Consultation and Attorney Fee Policies

Consultation and Attorney Fee Policies

At our firm, we believe that transparency regarding fees is essential to a strong attorney-client
relationship. For over 125 years, our commitment has been to our clients first, ensuring that we provide exceptional legal services at fair and reasonable rates.

Why We Do Not Offer Free Consultations

From the moment you step into our office or join a meeting, our intent is to provide you with valuable, actionable legal advice. Many law firms that advertise "free consultations" are volume-based practices searching for highly lucrative contingency cases, such as personal injury claims. We are not that type of firm.

Because we are a dedicated fee-based firm and do not handle contingency cases, our time, experience, and strategic problem-solving abilities are the services we provide. We view the initial meeting not as a sales pitch, but as a working session. An attorney will listen to your concerns, analyze your situation, and provide concrete guidance.

Often, clients come to us with straightforward legal issues that we can resolve or map out a clear strategy for within a single hour. If your matter is handled during that first meeting, you simply pay for the hour and leave with peace of mind. By charging for our time, we ensure that every client receives our undivided attention and the highest level of legal analysis.

Initial Meetings

A confidential initial meeting allows you to openly discuss your legal issues. You should expect to spend a minimum of one hour with an attorney, and your meeting fee will be based on that lawyer's specific hourly rate. This rate will be clearly confirmed with you when making your appointment. Based on your preference, we can conduct these meetings in person, by telephone, or via Zoom.

Our Billing Practices

We recognize that legal costs need to be carefully managed. We strive to make our billing process as open and informative as possible. We charge for actual legal work—not for administrative overhead. While we do pass on third-party expenses (such as courier services, specialized printing, or filing fees), we do not nickel-and-dime our clients for routine postage or standard copies. To ensure everyone knows where they stand, we send out detailed invoices on a monthly basis, or as needed based on the representation. If you ever have a question about your bill, we encourage you to call us. Open communication is the foundation of our client service.

How We Charge for Services

Our attorneys and legal support professionals work as a team to handle your matter efficiently.
Depending on the nature of your case, we utilize a few established fee arrangements:

• Hourly Fees: This is the traditional arrangement for most of our legal services. You retain our firm at a set hourly rate, which varies based on the experience level of the practitioner. We often lower costs by having highly experienced paralegals or law clerks perform appropriate aspects of the work.
• Flat Fees: For services where the required time and resources are highly predictable, we offer a set price. This is common for certain criminal/traffic matters, driver's license restoration, and expungements.
• Hybrid Arrangements: In specific circumstances, a legal matter may call for a blend of flat fees, contingency, and hourly rates. If it makes sense for everyone, we can discuss alternative fee arrangements to better match the cost of services to the value provided.
• Business Retainer Arrangements: A business client pays a fixed periodic fee. In return, our legal team is readily available to provide ongoing advice, counseling, and document review. This provides excellent budgeting predictability for businesses that require regular legal support.