How I Price Legal Services

I offer several pricing models, depending on the case: hourly, flat-rate, contingency, reverse-contingency, and hybrid. Pricing will always be memorialized in a detailed written agreement before you incur any charges, so there will never be any surprises about how your bill is calculated.

Hourly pricing means you pay an agreed-upon rate per hour. I keep track of my time as I go. At the end of each billing period, I send you an invoice with descriptions of what I did and how long it took, for example: “Drafting complaint - 1 hour.”

Clients are often understandably concerned about the unpredictable nature of hourly billing. With that in mind, I offer strategies to control costs.

Flat-rate pricing is one possible solution to the problem of unpredictable costs. With this pricing model, we agree to a defined scope of work and a flat fee for that work. The more narrow and well-defined the scope of work, the lower the fee. Conversely, a broad or open-ended scope of work will tend to incur a higher fee. I’ll work closely with you to tailor the scope to your needs and budget.

Contingency arrangements tie my fee to a percentage of the amount you recover, typically 33%. Thus, I don’t get paid unless you win. You’re still responsible for expenses such as court fees and shipping. This pricing model applies only to plaintiffs. The availability of contingency pricing will depend in part on my evaluation of your case’s strength.

Reverse-contingency arrangements are similar, except they’re for defendants instead of plaintiffs. At the beginning of the case, we agree on a benchmark amount that the plaintiff hypothetically might recover from you. At the end, my fee is calculated by subtracting the plaintiff’s actual recovered from the benchmark, then multiplying by the contingency rate.

For example, suppose we agree on $12,000 as the benchmark and 30% as the rate, and you ultimately settle for $7,500. My fee would then be $1,350, equal to 30% × ($12,000 - $7,500).

Hybrid pricing is a combination of any of the above. For example, in representing a defendant, I might offer a reduced hourly rate coupled with a reverse-contingency fee.

Sliding-Scale Hourly Rates

For matters billed hourly, I generally offer rates on a sliding scale based on income. My base rate is $295 per hour. If your annual income is below $80,000, you may qualify for a discount. My lowest rate, available to most individuals earning $13,000 or less, is $120 per hour.

Please let me know if you’re experiencing financial hardship that’s not reflected in your income, such as credit-card debt. I may be able to offer additional discounts on a case-by-case basis.

All discounts are on a case-by-case, discretionary basis. The estimates generated above are just that, and I reserve the right to offer you a higher or lower rate depending on the circumstances. If we agree to work together, your actual pricing will be governed by the terms of our written agreement.

Income-based discounts are generally not available to for-profit businesses, including sole proprietorships.

Estimated Costs for Hourly Pricing

Below are estimated costs for different types of matters, assuming hourly pricing at my base rate before any discounts. Costs may differ under other pricing models.

These estimates are based on my standard hourly rate and the amount of attorney time needed for the matters I typically handle. But every matter is unique, and things can happen unexpectedly that push the cost higher or lower.

For example, litigation costs can rise if the opposing party files an excessive number of motions to which your attorney must respond. On the other hand, costs can drop if the opposing party surprises you with a sudden and welcome settlement offer.

Controlling Costs

Hourly pricing entails a degree of uncertainty about total cost due to the difficulty in projecting necessary attorney time. I’m sensitive to the justifiable apprehension clients feel about this uncertainty. With that in mind, I offer strategies to help you control your costs, which can enhance predictability and mitigate risk.

• Estimates: I can estimate the cost, or a range of costs, for a given matter based on the information you give me. Although absolute certainty is impossible, an estimate still serves as a valuable tool in deciding whether and how to proceed.
• Bulk discounts: If you need to buy a significant amount of attorney time, e.g. for a complex court case, I may be able to offer a bulk discount off of my hourly rate.
• Flat-rate pricing: This pricing model, discussed above, eliminates uncertainty over my total fee. I take on the risk that attorney time might exceed initial estimates.
• Fee cap: If you’re unsure about how far you want to go with your legal matter, or how much attorney assistance you want, we can agree to a fee cap. I won’t exceed the cap without your express consent. You’re free to raise the cap later if you change your mind.
• Limited-scope representation: Typically, you hire an attorney to handle all aspects of your case, start to finish. But you don’t have to. To save on attorney fees, we can agree to a limited-scope representation. For example, we might agree that I’ll represent you only in settlement negotiations, or only at a certain court date.

Paying by Installment

If you can’t afford to pay my full fee all at once, I may be able to offer an installment plan. This would typically involve a recurring monthly credit-card payment in an amount you can comfortably afford.

Pro-Se Coaching

It’s always safer to hire a lawyer, but sometimes representing yourself is the only practical option. Maybe your resources are limited, or maybe the dollar value of the dispute just doesn’t justify the cost of legal representation.

But you don’t have to go it entirely alone. Pro-se coaching is a middle ground between hiring a lawyer to handle your case and figuring it all out yourself. With this service, I’ll take on a background role, providing expert advice and assistance as you work through your litigation or transaction.

The scope of the coaching service can be scaled according to your budget and needs. It can involve, among other things:

• advising you about law and procedure,
• doing legal research,
• reviewing and editing legal documents you draft, and
• helping you prepare for court appearances.

Pro-se coaching requires drastically fewer attorney hours than full-scope legal representation. Thus, the costs are much lower. I usually charge by the hour for this service.