Guaranteed Discounts & Hourly Rates

You and your attorney will discuss which of these options is applicable to your situation. The plan member is responsible to the attorney for all expenses incurred, including legal fees, filing fees, costs, and legal bills of family members using the plan.

These special privileges are: 

GUARANTEED LOW HOURLY RATES

GUARANTEED DISCOUNTED CONTINGENCY FEE PERCENTAGES

GUARANTEED LOW FIXED FEES 

You may be required to pay a retainer in advance of any filing fees, attorney fees, or other costs. Also, you may be billed for costs such as photocopying, postage, long distance toll charges, travel expenses, etc. Once retained, your plan attorney can provide you with full legal representation including office work, in-court appearances, investigation, research, drafting, negotiation, appeals, etc.

Please read this section carefully.

GUARANTEED LOW HOURLY RATE
After the initial no cost consultation, you and your attorney may decide that further legal work or representation may be required. If this is the case, you and your attorney may agree to handle the matter at an hourly rate. Family Plan members are privileged to have a guaranteed low hourly fee not to exceed $75 per hour. The attorney can often estimate how many hours any given case may take. All costs and filing fees are additional.

If services have already been incurred on the guaranteed low fixed fee schedule outlined in this section, a matter may thereafter become too complex than originally anticipated. If a matter is no longer qualified under the guaranteed low fixed fee schedule, you may switch to the hourly rate of no more than $75 for attorney services.

For example, a simple uncontested divorce may suddenly become a contested nightmare. If the attorney had already worked for many hours on the divorce, you would pay the guaranteed low fixed rate in the schedule of $210 as agreed and then no more than $75 per hour for the remainder of the work needed to resolve the matter. Of course, you and your attorney must be in full agreement of these fees.

GUARANTEED DISCOUNTED CONTINGENCY FEE PERCENTAGES
Attorneys often work on a contingency fee basis in matters dealing with personal injury damages and collections. In these cases as well as others, the attorney agrees to be paid a percentage of the recovery or award rather than a set rate or hourly fee.

In some cases, contingency fee maximums are set by state law. In these matters, your fee will be the lower of either 10% less than the maximum fee set by state law or the attorney’s usual fee. For example, if your state has a fee maximum of 30%, you would pay the lower of either 27% or the attorney’s usual fee. If the attorney would normally charge 25%, you would pay this percentage because it is the lower rate.

Where state law does not set maximum levels for contingency fees, your guaranteed discounted rate will not exceed 29% if settled before trial, 36% if awarded during or after trial, or 40% if settled or awarded after an appellate brief is prepared.

Guaranteed Low Fixed Fees - On the following selected services, the Company Plan member Attorneys have agreed to charge the following guaranteed low fixed fees. Please read the definitions section of this guidebook carefully to see whether your legal problem will qualify for the guaranteed low fixed fees. These prices are for the legal fees only and do not include any applicable filing fees or costs.

(The fees listed above do not include additional filing fees, costs, or administrative expenses. They are only for legal services rendered.) * See section 4 for details and definitions.

If your problem does not qualify for the fixed fee rate, you and your attorney can agree to the guaranteed low hourly fee. Your attorney can even estimate the amount of hours it will take to resolve your problem.

Criminal law matters are usually handled by attorneys at fixed rates. The rates quoted to members by participating attorneys vary due to the differing facts and circumstances of each case. The attorneys base these fixed fees upon an estimate of how many hours of work and expenses that any given case may consume in conjunction with the low hourly plan rate. Retainer fees may also vary depending upon the severity of the case at hand and the jurisdiction where the case is located.