WHY I HAVE DECIDED TO CHARGE FLAT FEES FOR ALL OF MY DIVORCE AND FAMILY LAW CASES
I have decided to charge flat fees for all of my divorce and family law cases-contested and uncontested-from now on, and here is why:
1. Flat fees are better for my clients and my office. The client knows exactly what he or she will pay, and I know exactly what I will receive. There is less tension between my clients and my office over fees, billing, and communications. If a doctor can manage to charge a flat fee for major surgery, I can certainly manage to properly estimate a fee for a divorce.
2. Flat fees provide an incentive for my office to focus more thoroughly on the case and the client than on billing. This will result in better outcomes for clients, which is ultimately better for my office.
3. Clients hire attorneys for their knowledge and expertise, they do not rent them by the hour like power tools from Home Depot-or at least they should not. I have come to the conclusion that I can, actually, estimate the time and complexity of a case if my client and I can have a detailed consultation where the client provides reasonably accurate information about his or her life and situation.
4. I think clients will enthusiastically embrace this new way of doing business, which will ultimately benefit my office.
So, I guess I will soon learn whether this new idea of mine will succeed or fail. I will keep writing about my experiences with this new practice model in future posts.