Legal advice should be cost-effective. Perhaps the best method for obtaining cost-effective services is hiring the right lawyer: we believe that lawyer is someone who is attentive, with experience and efficient habits.

How we charge for our services depends on the engagement. We believe in the importance of matching the billing method to the client. We also firmly believe in the following.

• Creating value for our clients.
  
• Building our attorney-client relationships based on mutual respect and trust.
  
• Exceeding our clients’ expectations.
  
• Maintaining our reputation for good business.

Ultimately, our goal is to charge reasonable fees for our services. That may mean billing by the hour or project ("lump sum"). It may mean an alternative billing arrangement. We pride ourselves on flexibility in determining the appropriate method.

We use a billing system loosely based on the Uniform Task-Based Management System of the American Bar Association. Invoicing takes place on a monthly basis, generally with net 15 payment terms. Invoices are detailed, showing services rendered, time expended, and related information. They are sent via email in Portable Document Format (PDF), as well as via mail or facsimile upon request. Reports, such as Client Balance Summaries, Client Balance Details, and similar reports, are also available upon request.

For new clients, we often require a replenishing deposit against fees. These deposits are kept in an attorney-client trust account and are applied toward legal fees and costs. They ensure that we are paid for our services. For past clients, we may waive initial deposit requirements.

We consider ourselves partners of our clients. Our job is to add value. It is not to "track time." However, traditional fee arrangements are sometimes appropriate. For those engagements, we bill by the hour. Our hourly rates for partners range from 300 USD to 400 USD, and any associates would be billed at lower rates. These rates are competitive locally and internationally. They are also substantially lower than the rates of many partners at the "large firms," who in the San Francisco Bay Area may bill as much as 1,000 USD per hour -- in fact, our rates for partners (lawyers with many years of experience) are lower than the rates of junior associates at some firms.  Many companies have grown concerned about the high hourly rates charged by junior lawyers of some firms -- at one firm, in recent news, an associate was purportedly billing in excess of 800 USD per hour.  At our firm, we don't force inflated rates upon our clients for junior lawyers and support staff.  We always focus on providing value to our clients and we do not believe that passing along the costs of training junior lawyers is valuable.  Note:  we reserve the right, without notice, and at any time, to immediately increase the hourly rates set forth on this website for our partners and any other billable personnel, including any associates.

Sometimes we work by the project or for a "lump sum," where the legal work can be defined with a reasonable degree of specificity. This may be the case for certain non-contentious work.

A retainer is simply a lump-sum paid on a monthly or quarterly basis for legal services. At times, a retainer may make sense. In fact, sometimes a low-cost retainer is a sound investment. For a settled amount per month or quarter, an organization’s employees are encouraged to contact us via phone, email or fax for legal advice. The retainer encourages those encountering legal questions on a regular basis to discuss such matters with legal counsel early on. That is, retainers encourage regular interaction with legal counsel, and avoid the common problem of employees seeking legal advice only for "major problems" or to solve problems that could have been avoided had legal advice been secured earlier. Naturally, a retainer engagement must be tailored to the individual client. It is not appropriate in all circumstances. For example, where large volumes of documents must be reviewed or prepared, retainers generally do not make sense. Also, they are often inappropriate for contentious work, such as litigation and arbitration.

While the "traditional" methods of charging for attorney time by the hour, by the project or through a retainer are popular, we understand that there are alternatives. Sometimes those alternatives make sense. Other times they don’t. We encourage existing and prospective clients to explore alternatives with us. Such alternatives are often referred to as "value based billing" and they may include the following.

• Hourly-fee discounts based on volume ("stepped-up discounts").
  
• Blended hourly fees.
  
• Mixed hourly and contingent fees (with client responsible for costs).
  
• Fixed total fee (plus bonus, for example, a bonus based on results).
  
• Non-sliding-scale contingent fees, with client responsible for costs.
  
• Sliding-scale contingent fees, with client responsible for costs.
  
• Percentage fee on the amount saved (where financial exposure is liquidated).