Fairweather Law

Thirty-three days,
one step at a time

§ The file

This is a sample house purchase, from the first call to the keys, wound onto tape. Press play and watch the fee, the disbursements and the calendar move together, or grab the tape and go straight to the steps that are yours.

…

FILE 2026-0412 · PURCHASE

Speed

day 01 / 33 · step 01/16

Tape: width is days, height is the fee click or drag to scrub

day 1day 17day 33

our work a meeting with you waiting on others yours to do / closing

STEP 01 …

A short call

you call · we check for conflicts · the fee is quoted in writing

Fifteen minutes on the phone. We ask what you are buying and when it closes, run a conflict check, and send the flat fee in writing the same day.

1 day

takes

$0 / $0

fee / disbursements

$0

fee to here

quote in writing

on the file

Waterfall: the eight steps around the head

0%

Fee so far$0 / $1,350

0%

Disbursements$0 / $640

0%

Calendarday 1 / 33

Docket…

Where you stand

Nothing is owed yet. The fee is quoted in writing before any work begins; play to the end to see the keys.

The matter happens once.
You should be able to follow it.

§ How we work

Most of what a law office does is invisible to the client until the invoice. We would rather you saw it as it happened: the fee in writing before we start, a call returned within a business day, and every letter in plain English.

Every fee in writing first

Flat fees for the work that can be priced in advance. Where it cannot, an hourly rate and a written estimate, and you hear from us before anything changes it.

Quote before work · no surprises on the invoice

One business day

Calls and emails are answered within one business day, by the lawyer on your file or the clerk who knows it. You will not be left wondering.

Evenings by appointment

Plain English

Every letter, every explanation, every document we can control. Latin only where the law insists, and then with a translation beside it.

You should understand what you sign

What one step
looks like on the file

§ Anatomy

Step seven of the purchase above, as it sits on the file. Eight fields, each one written down as it happened, so the invoice at the end is a summary of things you already knew.

Record · file 2026-0412 · step 7

1kindour work

2steptitle search

3resulttitle clear · 1 easement noted

4takes2 days

5fee$125 of the flat $1,350

6disbursement$80 · search fees, at cost

7fee so far$425 of $1,350

8younothing to do this step

1

Kind is one of four, and it is what the tape draws: solid for our work, hatched for a meeting with you, striped for waiting on someone else, brass for the steps that are yours. You can read the shape of a matter without reading a word of it.

2

The step, named the way we would say it on the phone. A title search is a search of the land registry for the property's history and anything registered against it.

3

The result, as it came back. Here the title is clear, with one easement for the utility at the back of the lot, which is normal and which we will explain.

4

How long it takes, for the step alone. Our work is quick; waiting on a lender or the other side is what fills a calendar, and on the tape the two look nothing alike.

5

The fee for the step, as a share of the flat fee. The flat fee does not change with the steps; the share is so you can see where the work is.

6

Disbursements are what we pay out on your behalf, at cost, with the receipt: searches, title insurance, registration. They are estimated in writing before we start.

7

The fee so far is the gauge on the deck. It only ever climbs toward the number you were quoted.

8

What is yours. Four steps in a purchase are: sending us the agreement, waiving the conditions, signing, and bringing the balance. Each one is brass on the tape and comes with a reminder.

The work we do,
and what it costs

§ Fees

Fixed fees cover most of what we do. Where a matter cannot be priced in advance, we give you an hourly rate and a written estimate, and we tell you before it changes. Every fee is plus disbursements and HST.

Fee sheet · plus disbursements and HST on every line
Matter	What is included	Typical time	Fee
Buying a homeflat fee	Review of the agreement (best before you sign), title search and insurance, mortgage instructions, signing, closing and keys.	30 to 45 days	$1,350
Selling a homeflat fee	Mortgage discharge, statement of adjustments, deed and closing documents, paying out the closing funds.	30 to 45 days	$1,150
Wills and powers of attorneya person · $1,100 a couple	A one-hour planning meeting, your will, a continuing power of attorney for property and one for personal care, signing with two witnesses, originals kept in our vault at no charge.	2 to 3 weeks	$650
Settling an estatehourly · written estimate first	Applying for probate (a certificate of appointment), notices to beneficiaries and creditors, estate accounts, final distribution and releases.	6 to 12 months	$325 / hour
Incorporating a businessflat fee	Name search and articles of incorporation, by-laws and resolutions, share structure and the minute book, a short meeting on your annual filings.	1 to 2 weeks	$1,200

Sample fees for a fictional office. The full practice page lists what each fee includes and what it does not.

Three moves,
and then the file is open

§ Starting

Nothing to prepare for the first call. Bring whatever you have to the first meeting, and the plan arrives in writing two days later.

01

A short call

Fifteen minutes. What the matter is, when it needs to be done, and whether we are the right office for it. We check for conflicts before we go further.

Day one · no charge

02

Consultation

Within the week, in the office or by video. We read your documents beforehand and come with questions, so the hour is spent on answers.

$250 · comes off your first invoice

03

A plan in writing

Two days later: the steps, who does what, the fee and the disbursements, in one letter. The work starts when you say so.

The fee is fixed from here

Three letters,
and nothing between the lines

§ On paper

sample letters, shortenedplain English, every time

2

lawyers, one floor

1 day

to return a call

0

fees not quoted in writing

The everyday law
of a household and a small business

§ Practice

If it is not on this list, we will say so on the first call and point you to someone who does it well.

Buying a home

Selling a home

Wills and powers of attorney

Settling an estate

Incorporating a business

Shareholder agreements

Commercial leases

Updating an old will

Two lawyers and a clerk,
on one floor

§ The office

Eleanor FairweatherLawyer · real estate and business

Purchases, sales, mortgages and incorporations. Eleanor runs the file above, and most files like it. She would rather send one clear letter than three short ones.

Owen MarchettiLawyer · wills and estates

Wills, powers of attorney and the settling of estates. Owen's planning meetings run an hour, and people leave them with fewer questions than they came in with.

The clerkFiles, calendars, the phone

The person who answers when you call, knows where your file is, and makes sure the reminder for each step that is yours reaches you a week ahead.

Clients review the office on Google. Read them there, unfiltered; we do not reprint them here.

The first meeting,
and what it costs

§ Consultation

$250/ ONE HOUR · COMES OFF YOUR FIRST INVOICE

In the office or by video. We read your documents beforehand and arrive with questions, so the hour is spent on answers rather than on background.

Book a consultation

Conflicts checked before we meet
Your documents read beforehand
A plan in writing two days later: steps, fee, disbursements
The $250 is credited to your first invoice if we act for you
Evenings by appointment, Mon to Fri 9 to 5 otherwise
40 Sample Street, Suite 200, Kitchener

Call 226-555-0157

Questions we get
on the first call

§ Questions

01 What is a disbursement?

Money we pay out on your behalf, at cost, with the receipt: title searches, title insurance, registration fees, courier. They are listed in the written estimate before we start and shown separately on the invoice. Land transfer tax is not a disbursement; it is a tax you pay on closing, and we tell you the amount early.

02 Is the flat fee really flat?

Yes, for the work described in the plan. If the matter changes shape, for example a title problem that needs a court application, we stop and write to you with the new estimate before doing anything that costs more.

03 Should I have you read the agreement before I sign it?

Ideally. A short review before you sign is included in the purchase fee and is the cheapest hour of the whole matter. Most problems we see were in the agreement from the start.

04 How long does a will take?

Two to three weeks from the planning meeting to signing, most of it the drafting and your reading of the draft. Urgent wills can be done faster; say so on the first call.

05 Is any of this real?

No. Fairweather Law is a fictional office built as a concept demo by The Nerd Next Door. The lawyers, the file, the fees and the timings were invented for it, and nothing on this page is legal advice.

Start with a short call

Fifteen minutes, no charge, and you will know whether we are the right office and what the matter will cost. The consultation comes after, if you want it.

Book a consultation Call 226-555-0157

Thirty-three days,one step at a time

A short call

The matter happens once.You should be able to follow it.

Every fee in writing first

One business day

Plain English

What one steplooks like on the file

The work we do,and what it costs

Three moves,and then the file is open

A short call

Consultation

A plan in writing

Three letters,and nothing between the lines

The everyday lawof a household and a small business

Two lawyers and a clerk,on one floor

The first meeting,and what it costs

Questions we geton the first call

Start with a short call

Thirty-three days,
one step at a time

The matter happens once.
You should be able to follow it.

What one step
looks like on the file

The work we do,
and what it costs

Three moves,
and then the file is open

Three letters,
and nothing between the lines

The everyday law
of a household and a small business

Two lawyers and a clerk,
on one floor

The first meeting,
and what it costs

Questions we get
on the first call