Frequently-asked questions
Types of fee arrangement
We primarily use three fee arrangements. The type of fee arrangement in your case will depend primarily on the type of case you have. See the descriptions, below, for specific examples.
We also offer consultations, either a short, 30-minute consultation, or longer consultations at our regular hourly rate.
If you have any question about the fee arrangement that would apply to your case, call or e-mail us.
Contingent-fee arrangement
We usually use a contingent-fee arrangement in a case where you would be suing someone else. This fee arrangement applies when you will be suing a debt collector, a landlord or property management company, or in other cases. If we agree to take your case on contingency, we will not charge you up front. You will not pay us unless we recover money for you.
We take cases on contingency when the law gives you the right to collect your attorney fees from the person you sue if you win. Many consumer protection laws, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Fair Housing Act, give consumers this powerful right to be reimbursed for attorney fees. This allows us to take certain cases on full contingency because the other party will be responsible for your attorney fees.
Please understand that we can only accept a very narrow category of cases on contingency. Even though we should be able to be reimbursed for our attorney fees, every case involves a significant investment of our time and money.
If you think you have a contingent-fee case, call or e-mail to arrange a free consultation.
Where someone is suing you or in certain other situations, we cannot represent you on contingency. Instead, we will represent you under a flat-fee or hourly-fee arrangement.
Flat-fee arrangement
Under a flat-fee arrangement, we represent you for a single fee, billed up front. You pay the out-of-pocket costs related to your case, so we also request an advance on those costs.
The most common cases we accept under a flat fee arrangement are debt buyer lawsuits and eviction hearings. However, some cases have become more complicated by the time we are hired. In such cases, we may require an hourly fee due to the time and effort required to represent you.
In debt buyer lawsuits, we usually charge between $1,500 and $2,500 to represent you, and we request a $500 advance on costs. Payment is due up front and in cash, as we do not make payment arrangements.
For eviction hearings, we usually charge $750 to $1,250. This does not include an evidentiary hearing, if there is one, or the time to prepare an answer or memorandum of law, if needed.
We try to give a flat-fee estimate in all cases, not just those listed above. However, in some cases it is difficult or impossible to estimate the amount of work or costs involved. In those cases, an hourly-fee arrangement is usually a better fit.
Hourly-fee arrangement
In all other cases, we charge by the hour. We bill in tenth-of-an-hour (six minute) increments at the rate of $200-295/hour for attorneys, and $125/hour for paralegals or law clerks. If an hourly fee applies in your case, we will provide you with our best estimate of the time required to represent you. We require a retainer fee of at least $3,000 up front. Half of your initial retainer will be non-refundable. The other half will be deposited in our trust account. We will bill against the full amount of the retainer until it is exhausted, at which time our representation will terminate unless you make another payment.
We bill by the hour in cases that are likely to involve an unexpected amount of work or costs.
Consultations
Some just need a bit of legal advice, not full representation. To this end, we offer 30-minute consultations, or you can hire us for a longer time period for $150 for the first 30 minutes, plus extra time at our regular hourly rates listed above (minimum $500).
Consultations are often best for people who are representing themselves, or who just need some advice to help decide what to do. If you think a consultation may work best for you, sign up for a 30-minute consultation. If you think you will need more time, let us know when scheduling your consultation.
