The Law Office of Derek A. DeBrosse, LLC is committed to providing clear information about attorneys’ fees, and offering payment structures to fit your unique financial situation. The fee charged for a particular legal matter depends on a number of factors, but we are pleased to share the following general information about how a fee is calculated.
Flat Rate Fees
We offer flat-rate fees for many services, including criminal defense, business incorporation, and standard document preparation (notably estate documents). The amount of fees vary depending on the service requested. Payment plan options are available depending on the circumstances of the case. Lawyers develop flat-rate fees based on the lawyer’s standard hourly rate and an estimate of the number of hours that the matter will take to complete. A flat-rate fee protects the client when the lawyer underestimates the complexity of a case, or the case becomes complicated after the fact. However, flat-rate fees are generally not pro-rated or refunded if a matter concludes more quickly than expected.
Contingency Fees
A contingency fee means that the lawyer takes a percentage of the money that is recovered in a civil suit. The lawyer’s share is usually 33-40% of the total recovery, after expenses are deducted. By law, contingency fees are not available in criminal and domestic cases. We may decline to take certain cases on a contingency basis where the likelihood of success is especially low, or where it is unclear that the defendant has the means to pay a judgment.
Hourly Rate Fees
Our standard hourly rate is $200.00 per hour, billed in quarter-hour increments. During your initial consultation, we do our best to accurately estimate the time involved in a legal matter, and to give you an approximation of the hourly fee involved. We customarily require hourly-rate clients to pre-pay the first ten hours of work, and to keep a ten hour reserve on account until the matter is resolved. Otherwise, hourly rate fees are billed on a monthly cycle. We prefer to bill clients hourly for defense work in civil cases, and for litigation of novel or especially complex matters.
Hybrid Fees
We try to be flexible in our fee payment structures, and generally permit a client to select a combination of flat-rate, hourly, and contingency fees. For example, a client who wishes to keep a larger percentage of his or her civil recovery may request a lower contingency fee percentage, and add a low hourly fee or flat-rate fee.
Payment Plans
While our flat-rate and hourly fees typically require a large up-front financial commitment, we do our best to make legal services affordable to you. Upon your request, we will discuss the terms of payment plans to fit your budget. Payment plans are not always available, and the terms vary depending on many factors, including the nature of the legal matter and your sources of income.
Fee Agreements
You are entitled to have our fees explained in plain English and in writing before you decide to hire us as your legal counsel. We use written fee agreements to make sure that there are no misunderstandings about what services the lawyer will provide, and exactly what the client will be charged for those services.
Consultations
We encourage prospective clients to schedule an initial consultation before taking any actions that could affect their legal rights, such as speaking to an insurance company, meeting with law enforcement, or signing legal documents. During your initial consultation, we will briefly review your legal rights and obligations, explore the ways that legal counsel may help you achieve your goals, and discuss fees. We charge a fraction of our normal hourly rate for initial consultations: $75.00 for the first hour and $200.00 for each hour thereafter, in fifteen minute increments. Depending on the availability and the nature of your case, we may waive the initial consultation fee.
Approximate Fee Ranges
- Criminal Defense (Felony): Beginning at $1,000.00
- Criminal Defense (Misdemeanor): Beginning at $500.00
- Probation Revocations and Violations: Beginning at $500.00
- Expungements: $500.00 flat rate
- Simple Last Will & Testament Packages: $500.00 flat rate
- Living Revocable Trusts Package: Beginning at $1,000.00
- Gun Trusts / NFA Trusts: $750.00 (flat rate)
- Litigation & Appeals: $200.00 per hour
- Administrative Issues: Hybrid fees negotiated at consultation
- Probate and Adoptions Matters: $200.00 per hour
- Firearm-related Issues: Extremely flexible as Gun Law is very unique. Typically billed at $200.00 per hour but also routinely charged at a flat or hybrid rate depending on the circumstances
- Firearm Owner Retainer Package: $350.00 per year (flat rate).
- Certified Firearms Instructor Package: $750.00 (flat rate)
*NOTICE: The foregoing list of prices is intended to give prospective clients a general idea of the range of fees that we charge for particular services. We may require fees that are more or less expensive based on the particular circumstances of your case. Some of the factors that will affect the ultimate fee include: the location where a case is pending, the existence of multiple claims or charges in the same case, the complexity of the facts or law involved, the size of an estate or judgment, and the likelihood that a case can be resolved short of a trial.