At Stange Law Firm, PC, we use hourly billing and do not offer flat fees. Our team includes attorneys at different experience levels and hourly rates. During your consultation, we can discuss available options, the initial deposit, and the fee agreement.
Initial Consultations at a Reduced First-Hour Rate
Our initial consultations are paid consultations, with the first hour offered at a reduced rate. This gives prospective clients an opportunity to get to know our firm, discuss their concerns with an attorney, and learn about representation before deciding whether to hire us.
Consultations are not free. Ask about the applicable consultation fee and the rate for time beyond the first hour when scheduling. Bring relevant documents and a concise list of questions to make the meeting productive.
Hourly Billing Accounts for Time Spent
Hourly billing accounts for the time spent working on your case. You are charged for legal services performed at the applicable hourly rate, in 0.1-hour increments. This allows fees to reflect the work your matter requires as it develops, whether through negotiation, settlement, or contested litigation.
Billable work may include reviewing records, conducting legal research, drafting documents, communicating with clients and opposing counsel, negotiating, preparing for hearings, and appearing in court. Work performed outside the courtroom can be essential to preparing and presenting your case.
The basic calculation is straightforward: the applicable hourly rate multiplied by the billable time equals the fee for that work. If multiple professionals work on a matter, their time is charged at their applicable rates under the fee agreement. Court costs and other expenses may be charged separately.
Each 0.1-hour increment equals six minutes. The fee agreement explains how these increments apply to services performed.
| Recorded Time | Equivalent Minutes | Portion of Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 hour | 6 minutes | 10% |
| 0.2 hour | 12 minutes | 20% |
| 0.3 hour | 18 minutes | 30% |
| 0.4 hour | 24 minutes | 40% |
| 0.5 hour | 30 minutes | 50% |
| 0.6 hour | 36 minutes | 60% |
| 0.7 hour | 42 minutes | 70% |
| 0.8 hour | 48 minutes | 80% |
| 0.9 hour | 54 minutes | 90% |
| 1.0 hour | 60 minutes | 100% |
The Initial Deposit Is an Advance Toward Services
An initial deposit, sometimes called an advance fee, provides funds toward future services. It is not a flat price for completing the case. As work is performed, charges are applied under the fee agreement, and clients may need to replenish their balance.
Unused funds are refunded at the conclusion of representation after final charges are resolved. Depending on the work required and payments made, a client may instead have an outstanding balance.
Review invoices as you receive them and ask about entries you do not understand. Our frequently asked questions explain more about the firm’s billing and consultation process.
The Hourly Rate Matters and Experience Matters
The idea that “you get what you pay for” is relevant when evaluating professional services. An attorney’s rate may reflect experience, skill, and the demands of the work. The lowest hourly rate does not necessarily produce the lowest total bill, and the highest rate does not guarantee a particular outcome.
Consider a hypothetical task: four hours at $300 per hour costs $1,200, while two and a half hours at $400 per hour also costs $1,000. These are examples, not Stange Law Firm rates or predictions about an attorney’s efficiency. They show why clients should consider both the rate and the work required.
Experience can matter when identifying issues, evaluating evidence, negotiating proposals, and preparing for court. When comparing attorneys, ask about their experience with the particular issues you face rather than focusing exclusively on price.
Some clients prefer a lawyer with less experience and a lower hourly rate. Others want a lawyer with more extensive experience and are comfortable with a higher rate, particularly when facing complicated financial issues or contested proceedings. The appropriate choice depends on the client’s priorities, budget, case, and available attorneys.
Different Attorney Levels at Stange Law Firm
Our attorney biographies identify junior associate attorneys, associate attorneys, senior associate attorneys, team leaders, senior team leaders, and partners. Reviewing a biography can help you understand an attorney’s background before discussing representation.
Ask about relevant family law experience, who will perform the work, and the rates that apply. A title alone does not describe every attorney’s qualifications or establish a price. Attorney availability, location, and the needs of the case also affect staffing.
Our firm can discuss available options rather than requiring every client to select the same experience level or hourly rate. A client seeking a lower-rate attorney and a client seeking a more experienced attorney at a higher rate may have different priorities. Discussing those priorities during the consultation helps clarify the available choices.
Communicate Efficiently to Manage Fees
Calls and emails are important parts of representation, and reviewing and responding to them takes time. Repeated calls about the same issue, several separate emails containing small pieces of information, or forwarding duplicate documents can create additional work.
For nonurgent matters, gather related questions into one organized message. Use clear subject lines, identify any deadlines, and provide the documents your attorney needs. Before calling, write down your questions so the conversation stays focused. Avoid sending the same request to several team members unless asked to do so.
For example, one organized email listing five related questions may be more efficient to review and answer than five separate emails sent throughout the day. Actual time depends on the substance of the questions and the work needed to respond.
Efficient communication should keep your attorney informed. Send important developments, court papers, safety concerns, and urgent questions promptly. The goal is to reduce avoidable repetition while preserving the communication needed to handle your case.
Cooperate With Your Attorney and Provide Organized Information
Failing to cooperate with reasonable requests can increase legal expenses. Delays in providing records may require reminders, additional conferences, or last-minute work. Incomplete answers and disorganized documents can also increase the time needed to understand your circumstances or prepare a response.
Provide complete information, follow instructions about document delivery, and meet agreed deadlines. If a record is unavailable, explain the problem promptly. Give your attorney unfavorable facts as well as favorable ones so the strategy accounts for the full situation.
Organize financial records by account and date when requested. Identify documents clearly and avoid repeatedly sending the same material. Preparation can help your attorney spend more time analyzing the information and less time locating missing pieces.
If you disagree with a recommendation, ask your attorney to explain it. A focused discussion can help resolve questions before time is spent pursuing an approach you do not understand or support.
Being Reasonable Can Reduce Legal Expenses
Every unresolved issue can require additional negotiation, preparation, or court involvement. Fighting over a low-value possession, responding to every irritating comment, or insisting on an impractical arrangement can increase fees without providing a corresponding benefit.
Ask what an issue may cost to pursue, what practical benefit is at stake, and whether a reasonable proposal would address your concern. An informed settlement can reduce the work remaining in the case.
Being reasonable includes distinguishing important issues involving children, safety, or financial security from disagreements that can be resolved through a workable compromise. Your attorney can help you evaluate those distinctions and the consequences of a proposed agreement.
Some cases require litigation despite a client’s reasonable efforts. The other party’s conduct and the demands of the case also influence expenses. Clients can control their own decisions and preparation, even when they cannot control the entire process.
Why Hourly Billing Is Common in Contested Litigation
Hourly billing is a common and traditional billing method for contested divorce and family law cases. The work is difficult to predict at the outset. A matter that appears straightforward may expand to include disputed financial records, depositions, expert testimony, motions, or trial.
Hourly billing accounts for the time spent addressing those developments. When issues are resolved and less work is required, clients can avoid the future fees associated with that work. When additional preparation or litigation becomes necessary, the billing reflects the services performed.
Clients can review the time charged and discuss priorities as the case progresses. An hourly arrangement also requires attention to efficiency: unnecessary work increases expenses, making focused communication, preparation, and reasonable decisions valuable.
Flat Fees and the Challenges of Litigation
Some other law firms offer flat fees, which set a price for a defined scope of services. Stange Law Firm, PC does not offer flat fees. Although that approach may suit a predictable task or a carefully limited matter elsewhere, a single flat fee covering an entire contested case is often a poor fit because neither side can reliably predict how much work the litigation will require.
Flat fees can also create competing financial incentives. If the fee remains the same whether the client settles quickly or continues litigating, the client may have less financial incentive to resolve a dispute. Avoiding additional attorney time may not reduce the agreed fee, although other expenses and personal considerations still matter.
From the attorney’s perspective, substantial additional work without additional compensation can create economic pressure to limit the time devoted to the matter. Once compensation is fixed, additional preparation does not generate additional fees. That potential tension deserves consideration in a case where the amount of necessary work is uncertain.
These are potential concerns, not conclusions about every flat-fee arrangement. Regardless of the billing method, an attorney’s duties of competence, diligence, and loyalty remain. Collecting a fee in advance does not necessarily mean it has all been earned.
Carefully structured flat fees can work in some circumstances, but the scope, exclusions, handling of advance payments, and treatment of unexpected litigation require close attention. Our firm uses hourly billing to account for the time spent providing services as a case develops.
Our article on why fixed fees can be problematic in family law discusses additional concerns.
Discuss Your Options With Stange Law Firm
Choosing representation involves understanding the hourly rate, the attorney’s experience, and how your own participation can affect the work required. At Stange Law Firm, PC, we can discuss available attorney options and explain the billing terms before representation begins.
Our paid initial consultations offer a reduced rate for the first hour so prospective clients can get to know us and discuss their circumstances. Contact our firm to schedule a consultation about your divorce or family law matter. We are Here to Help You Rebuild Your Life™.
