| How
much will it cost me?
I charge a flat fee for all my legal services. The amount
you will have to pay is determined by the complexity of your
case and the number of issues to be decided. The minimum
fee I charge to represent anyone in a Family Court matter is
$500. In addition, you are responsible for all miscellaneous
expenses such as court filing fees, motion fees, other court
costs, expenses related to discovery, accountant fees,
investigator fees, etc. I require an initial
deposit to cover costs such as these. Depending on the complexity of your particular
case, your total up front cost could be substantially higher,
but it will not be lower.
The
flat fee and deposit for costs are paid in advance of work performed.
What if I can't
afford your fees?
Filing a case in
Family Court is not always the most cost effective way to solve
some legal problems. If you are trying to enforce the
terms of a settlement agreement, alimony or visitation order, often
times a demand letter from your attorney is all it takes to get
the person who is not obeying the order to comply. My fee for a
demand letter is $150. If your finances are limited and you are
trying to enforce the terms of a court order, a demand letter
could be an affordable first step that may help you avoid the
cost of litigation.
What is included in the
initial phone consultation?
This is an informal
conversation that gives me the
opportunity to assess the issues involved in your case so that I
can give you an accurate estimate of what my services will cost
you. The initial consult also gives you the
opportunity to determine whether you think I'm the right lawyer
for you and if you want to hire me to
represent you for your legal matters. An in-person consult can
be scheduled for a nominal fee.
Should you decide to
hire me, you will be required to sign a representation agreement
detailing the particular services to be rendered and fees to be
paid. Representation does not begin until the agreement is
signed and the flat fee and deposit for costs are paid.
Why don't you offer
a free in-person consult?
I used to,
But since I'm usually only in my office to meet with clients, it
was becoming a burden when so many people would make initial
appointments and then not show up. For this reason I'm
restricting the initial no-cost consultation to a phone
conversation. However, if after speaking with me on the
phone you would like to meet in person to further discuss your
case, I will schedule an appointment for a nominal charge..
Why don't you charge by the hour
like other lawyers?
When I first
opened my practice, I offered the option of hourly
billing or a flat fee. I have found that clients
prefer paying a flat fee up front, so I have discontinued hourly
billing. A flat fee gives you the
certainty of knowing what the total expense for legal fees will
be. You don't have to worry about monthly statements that list
every letter, fax, phone call, and e-mail and what you had to
pay for each one based on the time that was spent doing them.
And since very few matters in Family Court are decided quickly,
you won't go for months worrying about how
much your legal fees will ultimately be and how you're going to
pay for them. With a flat fee you know from the start and can
budget accordingly.
For more on Flat
Fee pricing, click here.
Payment
I accept payment by
cashier's check or money
order. I also accept Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American
Express. There is a 3.5% service charge if you pay by credit card
which covers the cost of processing the credit card transaction.
The information
and material contained in this website are for general
informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal
advice and should not be used or relied on as such. Any
liability that might arise from any use or reliance on the content
of this website is expressly disclaimed. Your use of such
content does not create an attorney-client relationship; only a
signed representation agreement can do that. The content of
any communication you send to us via the internet or through
e-mail may not be considered confidential. Gary M. Frazier
is licensed to practice law in the state of South Carolina only. |
