Legal fees generally produce anxiety when you consider consulting a lawyer. This page is designed to take some of the anxiety out of meeting with one of our lawyers.

A quick summary of our legal fees

Consultation Fee – $200 for initial appointment. Consultations are free for personal injury and estate planning cases

Hourly Rates – per attorney

  • David Jones – $300
  • John Groseclose – $295
  • Norman Short – $300
  • Douglas E. Somers - $300
  • Megan Quirk - $295
  • Kathleen Rice - $295

Hourly Rates for Paralegal and Clerical Cases 

  • Clerical – $40.00
  • Paralegal, Jean Kaio – $150.00
  • Assistants – $125.00

Legal fees: Other possible arrangements

  • Personal injury: You don't owe any attorney fees unless you settle your claim or win in court. 
  • Estate planning: May be available for a flat fee for wills, trusts, property agreements and powers of attorney. Call for detailed information.
  • Retainer Fees: We use retainers more often than flat fees. Retainers are like down payments. Once you provide the retainer, we place it in a special account. From that account we pay for court fees, attorneys fees and other costs as they arise. You will get a monthly report that includes your balance and each charge paid out that month is itemized. Generally, you will not be asked to provide a retainer the covers the entire fee at once. As the escrow account is depleted, you will replenish it. 

Explanation of legal fees

  • Consultation Fee: We charge a reduced fee for your first meeting. Both you and our attorney decide whether we can best serve your needs. At your initial consultation your attorney may ask some probing questions about your legal situation. For complex cases, they do that primarily to give you an accurate estimate your total attorney fees and set a realistic retainer schedule.
  • Hourly Rate: With the exception of personal injury cases and many estate planning cases, we usually charge you for each hour (or portion of an hour) that the lawyer works on your case. There are a few services for which we charge a flat fee.
  • Contingency Fees: Percentage of the amount awarded in the case. This fee arrangement is used in personal injury cases. You do not pay attorneys fees, if you lose the case. Contingency fee percentages vary. The most common percentages range between one-third and 40%. During the consultation, discuss expected expenses and the payment schedule.