Fixed-Price Services and Fees

. I do not offer fixed prices for most family law matters. I believe that this is usually inappropriate. I always tell my clients that, one way or another, all of the lawyers engaged in family law practice are charging by the hour. It is simply too difficult to estimate the number of hours that will be necessary to accomplish a given task, since much depends on the other party, including the choice of counsel by the other party.

• $300.00

• I am happy to discuss matters on the telephone with clients, to give them an idea of what services I might be able to offer, and to get some understanding of their situation, so that I can advise them as to whether or not an initial consultation in the office would be appropriate, and also to offer brief advice, if appropriate. I do not charge for that service, I do charge $100 for an initial consultation, which is for a nominal one-half hour, although I have never considered myself a "clock watcher" in that regard. Many of my consultations go well over the one-half hour, and I am happy to provide the extra time, depending upon the need of the client, for the initial $100 fee.

• It is very hard to state a "typical" retainer. Each case is unique, and I take care to evaluate each case individually on its particular facts. Indeed, one of the purposes of the initial consultation is to obtain enough information from the client to adequately assess the case and to be able to intelligently estimate costs and fees, and to assess an appropriate initial retainer.