to change from time to time and the client is responsible for checking these terms periodically. Regardless, the law firm will not mislead the client by promising or advertising one included service and then materially altering the terms to remove its obligation to perform that service.
9. The client is either at least 18 years old or has express permission and guidance from a parent or guardian throughout this process.
10. All terms and conditions and privacy policies found on www.mycorderolaw.com are incorporated into these engagement terms.
Additional Engagement Terms for Expedited Packages
1. If the client pays the additional fee to expedite a contract, the law firm will endeavor to perform each stage of the process as quickly as possible, not exceeding a one-business-day wait, which will begin upon the completion of a questionnaire with information we need in order to prepare your contract.
2. After the application is filed, the expedited service ends and the law firm’s response times return to normal.
3. “Business days” means Monday through Friday, except for holidays. The law firm follows the New York City government holiday list and also considers December 24 a holiday. Any form submission made on or after 5:00PM, New York City time, is considered to have been made on the next business day. If the law firm sends an update after 5:00 PM, it is still considered to have been sent on that business day. As an example, if the client hires Cordero Law LLC for an expedited package on Monday at 10:30PM, the client is considered to have hired the law firm on Tuesday. The law firm owes the client an update by Thursday at 11:59PM, though the law firm will try to get the update to the client much sooner than that. If the law firm sends an update to the client on Thursday at 6:00PM, and the client sends a response at 8:00PM, then the law firm owes the client an update by two business days after Friday, meaning the law firm owes an update by Tuesday. This cycle will continue until the end of the expedited portion of the package as described above. The law firm has a grace period of one extra business day to respond to client to account for medical issues, emergencies, or pressing deadlines, but the law firm must do its best to avoid making use of this grace period.