New Orleans Solo Lists Fixed Fees for Writing Appellate Briefs
I thought this was a great idea – it’s from the From the Out-Of-The-Box Lawyering blog:
"We’ve all heard about setting fixed fees for certain kinds of litigation. But this is the first time that I’ve seen a site in which an appellate lawyer lists his schedule of his fees for certain kinds of work.
"For instance, solo Harvey S. (“Tad”) Bartlett III the firm, The Bartlett Law Firm, APLC, lists its fee for writing a principal brief on appeal at $7,750 and for writing both principal and reply briefs at $11,900. The firm lists additional fixed fees for other services. However, the site adds that the firm “will consider blending a lower flat fee with a contingent-portion of the award in certain cases.”
In line with this, there is a January 29 article in the New York Times: “Billable Hours Giving Ground at Law Firms,” which discusses how some firms are using, for instance, value billing in litigation. In one situation, the firm set a fee, but that fee was to be and indeed was increased based on how much the firm saved its client over the amount the client feared losing if it lost.
Here's his fee schedule:
The Bartlett Law Firm, APLC, will never charge for an initial consultation, so please contact Tad Bartlett directly to discuss the possibility of representation. Once you decide to retain The Bartlett Law Firm, that representation will be subject to the following fees:
Flat-rate Appeals
The Bartlett Law Firm believes that the value of appellate representation is enhanced by instilling predictability in the cost of that representation. What the client should pay for is the value of high-quality appellate representation, not how long it takes an attorney to put that representation together. Accordingly, the Bartlett Law Firm has put together the following schedule of flat-fees for various appellate representation tasks. No matter how much time it takes, the client receives the full value of the representation at a set, predictable cost. (When retained during litigation for briefing and/or argument of summary judgment motions or motions for judgment as a matter of law, the following fees will apply analogously).
|
Task |
Fee* |
|
Writ application from district court; Petition for rehearing |
$6,500 |
|
Principal brief – brief only (appellee brief, appellant brief only, writ application to Louisiana Supreme Court) |
$7,750 |
|
Principal and reply brief |
$11,900 |
|
Reply brief only |
$5,000 |
|
Multiple brief discount (deducted from subsequent briefs in same matter where Bartlett Law Firm has drafted brief; e.g., for principal brief following successful writ application) |
(-15%) |
|
Oral argument |
$2,500 |
|
Multiple argument discount (deducted from subsequent oral arguments in same matter where Bartlett Law Firm has already provided oral argument) |
(-$500) |
Wouldn't it be great if more lawyers took this approach to fees for clients?
