Law Office of M. Jeffrey Rutledge — Refund Policy

Effective Date: 7/20/2025

Law Office of M. Jeffrey Rutledge provides both legal services and ancillary business services. This Refund Policy clarifies the terms that apply to each type of service in accordance with the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct and standard business practices.

A. Legal Services Refunds (Governed by Texas Ethics Rules)
For all services involving legal work—such as entity formation filings, trademark filings, operating agreements, custom contracts, website compliance documents, consultations, or legal advice—the following applies:

• Refund of Unearned Fees: In accordance with Texas Disciplinary Rule 1.15(d), any advance payments for legal services that have not yet been earned will be promptly refunded upon termination of representation.

• Fees Are Earned As Agreed: The point at which legal fees are considered “earned” will be defined in the Limited Agreement for Legal Services. Fees may be earned hourly, upon completion of specific tasks or milestones, or through other structures agreed upon in writing.

• No “Non-Refundable” Legal Fees: Except in the rare case of a true retainer (i.e., a fee paid solely for lawyer availability, and only when expressly agreed upon in writing), fees for legal services are refundable to the extent they are unearned.

• Trust Account Handling: All advance payments for legal work are held in the firm’s IOLTA trust account until earned.

• Permissible Deductions: Upon refunding, any amounts retained will be limited to fees already earned or documented expenses incurred in accordance with your agreement.

B. Ancillary Business Services Refunds (Non-Legal Services)
For services such as website creation, logo design, AI-generated content, or other digital/non-legal deliverables:

• Refunds Before Work Begins: A full refund may be requested within 30 days of purchase if no work has begun and no deliverables have been sent or accessed.

• No Refunds After Work Begins: Once work on ancillary services has commenced, or any deliverables have been shared, downloaded, or accessed, those specific fees become non-refundable.

• Digital Deliverables: Due to the nature of digital and creative services, these are treated as “used” once sent or accessed.

C. General Cancellation & Partial Refunds

• Cancellation by Client: You may cancel services at any time by submitting a written notice.

• Partial Refunds (Ancillary Services): If work on ancillary services has begun but not been completed, and a full refund is not available, a partial refund may be offered based on the amount of work completed and expenses incurred, at our discretion.

• Deductions (Ancillary Services): Ancillary service refunds may be reduced by administrative fees, non-legal consultation fees, or merchant-processing fees if outlined in your agreement.

• Legal Services Exception: These deductions do not apply to legal service refunds, which may only be reduced by legitimately earned fees or documented expenses.

D. Our Guarantee
If we make a mistake—such as a clerical error or incorrect filing—we will correct it at no additional charge. For legal services, this means ensuring compliance with the standards required by the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. This guarantee is separate from any refund rights and does not apply to changes requested for reasons unrelated to our error.

E. No Guarantee on Outcomes
We do not guarantee outcomes related to legal matters, business performance, website traffic, or any marketing results. All services are provided based on professional standards, but results may vary depending on factors beyond our control.