FEES AND RETAINERS

All services are billed in accordance with the current Social Investigation fee schedule. A retainer of $10,000.00 is required before professional services commence. The retainer secures the investigator's availability and is applied to professional services as those services are rendered. The retainer covers up to forty (40) hours of professional time. Any required replenishment of the retainer must be paid before the investigation is completed, the final report is released, testimony is provided, or additional professional services are rendered.

RETENTION OF FEES AND REFUND POLICY
Professional services begin immediately upon commencement of the appointment and continue throughout the Social Investigation. The required retainer secures the investigator's availability and is applied to professional services as those services are rendered. Because professional services cannot be returned once performed, earned professional fees are non-refundable. 

If the Social Investigation is postponed, withdrawn, settled, dismissed, terminated, or otherwise discontinued before completion, whether by court order, agreement of the parties, operation of law, or the voluntary decision of one or both parties not to proceed, the investigator shall be compensated for all professional services performed and expenses incurred through the effective date of the termination of services.  

If the fees and expenses earned exceed the amount of the retainer, the remaining balance shall remain due and payable. Any portion of the retainer remaining after payment of all earned professional fees and expenses shall be handled in accordance with applicable law, court order, and this Agreement.

Nothing contained herein shall be construed as requiring the refund of earned professional fees.

FEES, RETAINER, AND ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

The $10,000.00 retainer includes up to forty (40) hours of professional time, including interviews, home visits, travel, document review, collateral contacts, communications, psychological testing, scoring and interpretation, report preparation, and other activities reasonably necessary to complete the investigation. 

Time exceeding forty (40) hours shall be billed at $225.00 per hour. Excessive documentation, repeated communications, missed appointments, non-cooperation, additional allegations, collateral contacts, hearings, addenda, and other factors may require additional professional time. 

The Social Investigator does not determine how fees are allocated between the parties. Responsibility for payment should be established by court order or written agreement. If a party's conduct unreasonably increases the time required, the Court may allocate responsibility for additional fees to that party.

PAYMENT RESPONSIBILITY

Payment responsibility should be clearly established by court order, written agreement of the parties, or other applicable legal directive. The Social Investigator does not determine how fees are allocated between the parties and is not responsible for resolving disputes regarding payment responsibility. 

Failure to timely pay fees may result in suspension of services, cancellation of appointments, postponement of interviews, delay in report completion, refusal to release the final report, cancellation of testimony, or other delays until outstanding balances have been resolved or further direction is provided by the Court.

CANCELLATIONS AND MISSED APPOINTMENTS

Appointments cancelled with less than twenty-four (24) hours' notice, missed appointments, late arrivals, and appointments that cannot proceed due to a party's failure to participate may be subject to cancellation or no-show fees. 

The party whose actions or failure to participate caused the cancellation, delay, missed appointment, or inability to proceed shall be solely responsible for such fees, regardless of any court order, agreement, or arrangement regarding allocation of Social Investigation costs.

EXCESSIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Excessive emails, telephone calls, text messages, document submissions, requests for clarification, scheduling inquiries, or other communications beyond those reasonably necessary to conduct the investigation may result in additional professional fees.

TRAVEL AND EXTENDED SERVICES

Travel time, mileage, lodging, parking, tolls, and other expenses associated with out-of-area investigations will be billed separately. Extended document review, collateral contacts, and special requests may also result in additional fees.

DOCUMENT REVIEW AND LATE SUBMISSIONS

The investigation fee includes review of a reasonable amount of relevant documentation. Excessive records, duplicate records, late submissions, or supplemental reviews may result in additional charges. Documents submitted shortly before report completion may not be reviewed before issuance of the report. The investigator may decline review, issue the report without consideration of the materials, charge additional fees, or prepare an addendum.

COURT APPEARANCES, DEPOSITIONS, AND TESTIMONY

The current rate for deposition testimony is $425.00 per hour. The current rate for court appearances, hearings, trial testimony, trial preparation, and other litigation-related services is $575.00 per hour. A minimum of four (4) hours shall be charged for each deposition, hearing, court appearance, trial appearance, or other litigation-related service, regardless of the actual amount of time utilized. 

Payment is required for all depositions, hearings, and court appearances and is due immediately upon scheduling and no later than seven (7) days prior to the scheduled event. Once preparation for testimony has commenced, all fees incurred for testimony-related services shall be deemed earned and are non-refundable.

If testimony, deposition, hearing, or trial is cancelled, continued, settled, or otherwise no longer required after preparation has commenced, fees incurred remain due and payable. 

Time spent preparing for testimony, reviewing records, reviewing pleadings, consulting with attorneys, responding to subpoenas, waiting to testify, traveling, attending proceedings, and providing testimony shall be billed at the applicable hourly rate.

REPORTS AND ADDENDA

The final report represents the investigator's professional opinions based upon information available at the time of completion. Requests for supplemental review, addenda, updated opinions, responses to newly submitted materials, or additional investigation may result in additional fees.

RECORD REQUESTS, SUBPOENAS, AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Responses to subpoenas, records requests, depositions, licensing complaints, motions to compel, administrative complaints, or other legal proceedings involving the investigator may result in additional professional fees and legal expenses.

Requests for copies of the Social Investigation file, records, correspondence, notes, questionnaires, testing materials, collateral communications, or other documents may result in additional fees. Such requests will be billed at the applicable administrative rate, professional hourly rate, per-page copying rate, or a combination thereof, depending upon the nature and scope of the request.

The Social Investigator reserves the right to charge for all professional and administrative time associated with locating, reviewing, organizing, redacting, copying, preparing, transmitting, and producing records, as well as responding to subpoenas, court orders, records requests, or other legal proceedings.

Absent a valid subpoena, written authorization from all necessary parties, or a court order signed by the presiding judge, the Social Investigator may decline to release records or file materials. Certain materials may also be protected from disclosure by applicable law, professional standards, psychological test security requirements, copyright restrictions, privilege, work-product protections, or other legal limitations.

Requests for production of the investigator's complete file frequently require substantial professional review to determine what materials may be disclosed, what materials require redaction, and what materials are protected from disclosure. Accordingly, production of the complete investigative file generally requires a valid court order or other legally sufficient authorization, unless otherwise required by law. All professional time associated with reviewing, organizing, redacting, copying, preparing, and producing the complete file shall be billed at the applicable hourly rate.

Any fees associated with records production, copying, review, organization, redaction, preparation, release, or transmission of records must be paid in full prior to the production of records unless otherwise ordered by the Court.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND PUBLIC COMMENTARY

Parties shall not publish, distribute, post, edit, alter, or otherwise disseminate recordings, photographs, emails, text messages, reports, correspondence, or other communications involving the Social Investigator without written authorization or court order. The investigator does not communicate through social media regarding active cases.

PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES

The investigator is not a therapist, mediator, parenting coordinator, legal advisor, advocate, or representative for either party. Professional boundaries will be maintained throughout the investigation.

COMPLAINTS AND PROFESSIONAL DISAGREEMENTS

The parties acknowledge that disagreement with the investigator's findings, opinions, recommendations, methodology, or conclusions does not, by itself, establish bias, negligence, misconduct, malpractice, ethical violations, or professional wrongdoing.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The parties acknowledge and understand that Social Investigations frequently result in findings and recommendations that may be unfavorable to one or both parties and that disagreement with those findings does not alter the investigator's professional obligations or opinions.