Fees and time
How we charge, what typical matters cost, and what your monthly statement looks like.
How we charge
Lawyers keep time in units of six minutes, a tenth of an hour. We use them to set our fixed fees, and you can ask for your time record at any point.
One hour: ten units of six minutes
A short email or reading a one-page letter
A phone call of up to twelve minutes
Reading a ten-page agreement with notes for you
A meeting of an hour, with a written summary
Rates
Partner
$30 a unit
$300
Associate
$22 a unit
$220
Paralegal
$12 a unit
$120
Example prices, per hour. A fixed fee is the typical time at the rate of the person who does the work, rounded.
Never charged
- The first 30-minute consultation
- Questions about our bill
- A copy of your file when the matter ends
Typical time and fees
Every matter we handle often, shortest first. The fee in your engagement letter is the one that counts.
Matter and typical time
Fee
No charge
5 units, 30 minutes
$140
6 units, 36 minutes
$180
8 units, 48 minutes
$300
10 units, about 1 hour
$260
12 units, about 1 hour 12 minutes
$450
15 units, about 1 hour 30 minutes
$440
20 units, about 2 hours
$550
25 units, about 2 hours 30 minutes
$750 estimate
25 units, about 2 hours 30 minutes
$1,050
35 units, about 3 hours 30 minutes
$1,200
40 units, about 4 hours
$1,100 estimate
50 units, about 5 hours
$1,440
60 units, about 6 hours
Time in the fee Time we do not charge
Typical lawyer time for a straightforward matter, in six-minute units (sample). Example prices: fixed fees unless marked estimate. Your own estimate is in your engagement letter.
What your statement looks like
For matters billed by the hour, you get a statement each month: every entry, who did it and how many units. Sample client, example prices.
- CH: Claire Hartwell, partner, $30 a unit (sample)
- NO: Nadia Okafor, associate, $22 a unit (sample)
- JM: Jenna Marsh, paralegal (sample)
Date
Work
Who
Units
Amount
3 Mar
Call with you about the parenting schedule
CH
2
$60
4 Mar
Letter to the other side’s lawyer
CH
4
$120
7 Mar
Reading their reply and the draft plan, 12 pages
NO
6
$132
7 Mar
Email to you with the changes
CH
1
$30
12 Mar
Meeting with you at the office
CH
5
$150
12 Mar
Copies of the documents for your file
JM
0
No charge
Total for March
18 units
$492
The engagement letter
Before any work starts you get a short letter to sign: what we will do, who will do it, the typical time in units and the fee or estimate. If the matter changes, we write again before doing more.
- The work, in plain English
- The lawyer and their rate
- A fixed fee, or an estimate in units
- How to end the engagement, and what happens to your file
Start with a consultation
Thirty minutes with a lawyer, at the office or by video, at no charge. You leave knowing your options and what the next step would cost.