What to Expect When Working With The Law Connection Group-Colombia
Anyone who has lived or done business in Colombia knows that legal services here work very differently from the United States, Canada, the UK or Europe. Processes move at a different pace, and clients are often left without the regular communication they are used to at home.
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Law Connection Group-Colombia was built to close that gap. We work hard to give our clients the level of communication, service and professionalism they would expect from a firm in their own country, inside a legal system that operates in a completely different way.
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This page explains exactly how that works once you engage us, so you know what to expect from the first day of your case.
Who you will be working with
When you engage Law Connection Group, three roles are involved in your case from day one.
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Your consultant
The person who ran your consultation stays with you. They already know your situation, so you never have to explain it again from the start.
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Your lawyer or lawyers
We assign a lawyer who specialises in the area of law your case falls under, not whoever happens to be available.
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Your case coordinator
A member of our team who handles day-to-day communication, helps you gather documents and keeps things moving.
Your case group chat
Once you engage us, we set up a WhatsApp group for your case. It includes you, your consultant and your case coordinator, and it works as the message centre for everything to do with your case. Our operations team also has access to the group so that urgent messages are picked up outside office hours.
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Your lawyer is generally not in the group, and that is deliberate. It keeps them focused on the legal work in your case instead of day-to-day messages. Anything that needs their attention is passed to them straight away, and where it helps your case, your lawyer is added to the group directly.
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One place to ask anything
If you have a question, message or call the group. You don't need to work out who the right person is. Whatever you send reaches them, including your lawyer.
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One place for us to reach you
If anyone on our team needs a document from you or has a question, it comes through the same group.
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Documents in the same place
You are welcome to email documents, but if something is already on your phone, you can send it straight to the group.
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Updates you can check any time
Having an active case should be easy. Look at your phone from time to time and you will see where things stand.
Why WhatsApp
WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted, and we take client privacy very seriously. It is also the app most of our clients already use every day, so there is nothing new to install or learn.
A complete record of your case
Everyone in the group holds a copy of every message. We keep this record for compliance and so there is never any doubt about what was said, requested or agreed. In the rare event that a service was not completed as it should have been, this is the record we review to resolve it, including a refund where one is due.
Response times and communication throughout your case
We pride ourselves on our response times, and we aim to be the most responsive law firm in Colombia. We do not leave you in the dark wondering what is happening with your case. When your case moves, or anything happens at all, you will be notified in your group chat. If you would like a call, message the group and we will call you.
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During business hours
Our team is in the office from 8am to 5pm Colombian time, Monday to Friday. Messages are answered within one hour at most, and often straight away. If you have asked for detailed information, the full answer can take longer, but you will always receive an acknowledgement of your request within the hour.
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Outside business hours
Most of our staff are off duty, but our operations team monitors every channel of communication around the clock, including your group chat. If your message is not urgent, the people you have been dealing with will reply during business hours. If it is an emergency, you will receive a response within two hours, and usually sooner. Where the situation calls for it, a lawyer can be brought in at any hour of the day or night.
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What counts as an emergency
You have been arrested or detained, you are in danger, or something is time sensitive and cannot wait until the office opens. If you are in immediate danger, call 123 first (Colombia's emergency line), then message us.
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Where communication sits in our priorities
Quality legal work and sound strategy come first at our firm. Communication comes second, and ahead of everything else.
What happens if I haven't heard anything about my case in a while?
Some cases take longer than others. Complex lawsuits, contested family law cases before a court and arbitration all move at the pace of the body deciding them.
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Most cases follow the same pattern. In the first stage after you engage us, you will hear from us a lot. We are gathering documents, asking you questions and preparing everything for filing. Once you have approved the lawsuit or application, we file it with the appropriate court or authority. After that, there is often a wait before we receive a response.
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During that wait, things can go quiet. That is normal, and your case is still active. No news does not mean bad news. It means we are waiting on a judge, court or government body, and the team is ready to act as soon as the response arrives.
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Even when nothing has changed, we will check in with you every week so you are never left guessing. You can also ask us about your case whenever you like. Message the group and we will tell you exactly where things stand.
Am I communicating with an AI chatbot?
No. Never. Every communication you have with us is with a human being, whether by email, phone call, WhatsApp message or any other channel. Before you engage us, you will know exactly who you will be dealing with. That is the person who ran your consultation, the lawyer or lawyers working on your case, and the team member helping with communication. For more on how we do and don't use AI, see our AI policy.
Fees and payment
You will know what your case costs before you commit to anything.
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Your first consultation is free
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We listen to your situation, tell you whether we can help and explain what it would cost. There is no charge and no obligation.
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One fixed fee for your case
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Most of our work is charged as one fixed fee for the whole case, agreed in writing before we start. We do not bill by the hour, and the fee does not grow if your case takes longer than expected, whether that is months or years. (Personal injury and medical malpractice cases work differently, with a retainer plus a percentage of what is recovered. This is explained in full before you engage us.)
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How your fee is calculated
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Legal fees in Colombia are traditionally measured in monthly minimum salaries (salarios mínimos), and we follow that standard. The minimum salary is set by the Colombian government each year, and it has long been used as the unit for measuring legal fees and the value of court claims.
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We set the fee for your case in minimum salaries, based on its complexity and the work involved. We then convert that amount from Colombian pesos to US dollars at the exchange rate on the day of your quote. The US dollar figure is the price you see and the price you pay.
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Why our fees are in US dollars
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Our fees are quoted and paid in US dollars, wherever in the world you are paying from.
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The reason is how Colombia handles foreign currency. The country's official exchange rate, known as the TRM, is set against the US dollar only. Every other currency, whether euros, pounds, Canadian dollars or Australian dollars, is valued in Colombia by first working out what it is worth in US dollars and then converting that figure to pesos.
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Quoting in US dollars removes that extra step. You get one clear figure in the currency Colombia already uses as its reference for foreign money. Once you have engaged us, that figure is fixed. It does not move with the Colombian peso or with later changes to the minimum salary while your case is running.
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If you hold a different currency, your bank will convert it to US dollars when you send your payment.
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Costs that are separate from our fee
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Some costs are charged by third parties and are not part of our fee. (These can include court filing fees, notary fees, official translations, apostilles and expert reports.) We tell you about these in advance wherever we can, and nothing is spent on your behalf without your approval.
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When payment is due
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If the fee for your case is USD 20,000 or less, it is paid in full before work begins. For cases with a fee above USD 20,000, we can agree to a 50% deposit before work begins, with the balance paid in stages. Your payment terms are set out in your engagement agreement.
What we need from you
A case moves fastest when both sides do their part. This is what we ask of every client.
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Documents and information on time
When we ask for a document or an answer, the sooner we have it, the sooner your case moves. Delays on your side can hold up a filing, and some legal deadlines cannot be moved.
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The full picture
Tell us everything that is relevant, including the things you think might hurt your case. A fact we know about from the start can be planned for. A surprise that comes out later is far more damaging. Everything you tell us is confidential.
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Your review and approval
Nothing is filed without your approval. We send you the lawsuit or application to review first, and a prompt reply keeps your case on schedule.
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Questions come to us first
If something in a document or in our strategy does not make sense to you, or you have read or been told something different elsewhere, ask us in the group. We will explain our reasoning so you can make an informed decision.
If you have a concern about your case
Tell us straight away. In most situations the quickest way is to raise it in your group chat, where your consultant and case coordinator will see it and respond.
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If you would prefer to speak to someone outside your case team, ask to speak with management or email info@lcg-colombia.com. Your concern will be acknowledged within one business day and reviewed by senior management against the full record of your case. If we got something wrong, we will put it right.