HOW TO HOLD DOWN YOUR LEGAL FEES AT THE LAW OFFICES OF
MICHAEL A. FIUMARA AND MOST OTHER LAW FIRMS...
- If you are being charged hourly by your attorney call as sparingly as possible and keep the conversation brief and to the point. Limit the chit chat and get to the point. You may be getting charged for every minute!
- Ask if you are being charged for very short telephone calls lasting less than 5 minutes. Ask your attorney if he or she prefers that you set up specified times for telephone questions and answers and whether it would be more time efficient to bundle your questions together instead of making separate telephone calls and leaving messages.
- Find out if your attorney would prefer that you email questions and would he or she charge for this time or is this part of the flat fee or other non charged benefits of representation?
- When you visit with your attorney BE PREPARED and ORGANIZED with all of your documents and an outline of what you want to accomplish by a date certain. A timeline will keep you disciplined and focused.
- Volunteer to do some leg work like picking up documents at the court house or the mortgage company. If you have the time then save some money by spending YOUR time rather than the Attorney or Paralegal's time especially if it is billed at a higher rate than your own hourly wage.
- Watch out for “add ons” and fees. Attorneys can act like banks! Find out if your attorney charges for an "open file fee." Say no! Find out and or inquire about fees and "add ons." Review your monthly invoices, and if you do not receive monthly invoices, demand that you do so that you can regularly keep track of all costs, expenses and attorney fees
Quality Legal Representation
You should be concerned about the cost of quality legal representation especially in this bad economy. However, how much is your freedom worth? Who will be watching your family if you have to spend time in jail? How much is it worth to have no criminal felony record so that you can find a good job in today’s market? Therefore, “price shopping” for a criminal defense attorney is as foolish and as dangerous as “price shopping” for a medical doctor. Remember, nobody ever regretted having a good lawyer when they were faced with criminal charges and significant jail time hanging over their heads!
How much will the Law Offices of Michael A. Fiumara charge to represent you and or a loved one?
These are the factors that I consider to arrive at a fair price for my legal services:
- The nature of the criminal charges that are filed against you and or your loved ones;
- The difficulty and complexity of your case. Is this a strike or a gang enhancement case, a multiple count case with multiple defendants?
- The specific facts of the case which could make your case a matter of first impression without precedence;
- The defenses, if any, or motions to be filed, affirmative defenses that need to be raised together with experts that I plan to hire;
- Any prior criminal history or record from the defendant needs to be taken into consideration to determine the complexity of the case(s), and the District Attorney’s attitude toward the particular defendant;
- The maximum jail and or prison exposure faced by the defendant affects the amount of time and the cost that the attorney puts into a case;
- The client’s financial ability to pay for legal services is considered when devising a payment plan; and
- All contracts are in writing and signed.
Flat Fees
Like many criminal defense attorneys, I employ a flat fixed fee for criminal cases. This type of arrangement allows the accused (the defendant) to know exactly what my attorney fees will be without any additional surprises and invoices. In some cases, the flat fee excludes the investigator’s fees and the fees for experts. In some cases, expert fees are billed separately from the attorney fees. If this is the case, the client is required to make a deposit for these additional services into the attorney-client trust account and at the end of the case any unused portion of the retainer will be promptly refunded. At the end of each month, an invoice/bill will be produced for the client to review which keeps track of the expert fees and other costs.
The flat fee is preferable to the “an hourly billing rate/fees” since there will not be any surprises at the end of the representation. All agreements are written in clear English and not legalese which will spell out the attorney’s duties and responsibilities. For Spanish speaking clients, all documents are translated into Spanish and explained in Spanish verbally with the attorney present. All agreements contain a Mediation Clause so that in the event their is a dispute between attorney and client, it can be addressed quickly and economically.
The handling of complex felony and multiple defense cases
In more complex cases such as certain felonies, I charge a fixed flat fee at each stage of the proceedings (i.e., up to and including the preliminary hearing). My goal as stated above is for the client to know in advance exactly what they will be charged in each case at each stage. The goal is for me to arrive at a very fair but yet adequate flat fee to handle each client’s case with the full attention and the necessary resources that the case and client deserve!
Please feel free to call me to arrange a free confidential consultation and evaluation of your case.
If you choose our law firm to represent you, not only will you be treated with respect and dignity, but an aggressive and thorough defense will be mounted on your behalf! We accept Visa and Mastercard. Your personal or business checks are welcome, but a cashier’s check is preferable if we do not already have a preexisting business relationship with you. We will work out a flexible payment plan, but will expect a substantial portion of the fees to be paid before we begin representation! You may also reach our criminal defense attorney, Michael A. Fiumara, at (707) 571-8600 during normal business hours (8:30 a.m. until 5: 30 p.m. Monday through Friday). During evenings and weekends, please call (707) 888-8279. |
