ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENT

Welcome as a client of Advokatfirmaet Suleiman & Co AS (hereinafter referred to as the Law Firm).

We hereby confirm that the Law Firm has accepted an assignment on your behalf.

PART I

1. An agreement for legal services has today been entered into between Advokatfirmaet Suleiman & Co AS and
2. Responsible lawyer: Attorney of record:
3. The assignment concerns:
   
4. The assignment is expected not to exceed:
5. Hourly rates and invoicing

   The indicative hourly rate for the responsible lawyer (excluding VAT) for this assignment is NOK, i.e. NOK including VAT.

   Indicative hourly rates for the Law Firm’s staff (excluding VAT):

   • Partners: NOK 2,400 – 3,000
   • Lawyers: NOK 2,000 – 2,800
   • Associate lawyers: NOK 1,800 – 2,400
   • Legal case handlers: NOK 1,200 – 1,500
   • Secretaries: NOK 500 – 750

   Work is invoiced in arrears on a monthly basis, with 14 days payment term.

6. Payment for the assignment:
   
7. Additional information:
8. For the assignment, the law firm’s general terms and conditions apply, as set out in the engagement confirmation’s PART II.
   ▶ Show PART II

   PART II: GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

   1. INTRODUCTION
      1. These general terms and conditions apply to all assignments that the firm’s lawyers or employees undertake or perform pursuant to PART I (the specific part of the engagement confirmation).
      2. These general terms and conditions are provided to the client upon establishment of the assignment and are deemed accepted by the client unless the client, within a reasonable time, notifies the responsible lawyer that the terms are not accepted.
      3. Unless otherwise agreed, the conditions shall also apply to repeated assignments for the same client.
      4. The law firm’s objective and obligation are to promote the client’s interests in the best possible manner, within the framework provided by this engagement agreement, the Courts of Justice Act, the Regulation for Advocates, the Code of Conduct for Lawyers, the law firm’s internal case-handling procedures, and other relevant regulations.
      5. All lawyers and associate lawyers affiliated with the firm hold a licence or authorization to practice law in Norway issued by the Supervisory Council for Legal Practice. All lawyers and associate lawyers are members of the Norwegian Bar Association and are therefore subject to the Bar Association’s specific decisions and arrangements regarding mandatory continuing education and the handling of disciplinary complaints.

   2. ESTABLISHMENT AND EXECUTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT
      1. The description of the assignment appears in PART I, supplemented by the agreements resulting from other oral or written correspondence. In the event of a significant change to the assignment, the client shall receive an updated PART I of the engagement confirmation.
      2. All assignments are linked to a responsible lawyer in the law firm, who may receive assistance from the firm’s other employees for the execution of parts of the assignment.
      3. Pursuant to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, customer due diligence with identification control shall as a general rule be carried out. The client is obliged to assist in such identification control. Please note that if the law firm suspects that transactions are related to the proceeds of a criminal offence, etc., the firm is required to report this to ØKOKRIM (the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime), without informing the client or third parties.
      4. Before an assignment is established, it will be assessed whether there is any conflict of interest or other circumstances indicating that the law firm cannot or should not accept the assignment. The client is obliged to contribute to such clarification. The same assessment is made in established assignments when new parties enter the case. If considerations in favour of the client indicate it and there is no confirmation yet, the assignment may commence before the clarification is completed. In such cases, the law firm may later have to withdraw from the assignment for this reason.
      5. In order to best promote the client’s interests, the law firm depends on the client providing complete and prompt information about the factual circumstances of the case and the result the client wishes to achieve in the matter.
      6. All communications to and from the opposing party shall be clarified with or go through the law firm. The law firm and the client shall continuously keep each other mutually informed of the communication taking place with the parties involved.

   3. FEE CALCULATION AND INVOICING
      1. Unless otherwise agreed, the basis for invoicing the assignment is the time spent on effective and professional work on the assignment. Our indicative hourly rates appear in PART I of the engagement confirmation and are otherwise available on our website or can be provided upon request.
      2. The minimum time unit is 0.25 hour (15 minutes). Telephone calls and similar that are not limited to very brief messages are charged with a minimum of 0.25 hour.
      3. When determining the final fee, we will in addition exercise discretion by taking into account the nature and complexity of the work, the outcome of the case, and how efficiently the assignment has been carried out considering the lawyer’s background and special expertise. The fee shall be reasonably proportionate to the assignment and the work performed by the lawyer and the firm’s other staff.
      4. The client is responsible for court fees, costs for expert witnesses, and other expenses incurred in legal proceedings. The client is also responsible for the opposing party’s legal costs if ordered to pay them. Legal costs will often, but not always, be charged to the party that does not prevail.
      5. The law firm’s fee claim against the client is not limited by the client being awarded a lower amount in compensation for legal costs than the nominal amount of the fee claim.
      6. Statutory limitations on the client’s right to claim reimbursement of legal costs from the opposing party do not limit the law firm’s fee claim against the client. Such limitations are stipulated, among other things, for cases before the Conciliation Board and in small claims proceedings.
      7. An itemized overview of work performed, disbursements, etc. shall accompany each invoice.
      8. All expenses and disbursements advanced by the law firm will be invoiced together with the fee claim. Re-invoicing of disbursements may entail value added tax (VAT) on the disbursement.
      9. In the event of late payment, interest on overdue payment will accrue in accordance with the provisions of the Interest on Overdue Payments Act.

   4. EXTERNAL COVERAGE OF LEGAL FEES
      1. Pursuant to the Legal Aid Act, legal assistance covered by the public authorities (free legal aid) may be granted for certain cases. Some types of cases always qualify for free legal aid, while other types require that the client does not have income or assets exceeding NOK 350,000 (single), NOK 540,000 (married couples, joint household) and NOK 150,000 (net assets). The County Governor may in certain cases make exceptions to these limits. Further information about free legal aid can be obtained from the County Governor or from our office. The client is encouraged to raise questions about coverage under the free legal aid scheme with the responsible lawyer for a concrete assessment.
      2. The client’s possible legal expenses insurance, home contents insurance, travel insurance, or other insurance arrangements may cover the costs of legal assistance in certain types of cases, depending on the terms of the insurance agreement. The client is obliged to provide the law firm with the necessary information for an assessment of the scope of coverage of the insurance agreement. The client is personally responsible for any deductible or difference between the law firm’s fee claim and the amount covered by the insurance company.

   5. THE LAW FIRM’S LIABILITY
   1. The law firm is liable in accordance with the general rules on professional liability for lawyers and is covered by the statutory security (guarantee) required for the practice of law, which applies without geographical limitation. The law firm’s guarantor is Tryg Insurance.
   2. Unless otherwise agreed, the assignment does not include advice concerning the tax and duty (VAT/levy) aspects of the case.
   3. The law firm is not liable for indirect losses, including loss of profit.
   4. The law firm is not liable for errors committed by advisers to whom the law firm has referred the client, or for subcontractors to whom, by agreement with the client, the law firm has entrusted parts of the performance of the assignment.
   5. The law firm is not liable for losses resulting from the case outcome not corresponding to the assessment of the possible result previously given by the law firm.
   6. The law firm is not liable for loss of client funds held in trust as a result of bankruptcy or other circumstances on the part of the bank. The law firm draws attention to the fact that the Norwegian Banks’ Guarantee Fund does not guarantee more than NOK 2 million in deposits per depositor (law firm) per bank. Only by special agreement will the law firm take measures that may increase the level of guarantee coverage for the client’s funds.

   6. PROCESSING OF INFORMATION
   1. Lawyers in the law firm are prohibited from unlawfully disclosing entrusted secrets. In addition, the lawyers are also obliged to treat information beyond this confidentially. In certain statutory cases, exceptions apply to the duty of confidentiality and secrecy.
   2. Unless otherwise agreed, the law firm’s lawyers are entitled to share the information with other employees of the firm insofar as this is necessary. The law firm’s other employees are subject to the same duty of confidentiality and secrecy as the lawyers.
   3. To the extent necessary for the fulfilment of the assignment, the law firm will process personal data, including special categories of personal data if required, in accordance with the Personal Data Act and other applicable regulations. Other parties, such as opposing parties, courts, and public authorities, will only be given access to personal data to the extent necessary for the assignment. The client has the right to access and receive information about the processed data, as well as the right to demand correction of incomplete data. The data controller pursuant to the Personal Data Act is the law firm, represented by a partner, and for any questions regarding our processing of personal data, the lawyer responsible for the case may be contacted. See also our processing of personal data in the law firm’s privacy policy: https://scolaw.no/personvern/.
   4. The law firm draws attention to the fact that electronic data communication (e-mail, fax, etc.) generally suffers from weaknesses that mean unauthorized parties may, under certain conditions, gain access to the communication. To the extent that confidentiality is necessary, security measures (including encryption and case partitioning) may be implemented to prevent unwanted access to such communication. In assessing whether confidentiality is necessary, weight will be given to the client’s sending of unsecured electronic communication to the law firm.
   5. Upon completion of the assignment, any original documents in the case will be returned to the client or destroyed (shredded) by further agreement. The law firm is required to store certain documents and information after the completion of the assignment. The law firm may also retain copies of other case documents after the completion of the assignment, within the framework provided by legislation. Copies may be provided for a fee.

   7. COMPLAINT
   1. If the client is dissatisfied with the performance of the assignment or the fee calculation, the client is encouraged to immediately raise this with the responsible lawyer or the managing partner. The law firm will promptly assess the matters complained of.
   2. The Norwegian Bar Association’s Disciplinary Committee handles complaints alleging that the lawyer has acted in violation of the Code of Conduct for Lawyers or has charged an excessive fee. As a general rule, the complaint must be submitted within six months after the complainant became aware of, or ought to have become aware of, the circumstances on which the complaint is based. The Disciplinary Committees have the authority to issue criticism, guidance, and warnings to the lawyer, and to reduce the fee claim against the client. The decision of a Disciplinary Committee may be appealed to the Disciplinary Board. More information can be obtained by contacting the Norwegian Bar Association’s secretariat or online: www.advokatklageordningen.no.
   3. Disputes related to the engagement agreement are governed by Norwegian law and may only be brought before Norwegian courts.

   8. REVISION OF TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT
   1. The general terms and conditions for the assignment are normally revised once a year and otherwise when the need arises. Changes to the detriment of the client, which are not necessary due to binding regulations, may only take effect after one month’s notice.

   9. ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS OF THE ENGAGEMENT CONFIRMATION AND APPENDIX 1
   1. The client has received a copy of the present engagement agreement, including Appendix 1 and the privacy policy (pages 1 – 13).
   2. The client accepts the contractual terms in the engagement agreement (pages 1 – 6) and in Appendix 1 (pages 7 – 8).

   APPENDIX 1 – ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENT

   1. Free Legal Aid / Legal Expenses Insurance

      In cases where an application for free legal aid/legal expenses insurance is made, the client confirms by signing this agreement that he/she meets the financial and/or material conditions for free legal aid/legal expenses insurance.

      In cases where free legal aid has been granted, the client’s own contribution is NOK 1,315 or 25% of the free legal aid costs (as of the year 2025) per free legal aid case, unless the client’s (and any spouse’s) combined annual income is lower than NOK 100,000. In legal expenses insurance cases, it is the insurance company that determines the size of the deductible.

      Our fee/hourly rate is NOK 1,315 (excluding VAT) as of 1 January 2025 in free legal aid cases. The hourly rate in free legal aid cases may change in line with changes in the legal aid rate.

      Our fee/hourly rate in legal expenses insurance cases depends on the complexity, nature, and scope of the case.

      Court fees are always additional to the lawyer’s fee in the case, both in free legal aid cases and in legal expenses insurance cases.

      If free legal aid or legal expenses insurance is refused during or after the execution of the assignment, the client will be personally financially responsible for the fee in the case. In all cases, the client is also obliged to pay any deductible stated in the free legal aid case or the legal expenses insurance.

      By signing this engagement agreement, the client further consents to lawyers/associate lawyers at the Law Firm obtaining all information of significance for various applications, including information about the household’s income, information about the case, etc., to the authority granting free legal aid in the individual case.

      The client hereby gives consent to present the spouse’s income information.

   2. All Assignments

      We keep time records for our work and can provide information on the expenses incurred in the case.

      Unless otherwise agreed, the client normally pays an advance in the case into our client account 6075 06 38026. Remember to mark the payment with your case number.

      If an invoice or advance payment is not paid by the due date to the law firm, we reserve the right to stop our work on the case (including withdrawing as counsel also in litigation assignments) and to terminate the client relationship with immediate effect. This also applies prior to court hearings / main hearings in the case.

      The client consents to assistance from external expertise (surveyor, technical experts, etc.) being obtained for the purposes of the case. The costs of such assistance are in addition to the lawyer’s fee and are not included in the estimated hours. In connection with the assignment, expenses may/will be incurred for the above and/or other external expertise for which the client will be responsible. It is noted that re-invoicing of disbursements will normally entail value added tax (VAT) on the disbursement.

   Execution of the Assignment

   In order to best promote the client’s interests, the Law Firm depends on the client providing complete and prompt information about the factual circumstances of the case and the result the client wishes to achieve in the matter.

   We will seek to resolve the case for you as quickly as possible, but progress will depend, among other things, on the information that emerges, the opposing party’s position, technical factors, and the choice of process form.

   Limitation of Liability

   We will provide advice on how we assess the case, but we cannot guarantee the outcome. There is always a risk of losing a legal dispute. It is noted that if the client loses a case, he/she may be ordered to pay the opposing party’s legal costs. If a court decision results in full success, the client may be awarded legal costs. If the awarded costs are lower than the total fee claim, and coverage is not obtained elsewhere (insurance companies, etc.), we may require that the excess be covered by the client.

   The Law Firm is liable in accordance with the general rules on professional liability for lawyers and is covered by the statutory security (guarantee) required for the practice of law, which applies without geographical limitation.

   The assignment does not include advice concerning the tax and duty (VAT/levy) aspects of the case.

   The Law Firm is not liable for indirect losses, including loss of profit.

   The Law Firm is not liable for errors committed by advisers to whom the law firm has referred the client or for subcontractors to whom, by agreement with the client, the law firm has entrusted parts of the performance of the assignment.

   PRIVACY POLICY FOR ADVOKATFIRMAET SULEIMAN & CO AS

   This privacy policy applies to Advokatfirmaet Suleiman & Co AS (“we” or “us”).
   We are the data controller for the processing of personal data described in this privacy policy. You can find our contact information below.

   Whose Personal Data We Process

   This privacy policy concerns our processing of personal data about the following persons:

   • Private clients
   • Clients in criminal cases
   • Contact persons at corporate clients
   • Contact persons at our suppliers and partners
   • Persons involved in cases we assist with
   • Other persons mentioned in case documents to which we have access
   • Visitors to our website

   Purpose, Types of Personal Data and Legal Basis

   Below is an overview of the purposes for which we process personal data, the types of personal data we process, and the legal basis for the processing.

   Establishment of a client relationship: When we are contacted by a client with a request for us to take on an assignment, we carry out an internal independence check (conflict check) before possibly accepting the assignment. The independence check serves a legitimate purpose and is based on GDPR Article 6(1)(f) (balancing of interests). Conflict checks of private clients usually include full name of the client, the opposing party and other relevant parties, the subject matter of the case, etc. Generally, conflict checks on behalf of corporate clients will not involve processing of personal data.

   In connection with establishing a client relationship, we will carry out a customer due diligence in accordance with the rules of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The customer due diligence is necessary to meet our legal obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, cf. GDPR Article 6(1)(c).

   If we can accept the assignment, contact information is recorded. For private clients, the registration of contact details is necessary to enter into an agreement with the person concerned, cf. GDPR Article 6(1)(b). For corporate clients, the registration of contact details is based on a balancing of interests, cf. GDPR Article 6(1)(f).

   Case handling: Some legal assignments involve our access to personal data about parties or other individuals affected by a case. Such information may appear in documents provided by the client or submitted by other persons in the case. The processing of personal data in connection with assignments for corporate clients is based on GDPR Article 6(1)(f) (balancing of interests). In some cases, we also gain access to sensitive personal data, e.g. health information or criminal convictions and offences. In such cases, the processing is based either on explicit consent, cf. GDPR Article 9(2)(a) (health data), or where processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, cf. Personal Data Act (new 2018) Section 11.

   Knowledge management: The legal basis is our interest in utilising developed knowledge in further advisory services, cf. GDPR Article 6(1)(f) (balancing of interests).

   Client administration: Separate case files are created for assignments carried out on behalf of the client. Time and costs incurred in a case are recorded in our accounting system. For corporate clients, our activities in connection with client administration are based on GDPR Article 6(1)(f) (balancing of interests), while for private clients this is considered necessary to fulfil the agreement with the individual, cf. GDPR Article 6(1)(b).

   Storage and retention of case documents: We retain case documents for 10 years after the assignment is completed. Retention for the stated period is considered necessary for the benefit of both the client and ourselves, since questions or a dispute may later arise in which the stored information may be relevant. The legal basis for the processing of personal data is GDPR Article 6(1)(f) and GDPR Article 9(2)(f) (establish, exercise or defend legal claims), cf. Personal Data Act (new 2018) Section 11.

   Invoicing: Contact information received from corporate clients is used to label invoices sent to the company if the client requests this. For private clients, the person’s private information is used for sending invoices. The legal basis is GDPR Article 6(1)(f) (balancing of interests) for corporate clients and GDPR Article 6(1)(b) (necessary to fulfil the agreement with the data subject) for private clients.

   IT operations and security: Personal data stored in our IT systems may be accessible to us or to our suppliers in connection with system updates, implementation or follow-up of security measures, error correction or other maintenance. The legal basis is GDPR Article 6(1)(f) (balancing of interests – safeguarding interests related to the mentioned activities) and our legal obligation to ensure adequate information security, cf. GDPR Article 32 and Article 6(1)(c).

   Marketing: We send newsletters to e-mail addresses registered to clients to whom we provide ongoing legal services and to others who have requested our newsletter. Recipients of newsletters can easily unsubscribe by using the link included in each communication. The legal basis is GDPR Article 6(1)(f) (balancing of interests) when we have received the e-mail address in connection with a legal assignment. Where there is an existing customer relationship, marketing is carried out in accordance with the Marketing Control Act Section 15(3). In other contexts, marketing is based on the individual’s consent, cf. Marketing Control Act Section 15(1) and GDPR Article 6(1)(a).

   Who We Share Personal Data With

   Our IT service providers may have access to personal data if personal data is stored with the provider or is otherwise accessible to the provider under our contract. The providers act pursuant to a data processing agreement and under our instructions. The provider may only use the personal data for the purposes we have determined and as described in this privacy policy. Lawyers are subject to a criminally sanctioned duty of confidentiality pursuant to the Penal Code Section 111. All information entrusted to us in connection with an assignment is handled confidentially.

   We do not disclose personal data in other cases or in other ways than those described in this privacy policy unless the client explicitly requests or consents to this or disclosure is required by law.

   Storage of Personal Data

   We store case documents for 2 years before they are sent to archive for an additional 8 years of storage.

   Accounting legislation otherwise requires us to store certain accounting documents for a specified period. When a specific purpose requires storage for a given period, we ensure that the personal data is used solely for the relevant purpose during that period.

   Your Rights

   Withdraw consent: If you have given consent to receive newsletters from us, you may withdraw this consent at any time. We have made it easy to opt out of such communications by including a link to an unsubscribe form in each message. If you have consented to other processing of personal data, you may also withdraw your consent at any time regarding such processing by contacting us.

   Request access: You have the right to access the personal data we have registered about you, insofar as confidentiality does not prevent this. To ensure that personal data is disclosed to the correct person, we may require that a request for access be made in writing or that identity is otherwise verified.

   Request rectification or deletion: You may ask us to correct inaccurate information we have about you or request that we delete personal data. We will, as far as possible, comply with a request to delete personal data, but we cannot do so if there are compelling reasons not to delete, for example if we must retain the data for documentation purposes.

   Data portability: In some cases, you may have the right to receive personal data you have provided to us in a machine-readable format in order to transfer it to another law firm. Where technically feasible, there may in some cases be a right to have this transferred directly to the other firm.

   Complaints to the supervisory authority: If you disagree with how we process your personal data, you may submit a complaint to the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet).

   Security

   We have established procedures to handle personal data securely. The measures are both technical and organisational. We regularly assess the security of all key systems used for processing personal data, and agreements have been entered into requiring suppliers of such systems to ensure adequate information security.

   Access to personal data (and client/case information) is limited to personnel who need access to perform their duties.

   We have adopted internal IT guidelines and regularly train employees in security and the use of IT systems.

   Changes to the Privacy Policy

   We may make minor changes to this privacy policy. You will always find the latest version on our website. In the event of significant changes, we will provide notice of this.

   Contact Us

   If you have any questions or comments regarding our privacy policy, or if you wish to exercise your rights, you can contact us:

   Advokatfirmaet Suleiman & Co AS
   C. J. Hambros plass 2D, 0164 Oslo
   Tel.: +47 21390454 / +47 95870092
   Email: post@scolaw.no / am@scolaw.no