Billing Practice Philosophy Or How Much Will This Cost?
Billing Practice Philosophy
I have chosen to focus my career on criminal defense and medical marijuana law due to my background in drug policy. I strive to solve the day-to-day legal problems that so many face with an emphasis on listening to my clients and their goals for their individual problems. My criminal case billing practice philosophy is on a fixed-fee basis after evaluating the difficulty and issues present in your individualized case or inquiry. My civil and corporate law billing is generally hourly with a retainer at the outset of representation.
This gives clients the opportunity to know and plan accordingly for costs at the outset of a case rather than receive a bill at a later date at an hourly rate which may be more than they expected. I strive to let each client know before representation is agreed upon what the cost to them will be for their peace of mind and to allow them to prepare and plan accordingly for the costs. However, some cases and most civil and corporate matters do require hourly billing or other billing arrangement given the uncertainty as to the time and difficulty of a unique case and in those instances I bill at an hourly or contractual rate. If a matter is of the sort that requires hourly billing, I always clarify this point and make note of it with a client prior to beginning representation.
My standard hourly rate for most criminal and corporate work is $250 per hour, except in certain medical patient cases where I will halve my hourly rate to $125 when pro bono service is not appropriate. I manage to keep my rates at low levels by utilizing email, voicemail and other technology to reduce overhead costs as well as staffing costs.
I take business consultation clients when time permits on an hourly basis with a 1 hour minimum of $250 or medical patients at $125 hourly. My flat rate retainer cases are generally criminal and I offer free consultation for criminal cases to allow the client time to understand the issues present and get a feel for what I offer. Most flat rate violation cases will have a $500-$2,000 retainer, most misdemeanors start at $2,500-$5,000, and most jail felony cases start at $5,000-$7,500 and most prison level felony cases range between $7,500-$25,000. These are guidelines and each case is different.
Most cases do not require the entire fee at the beginning of a case and most clients are on a regular payment plan after partial initial funding is secured. Corporate and civil matters generally require a $2500-$5000 minimum retainer and some matters will require substantially more before commitment to lengthy projects will occur. Clients seeking to ensure attorney availability for future criminal matter allegations generally require a $5000 retainer.
My Pro Bono (Free) work which is 10-20% of my workload is generally reserved for AIDS/HIV, Cancer, MS, and other terminal and indigent clients as well as the time I donate each week to answering questions for medical clinics, patient groups, other attorneys, and the general public in addition to waiving all speaking fees for drug policy groups and activist organizations.