How We Bill You
In my law office at Signature Hill, unless other special, limited written arrangements, we bill on an hourly
basis, or we have a separate contract which is called a contingent fee contract:
An hourly bill basis is good news and bad news. The bad news is that you will get billed for
everything we do. The good news is,
(and I'm emphasizing good news,) you will only get billed for what you use in our office.
We have a billable computer that tracks the time generally and will show you on a statement what you've used.
That plays real well to you having some control. During your initial client conference, we will, generally be
able to project to you what we believe the amount of billable time will probably be in Phase I, of the
litigation, i.e. preparing the pleadings and documents to get your claim to court, and to position your file.
Once we get you positioned and through Phase I, then we would probably most often get into Phase II, which
would be the negotiations phase, if any, and Phase III, ultimately litigating the issues in case there isn't a
settlement that meets with your liking. By us giving some kind of a projection, you can literally have some
control over the billing. You can stop it or slow it down at any time, in Phase I, Phase II, or Phase III,
depending on your finances.
During client orientation, you will be given a copy of a fictional bill from another client's file, aimed at
aiding you so that you can see where billable time goes. I remember my shock the first time I ever got a
cell phone bill and I didn't realize how much time I was using. In an effort to help you, we can give you a
copy of a fictional bill, to show you just how easily billable time can pile up so that you can avoid unnecessary
billable time or so that you can have some idea as to where it will be going,
before you choose to hire us as an attorney.
You should spend a lot of time with any attorney before hiring him. You should ask what their plans are in
billable time (hourly and amount) and how and when they expect to be paid. These issues are all outlined in
the contract and the statement which is easily read and which we will go over, with you in detail before you
choose our office to represent your legal needs.
To lessen the impact somewhat, and to help you pay for billable time, we have a charge card terminal in our office
so that you can charge not only your retainer, but future billable amounts of time. We found a lot of clients see
this as a very convenient way to spread out paying legal fees
on a much more reduced monthly basis. They can then work an arrangement with the charge card company and still stay
up to date with us in our billing of billabe time. Most major credit cards are accepted at Signature Hill.
Lastly, with regard to billable time, although there are no guarantees, and no way to account for the other sides
actions, we will endeavor to give you some idea as to how much billable time will be involved in Phase I, Phase II,
and Phase III of the litigation, so that you can have some idea where this would go.
It is important for me to again repeat, that billable time is not something we like, but it's a necessary reality,
and we'll spend as much time with you as we need to, so that you understand where your hard-earned money went.