There are no charges for any legal services on contingent fee cases, however, the costs and expenses of a new case are the client’s responsibility.
We require a cost deposit of $575.00. On Post Judgment cases, we require a cost deposit of $275.00.
A lawsuit is begun by filing a complaint. All courts require initial filing fees. These filing fees are about $400-$450 depending on the specific court. After filing, the complaint must generally be personally served on each defendant. Independent process servers will usually serve for about $55-$65.
In preparation for the complaint, it occasionally necessary to check public records.If the data provider charges, we pass these on in the cost deposit but generally these are minor and a part of the initial cost deposit. We only bill copy fees if there is a very large copy job related to the litigation. Overnight delivery expensesare occasionally needed to get documents to courts or opposing counsel. We shop for and keep these low.
During litigation, we will consult first with our clients if depositions are necessary. Depositions are costly, and we do not initiate them without client authorization.
After judgment has been entered, various documents are obtained from court clerks, recorded or filed with governmental agencies and served on debtors or others. Each document and each service is charged at cost. Document and filing fees are typically in the $10 to $40 range while service of process fees are $55 to $65 per entity. We do not authorize costly vehicle seizures, keepers, or real property levies without first discussing the cost with our client.
Our staff of experienced attorneys and paralegals conduct in-office and in-court investigations with no separate charges for contingent fee clients above the costs of the search. If indicated by the circumstances, we may suggest outside investigation. We always consult in advance for budget and authorization.
Costs can be added to the judgment if the cost was paid to governmental agencies or process servers. This usually covers most of the costs but a few, such as computer investigation, may not be recoverable. The amount not recoverable is usually not significant.
The initial cost and expense deposit is used until depleted. Thereafter, the minor costs and expenses are billed monthly if advanced. We generally do not incur any major expenses (over $100) without billing our client. If billings for costs and expenses are not paid, no further work or services requiring monetary advances are performed.
