Information About Fees and Billing
Thank You for Trusting Us With Your Legal Matter!
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We appreciate the opportunity to serve you, and hope this page provides helpful information about our billing and payment practices and available fee arrangements. If you have any questions about your bill, your fee agreement, or your case, please feel free to give us a call at (781) 784-2322, or shoot us a note at info@slnlaw.com.
Hourly Billing and Flat FeesThe standard practice for law firms is to bill time by the hour or portion of an hour and invoice periodically. For clients on an hourly billing agreement, we send out invoices each month for services provided in the prior month. These are sent out electronically, to the primary email we have on file. If you have provided a retainer, the invoice will reflect a credit in the amount drawn from the retainer and the outstanding balance (if any) after application of those funds.
In many cases we are able to provide services on a flat fee basis, which will be discussed in your initial consultation before you sign an engagement letter with the firm. In that case, you will be invoiced for the flat fee amount upon engagement, unless otherwise specified in your agreement. All flat fees paid for legal services are considered earned by the firm upon receipt. |
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Contingent Fee Cases
There are some cases we are able to take on a contingency fee basis. In most cases, this involves a flat fee at the outset to review and assess your case, with the remainder of the fees as a percentage of whatever you recover in settlement or judgment, known as contingency fee arrangements because our recovery of fees is contingent on your recovery. This means upon settlement or judgment, we would be entitled to an agreed percentage of that settlement or judgment, less any amounts you have already paid as a flat fee. If we take your case on this basis, and you do not recover anything, you would not owe us anything other than the original flat fee and any out of pocket expenses that we need to incur in pursuing your claims. Most commonly these include filing fees with the court and fees paid to court reporters for depositions. If your case requires the help of an expert witness, we will discuss with you the cost-benefit analysis of hiring an expert before incurring those fees.
Payment Plans
We understand that not everyone has the available funds to pay for legal services all at once, and believe that should not stop you from getting the legal representation you need. We are always willing to work with you on a payment plan that is proportionate to the fees involved and works for you. If we enter a payment plan agreement, we will make arrangements to automatically charge the agreed payments, and as long as you are making the agreed payments, your account will be in good standing regardless of the balance.
About slnlaw
We are a Massachusetts law firm focused on business law, employment law, and estate planning. Our team includes attorneys with large law firm experience, public service experience, experience working with small businesses on a wide variety of matters, an attorney with an advanced degree (LLM), and a former clerk to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Attorney and founder Emily Smith-Lee has been named to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list every year since 2013, and was recently named a 2018 Lawyer of the Year by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Our lead estate planning attorney Jenna Ordway has been recognized as a top estate planning attorney, and has published a book about estate planning in Massachusetts.
What We Do
Employment Law: We advise both businesses and individuals about Massachusetts and federal employment laws, and represent them as needed in litigation if a lawsuit cannot be avoided.
Business Law: In addition to providing advice on employment matters and defense of employee lawsuits, we can help you set up your new business, review your agreements with vendors and customers, resolve or litigate business disputes, and much more.
Estate Planning: We provide customized plans for individuals and families to help minimize your estate tax liability, protect and preserve your assets, and ensure that the people in your life are taken care of the way that you want. We can help you with wills and trusts, planning for a child with special needs, planning for the cost of long term care, and more.
We also have an extensive network of other professionals, some lawyers in other practice areas and others who are non-lawyer professionals who offer services that our clients frequently need. If the problem you need solved is not one that we handle, we are happy to provide a referral to someone we know you can trust.
We are a Massachusetts law firm focused on business law, employment law, and estate planning. Our team includes attorneys with large law firm experience, public service experience, experience working with small businesses on a wide variety of matters, an attorney with an advanced degree (LLM), and a former clerk to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Attorney and founder Emily Smith-Lee has been named to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers list every year since 2013, and was recently named a 2018 Lawyer of the Year by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Our lead estate planning attorney Jenna Ordway has been recognized as a top estate planning attorney, and has published a book about estate planning in Massachusetts.
What We Do
Employment Law: We advise both businesses and individuals about Massachusetts and federal employment laws, and represent them as needed in litigation if a lawsuit cannot be avoided.
Business Law: In addition to providing advice on employment matters and defense of employee lawsuits, we can help you set up your new business, review your agreements with vendors and customers, resolve or litigate business disputes, and much more.
Estate Planning: We provide customized plans for individuals and families to help minimize your estate tax liability, protect and preserve your assets, and ensure that the people in your life are taken care of the way that you want. We can help you with wills and trusts, planning for a child with special needs, planning for the cost of long term care, and more.
We also have an extensive network of other professionals, some lawyers in other practice areas and others who are non-lawyer professionals who offer services that our clients frequently need. If the problem you need solved is not one that we handle, we are happy to provide a referral to someone we know you can trust.
