Becoming a client:
As we have mentioned in our
Guidelines for Client
Service, one of the essential matters in the lawyer-client relationship is
having the relationship clearly defined.
There are a number of steps for new clients, and information which you will
need to disclose to our office:
- Full contact details - please ask us to email you a new client form.
You should complete this (by hand or directly on the computer), and send it
back to the lawyer that has been assigned to you.
- Terms of engagement
- this is basically a memo from us to you, which outlines what we understand
we will be doing for you, and what services you require. You need to
confirm that this is what you expected and that we have the facts correct
(as represented to us by you).
- Retainer agreement - this is the contract between the client and
the law firm, which indicates specifically what we will be doing for you,
how much we will charge you for this, and how much of an upfront prepayment
you are expected to make to Gray & Co. This should be signed and
returned to Gray & Co. before the work is started.
- Due diligence documentation - we are required to "know our client".
This means that we need to confirm the information that you provide to us,
by having a copy of your passport (it also helps to have the copy, since
errors can be made in transposing numbers), a copy of a 2nd type of
identification (such as a driver's license), a copy of a utility bill that
confirms your residential address (this should be a phone / cable /
electricity/ bank account statement), and a description of the business that
you intend to undertake in Panama.
- Updating our records - if you move, or change your email address or
phone number, please let us know. If we need to contact you for
anything, we do appreciate having a straight-forward way of getting in touch
with you.
Information that you should review:
|
