If my rates are competitive it is only because I have so thoroughly streamlined the process and have done so many of the cases I have it down to a science.  My basic rate is $225.00 per hour*. However, please note: this is only for attorney billable time. This rate does not apply to paralegal time, or travel time to the Courthouse, or time spent making copies, or even when I or a paralegal wait in line at the Courhouse for something on behalf of you or your case. Significantly lower rates apply to these necessary case-related activities. For paralegal time the charge is $70.00 per hour and $40.00 per hour for travel or wait time (i.e. when I am driving to the Courthouse or waiting for other cases to finish).

Retainers where the case is contested, i.e. parties do not agree:

$2000.00 property only, no children
$2500-4,000.00 property only, high assets or need for immediate restraining orders
$3,500-5,000.00 Cases with children, this will usually get you through one or even two "fought-out" Court hearings on custody and establish your rights to residential care of the child and/or child-support related rights under the law; if you need alimoney or use of funds it will include that too
$4,000-7,000.00 trial retainer, please call to discuss

The rates below are taken out of the retainer and fee deposit you give me up front. For example, a $2250.00 retainer or fee deposit is thus good for 10 hours of legal work.  When the amount of time spent goes over the initial retainer I send you a bill for that amount. Depending on the case, part of the up-front funds will be not refundable (typically about 25-30% of the total you lay down at the start of the case), and the other part will be placed in an "IOLTA" attorney trust account and remains your property. As to the latter, I send you a billing statement and withdraw the funds afterwords. At any time you can tell me to stop billing, provide an accounting and return what is remaining. The part of the up front fee that is not placed in the IOLTA account is the minimum amount of guaranteed work for the attorney. Which means that even if you decide to call off the litigation or settle with your spouse or get back together, we still are entitled to retain those funds because it "guaranteed" our representation of you as your attorney up to an extent. I often forgoe taking on new cases that I otherwise would not have only to discover that a relatively new client has reconciled with their spouse etc.. For custody cases it is not abnormal for me to require that $1500.00 of the initial funds count as a retainer. This is due to the fact that custody cases often require quick action and substantial amounts of work in a short time period to deal with out of control situations affecting your interests and, more importantly, those of the children. If you are going to be fighting over the parenting schedule or either party is making allegations about abuse (including substance abuse) of any kind your case is likely going to be tumultous.  In which case, their is no substitute for knowing how your local county handles these cases.  I offer a diagnosis for $185.00 for first time callers/clients only. 

Normally, the first $1000.00 in the minimum amount of guaranteed work and the vast majority of the funds are placed in an attorney trust account as a deposit for work, and thus are refundable to you if I do not spend or use the time for the case. This means if something needs to be called off, if I have not spent the time, I refund absolutely everything that was not used.

*That is just for "legal time" or "attorney-level work" however. I don't charge for writing up billing statements or explaining my Retainer Contract. Activities such as making copies or assembling exhibit notebooks are billed at lower, paralegal or oher rates. For paralegal or attorney work on your case the my billing increments have 6 minute (or 0.1 hour) minimum increments. I only charge paralegal time for things like making copies, filing documents with the Court, putting cover pages on evidentiary exhibits etc.. Please note that some of the amounts listed on the payment page have not had their paypal.com codes updated. And thus may reflect lesser amounts than those stated on this page. This is the more recent/correct page.