Have you heard the term “flat fee lawyer” and not known what it meant? I am going to give you a complete primer in flat fee lawyers and services.
A flat fee lawyer performs a specifically defined legal service for a set, flat fee. Once you pay the flat fee, you do not have to pay any more (unless you hire the lawyer for another service). Therefore, you are able to get a particular legal service performed for you for an set, unquestionable fee.
With a flat fee lawyer, you will not feel “nickeled and dimed” when you reach out with questions or need additional help. This means that you can call your attorney and ask questions related to your case for 10 minutes and not get a bill. You’ve already paid for the time!
Flat fee services are cost effective. You never really know how much a service from a lawyer is going to cost. But with flat fee services, you know that “Drafting a Simple Motion” is $395. Period. The end. You can work these costs into your budget. You can pursue various avenues of your case as you can afford. You can rest easy knowing that you are not getting any giant bills after the fact, and that you know exactly how much you will be spending on your case.
Flat Fee Divorce Options
While I do not provide flat fee full representation services for contested cases, I do provide flat fee full representation for joint dissolutions. This means that if you two agree on divorce terms, and want to file together, I will represent you from start to finish for a flat fee.
I also offer document drafting services for divorce proceedings. For example, I will draft your initial divorce documents, OR a response to initial divorce documents for a flat fee. Oftentimes you will need to draft a motion after your case has already been commenced. This could be a motion to reschedule a court date, or an emergency parenting plan motion. You can purchase those drafting options and I will draft the motion for you for a flat fee.
There are other options as well, including unlimited email support and document editing.
It is hard to find a fully flat fee divorce attorney. Some attorneys do provide flat fee full representation on divorce cases. It is a growing area, but one that can be difficult to navigate for attorneys, and often expensive for clients as the flat fee for a case that might go to Court can be very high.
Flat Fee Divorce Mediation
Most parties in Montana are required to mediate their divorce or parenting plan case BEFORE it can go to Court. However, mediation can be expensive and local “pro bono” programs are either thin or non-existent. Therefore, it can be nice to have a flat fee option. I offer zoom mediations statewide for flat fee divorce mediation. This also gives you and your partner the ability to mediate without watching the clock. You can take as long as you want, you aren’t getting a huge bill when you are done.
Zoom mediation might not sound great but as many other mediators will attest, it actually works BETTER than in-person mediation. Surprising, right? Reasons given for the success of zoom mediation are: you do not have to worry about seeing or bumping into the other person, you are in the comfort of your own environment, and there is less interrupting when people speak.
Flat Fee Will
I offer flat fee simple wills. What is a simple will? A simple will is a Last Will and Testament that basically says where you want your assets to go when you die. It can also create a trust and set forth guardianship for children. I also throw in a living will, if desired. Estate planning can be really difficult and easy to postpone, so I find that it helps to make it easy. All you do is fill out a form, and pay the fee. You might get some questions from me to clarify or fill in blanks. Otherwise, you generally get a draft of your will in about a week.
Other Types of Flat Fee Legal Work
There are other areas that lend themselves to flat fee applications. This is not an exhaustive list, merely a few examples.
Bankruptcy
It is easy to find bankruptcy counsel that is a flat fee lawyer. It makes sense because the client can budget, and the flat fee lawyers know that they will get paid for their service, as they have been paid in advance.
Criminal Law
Similar to family law, criminal law has some flat fee applications, but it is hard to find a fully flat fee criminal lawyer due to the likelihood the client will end up in court. However, you can often find a criminal lawyer who can perform the flat fee services of drafting motions, doing brief hearings for a flat fee (such as arraignments), or other like services.
Estate Planning
Similar to my flat fee wills, you can find estate lawyers who offer flat fee packages. They will likely be more expensive than my flat fee wills, but can include more complex estate planning such as creating various trusts as needed.
FAQs
Why would a flat fee lawyer offer flat fee services if they can make more as a retainer lawyer?
Being a flat fee lawyer is very rewarding because you can perform services that help people without keeping track of billable hours or trying to minimize client contact to save their money. For more on my approach to family law, which applies to my flat fee work, please visit this blog post: https://mtfoxlaw.com/my-approach-to-family-law-cases/.
Do you need a lot of paperwork to get a flat fee will?
No, I simply need the information that is on this form.
Do I ever get a bill?
No, you never get a bill after you pay for the service.
After the initial flat fee service is performed, can I hire you to do more?
Of course! We can schedule another consultation to go over your options and next steps, or you can just purchase the next service if you already know what you need.
Let Fox Law Firm Help You!
I really enjoy my flat fee cases because I can do the part of law I like, which is helping people, without doing the part I hate, which is billing people. I also think it is more practical and cost-effective for a lot of clients and situations. Please reach out to us today to schedule a consultation to learn more about which flat fee services might help you!
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