77 W. Washington Street, Suite 500
Chicago, IL. 60602
Ph. (312) 984-5000
The cost of hiring an attorney is always a matter of primary concern. Nothing's more discouraging to a prospective client than visiting a law firm’s opulent offices. One look at the expensive art, the beautiful furniture, the costly floor coverings, the attractive staff and the incredible view tells the client that hiring this lawyer will be financially painful. I’ve been a client many times, and won’t subject you to the same experience.
Opulent offices are intended to convey to prospective clients the message that these attorneys get results. Still, you are the one who has to pay, and you want to pay as little as possible.
An attorney’s fees have to be sufficient to justify taking on your case. Hourly fees vary depending on the attorney’s skill, and experience, and on the case itself. Not everyone pays the same amount. Attorneys are also obligated to take on pro bono cases, for which they receive nothing. That unbillable time has to be made up elsewhere.
There are unavoidable costs of litigation, such as fees paid to court reporters, fees paid to convert electronic data to printed form, the cost to hire experts (if the case requires them) and an attorney also has to cover overhead, rent, electronic research fees, and on and on.
So, what do I charge? Like many attorneys, I have two basic billing arrangements. The first is a straight hourly fee plus out of pocket expenses. The second is a contingent fee plus costs In either case, I will negotiate with you to set a fee you can be comfortable with.
My hourly fees run between $250.00 per hour and $375.00 per hour. Expenses are usually billed as incurred, but sometimes on a pre-agreed schedule, such as monthly, or quarterly. In some cases I will agree to a maximum fee, to cap your expenses.
Contingent fees are more typical where a sizeable recovery is sought. They run between 25% and 33% of the recovery. In addition, a retainer is usually required, A retainer is an up-front fee applied against any recovery. If there’s no recovery (that is, if the case is lost or dismissed), the client pays no more. As with hourly billings, costs are billed as incurred or on a pre-agreed schedule. Lastly, I may with your consent, turn your case over to another attorney I feel can better handle it.
You always have the right to fire me, but if you do, you may have to pay for my services to the date of firing before I will release your file.
What I can assure you is that my fees are probably less than that of other attorneys of like experience and skill.
