FAQ

Choosing a law firm to represent you and your case is one of the most important decisions you can make. “Sonia and Partners” is a boutique law firm focused on three primary areas Family & Divorce, Commercial Disputes and Criminal Defense for Citizens of India, NRIs’ and Foreign Nationals in India. We also assist you with Will Probates, Trust, Registrations, Verifications of Titles, Certifications, and other Para Legal matters.

Led by Rtn. Adv. Sonia Rajesh our team has expertise in Family, Crime and Commercial Litigation. We are team of 7 associates practicing in District Courts of Bangalore including the Family Court and High Court of Karnataka.

Our partners based out Delhi assist in matters related to Supreme Court. We also have partners supporting us at in litigation suits at Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai.

As a part of The International Advocates Association, we are well connected with Lawyers in the US, Europe, Middle East, and Australia region too who primarily work with on matters related to Domestic Violence and Divorce for both NRIs and Indians on short term / long term Visa.

Although we live in a digital era and consultations over phone / video calls are possible, our experience says in person meetings are far more effective and efficient if you are co-located in the same city. Global clients and those who are not in Bangalore connect with us on Tele / Video Calls for consultation.

Our consultation fee is INR 2,000 per session. Typically a session is for 30 to 45 minutes and it can extend upto 60 minutes. The Consultation fee is same for both In Person meeting or Tele / Video Consultation. The Telephone and Video Consultations are preferable after 7:00 PM by then most of In Person and walk in client consultations are through.

Different types of cases attract different fee structures, but we are flexible as we understand your needs and situations you battle. Broadly speaking the fee structures as per the case and your choice can be either Flat Fee or Retainership.

While our Global clients and Corporates we associate with prefer Retainership the Individuals clients work with us on Flat Fee basis which is transparent with no hidden charges and explained during the initial consolation followed with in writing over an email as reference before the engagement is kicked off. Such Fee for Litigation matters is billed stage wise and if the matter is settled at any stage only the closure fee will be applicable, and no further billing occurs for the remaining stages.

Statutory Fees is applicable for matters pertaining to Registrations and Commercial Disputes that is directly paid to the Court, its also called as Court Fee or Registration Fee.

Our Legal Consulting services for the Corporates carry a T&M billing (Hourly Fees) and based on the projects we operate on Fixed Bid Fee structure.

After the initial consultation once you are comfortable with the options and the fee structure you can sign up engaging our services. Your mater will be supervised by Adv. Sonia Rajesh herself and an associate will be assigned to work with to draft the papers.

The Draft will be shared with you for inputs / feedback and once the papers are ready, we will collect your signatures and proceed filing. If you are not in Bangalore or outside India the papers will be shared with you via FedEx / Courier, you may sign and send them back. Your can be present while filing the matter but its not mandatory and our team will take care of this stage. After the filing is complete, we will send you the Case Number, the Court Room Details and the Next Hearing Date.

As the matter continues and you will be constantly engaged at all stages, we will work together to draw strategies as need be to defend your matter, collecting evidence, lining up sureties and witness as need be in your case, documentary and electronic proofs will be vet to ensure we are fully prepared.

We will also spend quality time with you during Examination and Cross Examination and assist you with mock sessions / questions you may face in your matter and will work with you to come with questions and counter questions we will examine the opposite party and prepare arguments for your matter. Our legal research team will constantly support us with required content to strengthen your proposition at every stage.

If there is an opportunity to settle the matter and you are willing to, we can also initiate negotiations and out of court settlements to compensate with you in financial terms.

While our Global clients and Corporates we associate with prefer Retainership the Individuals clients work with us on Flat Fee basis which is transparent with no hidden charges and explained during the initial consolation followed with in writing over an email as reference before the engagement is kicked off. Such Fee for Litigation matters is billed stage wise and if the matter is settled at any stage only the closure fee will be applicable, and no further billing occurs for the remaining stages.

Statutory Fees is applicable for matters pertaining to Registrations and Commercial Disputes that is directly paid to the Court, its also called as Court Fee or Registration Fee.

Our Legal Consulting services for the Corporates carry a T&M billing (Hourly Fees) and based on the projects we operate on Fixed Bid Fee structure.

You can either visit our office during the working hours for a discussion, if you wish to inquire about the status, or any basic information you can reach us via Call / WhatsApp or Email.

We are just a phone call away; you can meet us or discuss over phone. Nonetheless, if your question pertains to a matter, that we in our firm don’t practice we will refer you to our collogues and friends in the law fraternity we know who can best represent you.

Once you are comfortable after the initial queries and you have satisfied yourself understanding the procedures, we expect you to tell us the details of your matter. Be Honest and Truthful so that we prepare the best possible defense for you and build the right arguments in your favor.

Adhere to your timelines and provide us with all necessary documents, proofs at least 7 days before the date of your matter so that we are well prepared with the stage.

The client is also expected to fully cooperate with the lawyer for all necessary investigations (especially in criminal matters) and commute to the pace of crime as need be to ensure recreation of crime scene which will be helpful to stage the arguments in the court of law as need be.

We ensure strict confidentiality of your case and only the parties required to know the matter will be debriefed in good faith to ensure you get the best legal services.

Furthermore, the Lawyer and Client conversations are classified as “PRIVILEGE COMMUNICATIONS” or “CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION” and no court of law can compel the Lawyer or the Staff of the Law Firm to disclose any communications exchanged between the lawyer and the client.

The client is also expected to fully cooperate with the lawyer for all necessary investigations (especially in criminal matters) and commute to the pace of crime as need be to ensure recreation of crime scene which will be helpful to stage the arguments in the court of law as need be.

Once a month is good rule of thumb in the initial stages, and as the case progress depending on the stage of the matter and for preparation of the trail the frequency can be set between the client and lawyer as per the mutual convenience.

You can either Call /WhatsApp / Email us to know the status. You can also check the status online or you can walk into our office if you are staying close by for any inquiry about the status. The best mode will be to drop a message to us, and we shall respond to your queries.

We don’t expect you to come to the court on every hearing, of course if you wish to you may.

We will need you on critical stages like Evidence and Examination to appear to the court.

If you are not in the city where your matter is listed, unless the court requires your physical presence you can appear via Video Conference. Such will be the case for all NRIs and Foreign Nationals not in India on the date your matter is listed.

Finally, there is also a provision in civil suits that your Power of Attorney holder can appear to the matter if you are pressed with time or for some reason you are unable to attend in person.

We respect your diversity and orientation. We have dealt with such issues pertaining to relationship complexity, same sex domestic violence and protecting rights for LGBTQ cohabitation. You may feel free to ask questions to satisfy yourself and make yourself comfortable before proceeding further and opening with your case. You may ask questions before booking a consultation over the phone and gather an understanding about our services and approach. Once you are comfortable you can book the consultation and meet in person for a discussion.

We suggest you do your research and then engage the lawyer to represent you. Ask questions if you need more clarity on the discussion you have with your lawyer. As a rule of thumb, you should inquire the following questions and satisfy yourself.

1. How Long have you practiced, total years of experience ?
2. How many cases like mine have you represented in the past ?
3. What are your fees and how is the billing process ?
4. Are there other ways of solving the problem within the legal framework ?
5. What may be the likely outcome of my case ?
6. How many members are there in your team and who will handle my case ?