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The economy is changing, so we changed with it. At Proper Defense we believe that traditional legal billing practices will soon be a thing of the past and the attorneys that refuse to deviate from the “billable hour” method will be left behind. We understand how much anxiety and stress legal fees can cause due to their inherent uncertainty. This is why we offer creative billing packages designed to maximize your satisfaction as our client and reduce the uncertainty.
If you speak with ten attorneys chances are all ten of them will tell you that they will only bill by the hour. This means that the more time they spend on your case the more money they make. Do you think that they are incentivized to resolve the issue quickly? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the answer to that one. In defense of this, they will tell you something along the lines of “there is no other way to do it” or “this is how it is done in our industry.” Don’t fall for this.
Billing by the hour is what is best for the lawyer, not the client. Attorneys, especially those at large firms, live and die by the billable hour. Those who make partner are those who bill the most hours. The system is inherently inefficient. It encourages lawyers to bog the case down all in the pursuit of more billable hours.
Contrary to popular belief, there are other ways attorneys can bill their clients. We just so happen to be one of the few law firms that have taken the time to figure out how to do it in a way that is still profitable.
At Proper Defense we know the difference between our overhead expenses and the costs associated with your case. Unfortunately, most other law firms either don’t know the difference or even worse, don’t care. We will not charge you for:
Flat Fee
We are able to provide many services based on an agreed-upon fixed fee. This pricing model gives peace of mind to our clients that seek certainty as to the costs of a particular transaction or isolated legal issue. Based on our experience handling a wide variety of matters we can provide a flat fee quote for almost any defined scope project. If the flat fee is paid in full upfront we can offer discounts. Our most popular flat fee rate is for a DUI defense. For most DUIs we are able to charge $2,500 which is several thousand dollars cheaper than most other attorneys.
Unfortunately, many legal matters do not lend themselves to an accurate estimation of the time and money required for their resolution. Sometimes it is very difficult or impossible to offer certain services on a flat fee basis. For example, if you are sued it is very difficult to accurately quote how much it would cost to defend you during the various stages of litigation. The reason for this is because we are not in control of the case. The other lawyer may demand we produce thousands of documents, respond to multiple rounds of written discovery and take 15 depositions. In situations such as these, we work with each client to tailor an alternative fee arrangement to meet their financial goals. One of the ways we do this is by offering our services on an hourly basis at a reduced rate. Our hourly rates normally range from $200 – $250 per hour depending on the type of matter and its complexity. However, we are able to offer discounts on our hourly rates in exchange for an increased retainer or an agreement in which the retainer will be replenished each month. In addition, because we are a boutique firm and operate out of the Central Valley, we have minimal overhead and can provide legal services at prices most law firms cannot match. Lastly, when it is necessary to bill cases on an hourly basis, we bill in increments of .1 an hour with no minimal billing standards.
Our fixed monthly rates are making waves in the legal industry and are growing in popularity. This is a service that we are offering to our business clients and is aimed at helping you grow your business by allowing you to budget accordingly. To learn more about our fixed monthly rate packages please click HERE.
In addition to the above listed alternative billing methods below is a list of the various fee arrangements that we offer my clients.
If you would like more information regarding any of these alternative fee arrangements please contact us so that we can learn more about your legal needs and work with you to tailor our fee arrangements to your particular set of needs.
Better yet, hire Proper Defense to represent you before something goes wrong, as soon as you believe you may be suspected of committing a crime.
