A phone consultation is your opportunity to determine if you have a case. All phone consultations are completely free, all you need to do is call 724-420-0196. If we do not answer immediately, leave a voicemail and we will get back to you at our earliest convenience to assess your case. Once it is determined if you have a case, we will bring you in for an initial in person consultation.

Typically, after an initial phone consultation, we will ask you to come into the office to meet and discuss your case more in depth. We believe this is your opportunity to assess if we are the right firm for your needs. A phone consultation is not a prerequisite, as we understand sometimes the face to face interaction is the best way to explain your needs. Office consultations are limited to a half hour, and are a $100.00 flat rate, to be paid prior to arrival. If more time is necessary, the time will be billed at our hourly rate, as detailed below. Once we have determined if you have a case, we will determine if the case will require an hourly, contingent, or flat rate. For more information regarding our rates, please see below.

Retainers are a type of compensation agreement with lawyers either for reserving their employment or as compensation for future services.

Typically, retainers are requested when we agree to handle a case or future issues that arise for a client. These agreements can be adjusted for the specific needs of the client.

Here, our hourly rate is $200.00/hour for our work, regardless of whether it is in court or in the office setting. We bill at a rate of one tenth of an hour, rounded up. So for example, if your initial retainer is $2,000.00, and we do forty five minutes of work, that would equate to 0.8 hours, or $160.00, leaving the remainder of your retainer as $1,840.00.

Our goal when quoting a retainer is to estimate, based upon the facts of your case, what we believe the case will cost. However, if we underestimate that cost, a supplement to the retainer would be required. If we over estimate the cost, the money is refunded, or kept on retainer for additional work.

Typical cases which would be billed on retainer include family law, civil litigation, property disputes, contract negotiation, adoptions, and guardianships.

In a contingent fee arrangement, we receive a percentage of the monetary amount that you receive once the case is either won or settled. That means we only receive compensation if we have successfully represented you.

Further, the amount the lawyer receives is contingent upon the result the lawyer obtains and often on the phase of litigation in which the dispute settles.

Here, we will work under contingency for two types of cases: Personal Injury and Probate.

Under a personal injury case, our office receives 1/3 of the settlement value. Under Probate, our office has adopted the contingency rates laid out in the case In re Johnson Estate, 4 Fid.Rep.2d 6, 8 (O.C. Chester 1983).

Flat Fees are typically charged whenever the requested action involves the drafting of certain legal documents. These documents can vary, from a simple will or power of attorney, to complex contracts or settlement agreements. The following is a list of our current rates for some of our most common flat fee services:

$ 100.00 ~ Office Consultation

$ 200.00 ~ Will

$ 200.00 ~ Power of Attorney (P.O.A.)

$ 200.00 ~ Living Will/Healthcare P.O.A.

$ 500.00 ~ Estate Package (Will, Living Will, P.O.A)

$ 300.00 ~ Deed (Drafting Only)

$ 500.00 ~ Deed (Notarization and Filing Included)

$ 300.00 ~ Landlord/Tenant Agreement (Residential)

$ 500.00 ~ Landlord/Tenant Agreement (Commercial)