Our Pricing Model

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Fortenberry Law Group uses a Value Pricing billing model.  Once we learn a little about your specific situation, we can discuss the various options available to you, evaluate the pros and cons of each, and help you choose the most effective and cost-efficient option in light of your goals.  We can then provide you with a customized, fixed-fee schedule before we undertake representation.  This allows you to weigh the costs of legal representation against the benefits and make an informed decision about how to proceed with your legal affairs.

Our Value Pricing model also encourages open communication between attorney and client.  Because you are not “on the clock” for every phone call or e-mail, you can feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns without worrying about being nickel-and-dimed for our responses.

The idea that a person would want to know the cost of something before committing to pay for it is not revolutionary.  But it is unusual in the legal marketplace.  Most attorneys and law firms rely on the traditional hourly billing model.  While there is nothing unethical about hourly billing, we believe that it has a few major drawbacks:

  • Hourly billing can promote inefficiency.  The attorney is paid more for putting more time into the matter, regardless of whether the additional work significantly contributes to the final product.  Instead of providing an incentive to complete the matter quickly and efficiently, the attorney is rewarded for taking more time to complete the work.
  • Costs are difficult to forecast in the hourly-billing model.  In many cases, all that the attorney can say is that the cost will depend on how much time is spent on the matter.  Many clients are not familiar with how much work can go into a matter.  Because they are not given an up-front cost estimate, they may have unrealistic expectations as to the total amount that they expect to spend.  This can lead to unpleasant surprises when the final bill arrives.
  • Hourly billing can stifle attorney-client communication.  When a client makes a 15-minute phone call to an attorney that uses an hourly-billing model, the client will be billed for .25 hours of attorney time.  Assuming the attorney’s hourly rate is $250, every 15-minute call will cost the client $62.50.  The natural result of this model is to discourage attorney-client communication.  Because the client is reluctant to incur the cost of contacting the attorney, the client’s questions are often unanswered and their concerns unaddressed.  This can lead to poor communication and confusion regarding the client’s legal affairs.

Our Value Pricing model takes a different approach. It provides you with an up-front fee quote so that you know what our services are likely to cost.  You can communicate with us freely without worrying about additional cost, and there should be no unpleasant surprises when you receive our final bill for services.

Value Pricing also provides us with an incentive to handle the matter as efficiently as possible.   Our prices are built with the end result in mind, and we are not rewarded for spending unnecessary time on the matter.

Simply put, we believe that Value Pricing is a better way to do business.  Contact us today to learn how we can help with your legal needs. Contact us today for a phone consultation or to set up an appointment.  We are generally available for phone consultations from 8:00 until 5:00 central time, Monday through Friday.