Fees and Payment.
Our fees are often charged on an hourly basis for work completed by our attorneys and paralegals. We most often request an advance deposit (sometimes referred to as a retainer) for hourly projects which is deposited in our trust account. We send you a billing statement monthly and then draw the applicable amount from your trust account and request replenishment monthly. Any amount not utilized will be refunded to the client.
For some projects, particularly estate planning, once we know the scope of your project, we will provide you with a flat fee charge that covers legal advice and strategy meetings, phone calls, emails, drafting of documents, execution of documents with a notary, recording of Washington state deeds with the county and other associated costs. We try to make the scope clear as to what is and is not covered by that flat fee, but if you are ever confused, please ask and we are happy to clarify. Sometimes we will do a part of the project at a flat fee and then agree that additional work will be hourly.
We do not provide "free consultations" since we are not allowed to provide legal advice to non-clients under our professional rules of ethics. You are not a client until we have received a signed engagement letter from you. We also ask you not send us any documents or specific case information until you have signed an engagement letter. When you make your first meeting request, our staff will respond to gather basic information from you regarding the general subject matter and scope of your issue to be sure it is within our practice areas, answer questions about our process and timelines, and provide you with an estimated fee range, if possible. An actual fee amount will be set by the attorney after meeting with you.
We request payment by secure LawPay portal prior to or at the end of our first meeting, whether flat fee or deposit for hourly work.
Our fees are often charged on an hourly basis for work completed by our attorneys and paralegals. We most often request an advance deposit (sometimes referred to as a retainer) for hourly projects which is deposited in our trust account. We send you a billing statement monthly and then draw the applicable amount from your trust account and request replenishment monthly. Any amount not utilized will be refunded to the client.
For some projects, particularly estate planning, once we know the scope of your project, we will provide you with a flat fee charge that covers legal advice and strategy meetings, phone calls, emails, drafting of documents, execution of documents with a notary, recording of Washington state deeds with the county and other associated costs. We try to make the scope clear as to what is and is not covered by that flat fee, but if you are ever confused, please ask and we are happy to clarify. Sometimes we will do a part of the project at a flat fee and then agree that additional work will be hourly.
We do not provide "free consultations" since we are not allowed to provide legal advice to non-clients under our professional rules of ethics. You are not a client until we have received a signed engagement letter from you. We also ask you not send us any documents or specific case information until you have signed an engagement letter. When you make your first meeting request, our staff will respond to gather basic information from you regarding the general subject matter and scope of your issue to be sure it is within our practice areas, answer questions about our process and timelines, and provide you with an estimated fee range, if possible. An actual fee amount will be set by the attorney after meeting with you.
We request payment by secure LawPay portal prior to or at the end of our first meeting, whether flat fee or deposit for hourly work.
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