Fees
There are three basic financial arrangements under which this firm takes cases. These arrangements are detailed in a written retainer agreement which we execute with our clients at the inception of each matter.
- Most cases, including all matrimonial and defense matters, are handled on the basis of hourly charges, billed in tenths of an hour. Uncontested divorces with no children and no property distribution required can usually be handled on an inexpensive flat fee basis.
- U.S. Trademark registrations most often are done for a flat fee. Foreign trademark registration costs vary depending upon the country or countries in which registration is needed.
- Only rarely do we take contingent fee cases, that is, cases in which we don’t charge legal fees unless we recover funds for our client. When we do take such cases, the percentage of the recovery that we take is negotiated between the firm and our client, and is based on the difficulty and likelihood of obtaining the recovery. Please note that divorce and criminal cases can not, by law, be handled on a contingent fee basis.
In all cases, including contingent fee matters, clients are billed for out of pocket expenses, such as court costs, transcript and registration fees, independently and above any hourly or contingent fees for legal services.
Under the regulations which govern attorney conduct in New York State, lawyers are required to give all clients a copy of the Statement of Client’s Rights and Responsibilities. We include it with each retainer agreement we send out, and there’s a link to it on our links page.
ABOUT FREE CONSULTATIONS IN DIVORCE CASES
It sounds a bit strange, but the fact is there are only a handful of lawyers who handle high profile cases, and those in which there are significant assets to be divided in the equitable distribution process. Particularly in counties outside of Manhattan, there just aren’t that many attorneys working in the sub-specialty.
Some individuals have tried to prevent their spouse from using such a highly qualified attorney by arranging a consultation with as many lawyers as he or she can identify. Simply consulting and imparting confidential information to the lawyer during the free consultation creates a conflict which would prevent the attorney from working for the other side.
To prevent the continuation of that kind of abuse, I limit free consultations to the initial telephone call. However, I will credit any fee for an in-person consultation against fees that would be due if you end up hiring me for your case.
You can always contact Browde Law, P.C. directly here.