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There are basically three kinds of expenses associated with most legal services:
- Attorney fees
- Court costs and
- Expenses
"Attorney's fees" describes the sum charged for the attorney's work in a case. The amount of attorney's fees charged in each case depends on numerous factors, including the complexity and facts of a case, and are explained in greater detail below. "Court costs" are those expenses associated with bringing a legal action and are generally fixed, i.e. filing fees. "Expenses" are all other costs/expenses associated with a case, such as copying costs, long distance charges, postage or expert witness fees.
The Law Office of Krista A. Chacona recognizes that legal services can be be costly, which is why we offer different fee arrangements and flexible payment plans (under appropriate circumstances), to make quality legal services more affordable for everyone. We also accept all major credit cards.
More on Attorney Fees
Attorney's fees are the charges billed to a Client for legal services rendered to or on behalf of the Client. Typically, our firm uses one of four customary fee arrangements:
- Hourly Fee - This is the most common fee arrangement used by the firm. Under this agreement, the Client is charged a fixed hourly rate. Our current hourly rate is $225/hour.
- Flat Rate Fee - Where the full scope of the legal services necessary to complete a specific and defined legal task can be reasonably anticipated and quantified with sufficient certainty, the parties might agree to work under a Flat Fee Agreement. Under this agreement, the Client would pay a one-time fee at the time of engagement or in stages, to cover all expenses associated with the legal services provided to the Client.
- Contingency Fee - In a few instances, the parties might agree that a Contingency Fee Agreement is appropriate. Under such an agreement, the attorney's fees are calculated as a percentage of the gross monetary recovery that the firm obtains on the Client's behalf. If no money is recovered, no attorney's fees are due to us, although the Client is still responsible for paying certain other costs associated with the rendition of services (see Costs and Expenses below). The percentages and formulas used to calculate the contingent attorney's fees vary and are described in the written Legal Services Agreement executed by the parties.
- Combination Fee - Occasionally, under limited circumstances, the firm will consider fee arrangements which combine an hourly fee and a contingency agreement.
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