The following is Dan Simon Law Office’s Fee Schedule & Expense Policy which explains the different methods of billing and your responsibilities for expenses related to your Matter.
Billing
The Firm bills on a monthly basis. Every month you will receive a statement of services rendered in your Matter. The Firm appreciates prompt payment of fees. After 30 days, interest is charged on any unpaid balances at a rate of 1-1/2% per month.
If you ever have a question about the status of a fee or your account with the Firm, you are encouraged to contact the Firm. You are not charged for such inquiries.
The Firm accepts cash, checks, and all major credit cards. Please remember that the Firm is a small law office and cannot afford to represent clients who refuse to pay their bill for the services rendered.
Hourly Rates
Effective January 1, 2023, the Firm’s prevailing hourly rates are:
- Dan Simon $365/hour
- Paralegal: $110/hour
- Law Clerks $90/hour
- Staff $44.00/hour
The Firm’s hourly rates are subject to change; however, you will be provided with 30 days written notice of any such changes. Time is billed in time increments of ten minutes. Any time spent discussing any disputes, concerns regarding the services provided, or your statement is never billed.
Flat Fees
The Firm provides certain services through a flat fee agreement. In such an arrangement the Firm will charge a set fee for a specific service and the charged fee is not affected by the amount of time the service takes. Services provided in which a flat fee may be charged include estate planning, real estate transactions, business organization, and tickets.
Contingency Fees
The Firm takes certain cases on a contingency basis. In such an arrangement the Firm does not collect any fees from you until and unless there is a successful resolution at the end of the case. If the Firm takes a case on a contingency basis there will be a separate contingency fee agreement which you will have to sign before representation will begin.
Time Standards
The Firm also bills time based on “Time Standards.” In certain instances, services being performed for you are substantially similar to services provided in the past for other clients and will be billed at an amount of time that is fair to you given the work being performed and to past clients for the services already provided. That is, although a document may have evolved through hours and hours of work in the past, the charge to the previous client and to you will be substantially the same.
For example, if the actual time to create a 30 page operating agreement was 20 hours of legal time plus constant editing over time, the charge to the first client may have been 2 hours and the time charged to each subsequent user for a similar base operating agreement (the “Time Standard”) is the same 2 hours. Any material modifications are then billed in addition to the 2 hour Time Standard.
The Firm may also divide or fairly allocate time (whether equally or on some other share) between clients, when providing simultaneous services (e.g. attending a court appearance for two clients in the same matter).
Deposits
In certain instances, the Firm will require a fee deposit before proceeding with representation of a client on a matter. The Firm will bill the client for the services rendered and will collect the fee from the deposit until the deposit is depleted. The client will either have to replenish the deposit, at the same amount, or start paying on a monthly basis. This is determined at the Firm’s discretion.
In other situations, the Firm may require a deposit after representation has commenced. If this were to occur, the deposit would be an amount equal to the three months’ worth of the average fee in the Matter. For example, if the monthly statements in a matter were $300, $400, $300, and $600, the average fee would be $400/month and the deposit would be $1,200.
Expense Policy
In addition to your legal fees, you are responsible for paying all reasonable expenses that are incurred during our engagement, including, but not limited to, long distance telephone charges, postage, copying, mileage and travel expenses, photographs, medical records, medical reports, medical tests, title reports, witness statements, the cost and expense of hiring expert witnesses and consultants, trial costs, filing and recording fees, and all other out-of-pocket expenses directly incurred in the investigation, preparation, and prosecution or advancement of your case or interests, as the case may be.