Our Approach to Giving You Access to Quality Legal Represenation
Your Initial Consultation: A Flat Fee Approach
We do charge an initial consultation fee of $150.00. We believe in the marketing adage that if you do not pay for something, you are the thing being sold. We want the people who consult with us to only receive clear, unbiased legal advice and not be concerned that they are being sold something. If, after the consultation, we agree to move forward with the representation, you will typically have saved money at the outset of your case. If we do not agree to move forward or if you choose another attorney, there is no pressure.
Low Cost Initial Consultation
At Becker Law Firm, we believe everyone deserves quality legal support at an affordable price. Our tiered pricing model for family law cases is built to ensure accessibility for all clients.
No matter where your case fits, our pricing model is designed to make legal services accessible based upon some simple principles
1. Reduce the initial retainer. For many people a retainer fee of $3,000.00 or more is not realistic. However, good lawyers are not cheap and you deserve a good lawyer. What we have done is reduce our initial retainer, to make the initial threshhold accessible.
2. Establish an automated monthly replenishment. This is the key to allowing us to establish a lower initial retainer. Just like any other major purchase, you will make monthly payments towards your legal services.
3. No surprise bills. The other primary pain point we have identified for clients is when they get that bill for thousands of dollars. With the automated monthly payments, so long as you are making your payments we keep working on your case without requiring another large payment.
Tier 1
Suitable for straightforward family law cases such as uncontested divorces, juvenile court support matters.
$1,200 retainer and payments of $300 per month
Tier 2
Designed for more complex family law matters with a larger marital estate and requiring more legal support.
$2,500 retainer and payments of $500 per month
Tier 3
$4,000+ retainer and payments of $1,000 per month
Our Tiered System
Tier 1
Applicable when both parties are cooperative, there are no minor children or there is no custody dispute, the marital estate is under $100,000, and there are no business interests or pension division. It is also applicable to matters that are more routine.
Expected Duration: 6 – 9 months.
- Uncontested divorce cases
- Simple child support cases
- Routine juvenile court matters
Tier 2
Applicable when there is a disputed property division, disputed custody, a marital estate of $100,001 – $250,000, temporary support is requested by either party, some pension or retirement interests to divide, or matters that require discovery, depositions or contested hearings.
Expected duration 12 – 18 months
- Contested divorce cases
- Complex child custody or visitation disputes
Tier 3
Applicable to high-stakes or highly complex cases requiring extensive legal expertise and personalized attention. The marital estate is in excess of $250,000. Typically, there is some form of emergency relief being requested
- High-conflict divorce and custody battles
- Employment law cases involving significant damages or litigation
- Cases requiring court appearances and extensive legal strategy
FAQs
Explore frequently asked questions about our tiered pricing system.
What happens to my payments?
Every payment goes into our firm’s trust account where it stays until either we have earned a legal fee (usually once a month) or incurred an expense such as a filing fee. If there is still money in this account at the conclusion of the representation, it comes back to you.
How many payments do I have to make?
You will make a monthly payment for the life of your case. Once the case is concluded, any excess payments come back to you. If there is anything still owed to our firm, we will work out a payment schedule for the remainder.
What happens if I can't make a monthly payment?
You will be given a 14-day grace period to make up any missed payments. However, because this model is dependent on the regular monthly payments, any payment that is not made will likely result in work on your case stopping. A second missed payment will result in us seeking to terminate our representation of you.
My situation started simple. What if it becomes contested?
No one can perfectly know the future and experience has taught us that what started simple can escalate. If your case moves up a tier, we will first notify you in writing of the move and the event which triggered it. You will then have to pay the additional retainer fee for that tier and your monthly payment will be adjusted going forward.
Is this a flat fee service?
No. We still charge by the hour for our legal services and the ultimate cost is still dependent on what needs to be done. However, by setting up a recurring monthly payment we give you a predictable monthly cost and spread out the costs in a more manageable way.
How do I know into which tier my case fits?
By reading the section describing the different tiers you can get some idea. However, your tier is set during the initial consultation with our attorney.
How do I know what has been spent on my case?
Each month you will be given a monthly statement which shows the work that was done, the cost for that work, and the balance of your trust account. By maintaining access to your client portal, you will always have access to these record.