Consult vs Retainer vs Flat Fee

Understanding Our Fees: Consultation, Retainer, and Flat Fee

At Turner-Barrett Law Office, we believe that a strong attorney-client relationship starts with absolute financial transparency. If you have never hired an attorney before, the billing process can feel confusing.

To help you know exactly what to expect, here is a simple breakdown of the three most common types of fees you will encounter when exploring your legal options.

1. The Consultation Fee: Your Initial Strategy Session

A consultation fee is a one-time, flat charge paid for your very first meeting with one of our attorneys.

Think of this as an initial strategy session. During this meeting, we will discuss exactly what your case involves, explore potential outcomes, and identify any roadblocks that might prevent you from reaching your requested goals.

• No Automatic Attorney-Client Relationship: It is important to know that having a consultation and paying this fee does not automatically create an attorney-client relationship, nor does it obligate you to hire our firm.

• The Review Process: After our discussion, the attorney will review your case details further. This ensures that the case is a strong fit for our firm's expertise and that we are the right advocates for you. If we both agree to move forward, we will then discuss a representation agreement.

2. The Retainer: Your Down Payment for Hourly Representation

If we mutually decide to work together on a complex or ongoing case, the next step is paying a retainer. A retainer is an upfront deposit for our legal services.

When you pay a retainer, that money does not go directly into our pockets. Instead, it is placed into a secure, highly regulated bank account called a Trust Account. As your attorney actually works on your case—drafting documents, making phone calls, researching, or appearing in court—we bill our hourly rate against that deposit.

• What it covers: The actual legwork, time, and resources required to handle your case from start to finish.

• What it means: Paying a retainer and signing a representation agreement officially hires Turner-Barrett Law Office to represent you. If your case resolves and there is still money left in your retainer, the remaining balance is refunded to you. If your case requires more work than the initial deposit covers, we will ask you to replenish the retainer.

• Payment Plans & Commencement of Work: We understand that legal expenses can be daunting, and we may offer structured payment plans to fund your retainer. However, please note that no legal work will begin, nor will we formally enter as your attorney of record, until the retainer is paid in full.

3. The Flat Fee: One Set Price for a Specific Service

For certain predictable legal matters, we are able to offer a Flat Fee rather than billing by the hour. We commonly use flat fees for cases with a very clearly defined scope of work, such as an uncontested divorce or a misdemeanor DUI.

• Earned Upon Receipt: Unlike a retainer (which sits in a Trust Account until we bill hourly against it), a flat fee is considered "earned upon receipt." This means the money is paid directly to the firm upfront to cover the entirety of the agreed-upon legal service.

• What it means: A flat fee gives you absolute financial certainty. You know exactly what your legal representation will cost from day one, with no surprise hourly bills, provided the case does not unexpectedly expand beyond the original agreement.

• Payment Plans & Commencement of Work: As with our retainer policy, if a payment plan is established for your flat-fee matter, no legal work will commence, and no documents will be filed, until the total flat fee has been paid in full.