Please see our rates in the auto-frame listed below.
But first take a few momements to read and understand the basic reasons for our approch to fees and why we think it is a no-nonsense method that benefits you, the client.
Consultation
We think an initial consultation is absolutely needed. We do not expect you or your situation to be the same as anyone else. So we surely do not try to force a one-size-fits-all solution on you. You can find that elsewhere. It makes us cringe.
we do not try to force a one-size-fits-all solution on you Plus, we know only the consult can give you anything approaching an accurate view of what a legal action may entail. Some people ask for free consultations and contingency fees. We must answer that because of the types of law we practice contingency fees are simply not allowed, and free is rarely free. That's the start of our reasons concerning fees. There's more:
Types of cases
You will see claims of - no fee until your case is settled. That's called a contingency fee. It is offered because the attorney is planning on taking part of the settlement you receive as their payment. That may be acceptable to you in a personal injury case, a claim against insurance, or other, similar cases.
In the types of law we practice, though, does that sound reasonable? Would you consider contingency okay if we were to ask for a third of your marital assets in divorce? Is it considered okay to ask for a third of your estate for wills / trusts or probate work? How about charging for a third or more of what we save or recover for you in an IRS seizesure case?
Of course not. These sorts of pricing / payment plans are unacceptable in marital - family law / estate law / tax law case clients. In fact they are considered unethical and outright prohibited. So if your case involves the types of law we practice, you will find attorneys charge an hourly rate for their services.
Initial consultation
When you book an initial consultation with us, you will speak to a licensed attorney with many, many years of experience. Your legal questions will be answered - something that cannot happen when you get a consultation with non-attorney staff. Non-attorney legal staff are prohibited from answering legal questions - they are not licensed to do so.
..non-attorney staff are prohibited from answering legal questions - they are not licensed to do so As a result, those sorts of meetings with staff generally devolve into simple sales presentations. When they are not licesed to answer your legal questions -- all they can really do is ask for your business, your signature on the dotted line. Not so with our firm.
Another benefit of straightforward consultation pricing without pay-me-later 'gimmicks' is that - if there are easy, inexpensive solutions to some or maybe even all of your concerns and questions, you will be told that. In our view it is far better to tell you to file form "x" yourself and record thing "y" with the clerk -- all by yourself -- DIY -- thus saving you a substantial sum of money. We do not feel comfortable charging you for a few hours of legal work for something that is fairly easy for you to do yourself. Of course, we rarely want to turn away money, but we also rarely fail to point out ways you can save money. If you want us to do the simple work, we will be happy to do so.
On the flip side of that coin, we think you will understand that we pay rent, buy food, and other things, just like you. So you will understand that four years of college, three years of law school and about thirty years of experience mean something. All that time on the job generally results in getting good at what you do. It's worth paying a bit more 'up front' for efficiency, instead of paying for all the false starts that later-on are prized as -- experience.
So are the prices we charge expensive? We think not. After you have drilled down through all the hype and sales talk, methods of compensation, and what you are really paying for, we think you will find that our fees and pricing structure is competitive with other attorneys of similar experience in our location.
...our fees and pricing structure are competitive with other attorneys of similar experience... We think that the difference becomes a result of how much effort we have devoted to making your experience with us, and with your case, as seemless and easy-to-navigate as possible. We call that good client service, we call that adding value to your dealings through the legal system. Even though the end result might be the same with other firms. The road to that end can be made easier to travel. The smoother road saves you hassle, distress, time and cash. Read on to learn more, to learn how.
Court fees
Certain cases involve court fees. For example, a divorce with children under 18 in Shelby Cty, TN will inccur court fees of approximately $400. These fees cannot be avoided, and they are subject to add-on credit card fees unless paid directly to the court in cash. That is to say -- $100 owed to a court may net out to $97 after a 3% card processing fee is deducted. That is not acceptable to the court. When they charge $100, they expect to be paid $100. So the missing three dollars is tacked on top as a surcharge when you elect to pay court fees with a credit or debit card. You pay financial companies for the convenience of using the card, avoiding travel time, postage, envelopes, checks and so on. They also offer you time payments, partial payments as well. That is their business. We do not have the staff nor the experience to compete with banks.
Meetings and means
We have worked to automate many of the normal tasks we did for years in 9-to-5 offices. This move was accelerated when the pandemic caused the shutdown of many buildings. But now we have discovered that our move to electonic communications is a way of working that has many advantages.
In-person meetings? Why bother? You can see our smiling faces in the screen of your cell phone. Why should you endure the hassle of dropping everything, driving to an office, sitting and talking across a desk when the information you receive via your Android or iPhone will be exactly the same? What's more, when the person on the other side of the desk is wearing a mask or latex gloves, they become difficult to hear and understand, and you surely do not see them smile anymore.
...Why should you endure the hassle of dropping everything, driving to an office...?Plus, the whole place reeks of disenfectant. The experience is now simply unpleasant, far less desirable than the ways of conducting business we remember. Why try to claim it serves clients better?
There's more - stop to consider that the cost of in-person meetings has risen dramatically. The increased cost of energy for heating / cooling / lights and simple transport from place-to-place you already know about. But there are other things - insurance, for example - claims may arise for failing to prevent the spread of some virus without greatly enhanced protection and disinfection efforts. All those possibilities and unknowns are reflected in insurance premiums. Anyone who intends to stay in business faces them directly, every day. Staff needs to be paid more simply to stay even in their standard of living. And remember, the USA is still under a declared state of health emergency.
Now, amid all the doom and gloom talk, what costs have not risen during the pandemic? Basically we can point you to electronic communications. Our cost of internet access has actually declined. After an initial bump caused by shortages, we now get more capable electronic equipment at lower prices than before the pandemic. What's more we are now able to do something like a divorce in Shelby County completely by Zoom meetings. No uncomfortable, and potentially threatening courtroom appearances for both you and your spouse are needed. All the documents required are exchanged electronically - eliminating most if not all printers, paper, postage, travel cost.
No uncomfortable, and potentially threatening courtroom appearances, and public speaking... We have even developed special documents which you can complete on the screen of your phone or laptop - no pen / ink / printer / scanner needed. Transmit the screen form directly to your file on our secure server through a tunnel of military grade encryption -- it's safe, it's private, it's secure. We have yet to meet a client who thought exposing the details of their personal life to anyone, any third party snoop was a good idea.
Given all the above factors, should there be any wonder we want to move our practice to electronic means? We think it is the future, and the more we try to retain the ways of the past the more of a disservice we do to our clients. We understand you may like the ways of the past. We like many aspects as well. But we think those days are gone. If you like to pay more to cover increased costs, if you hire an attorney because you like the work of their office interior decorator, or admire the material their tailor uses - we may not be your firm. If you would rather hire the same experienced lawyer at pre-pandemic prices because they have invested a lot of time and resources into improvising, adapting and overcoming by using improved means and methods to combat increased costs and challenges -- click below to enter the new realm of handling your legal action.
