Fixed Fees for Common Services

Standard
Attorney's Fees for Uncontested Matters

Current fees (as of July 1, 2007) for uncontested matters:

Service Desired	Basic Attorney's Fees	Filing Fees and other Typical costs	Total Expected Fees and Costs	Services (generally optional) at Additional Fees or Court Cost	Initial Retainer¹

Adoptions
Step-parent, w/ consent of non-custodial parent (no consent required for adult adoption)	$450	$84 ff; $22 birth certificate	$556	new birth certificate, if child born outside state of VA	Full anticipated fees & costs
Private placement w/ close relative, all parties local, w/ consent of both birth parents	$1,500	$84 ff; $22 birth certificate	$1,606		$500
Private placement w/non-relative; all parties local, w/ consent of both birth parents	$2,000	$84 ff; $22 birth certificate	$2,106		$750
Bankruptcy, personal:				We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.
Chapter 7, Single	$800	$299 $35 HSD	$1,109	Reaffirmation Agreements, Contested Matters, Business bankruptcy; more than 15 creditors ($3@>15)); Extra fee for out of area appearances	$250³
Chapter 7, Joint	$900	$299 $35 HSD	$1,209	""	""
Chapter 13	$2,400- $3,000	$279	$700 + costs 'up front' with balance financed in Plan	""	""
Consultation⁴
1/2 hour, initial meeting only	$75		$75	Substantive "out of office" work (e.g., drafting correspondence; phone calls outside office)⁴
Subsequent meetings with attorney	Standard Hourly rate ($250/hr)		$125.00 @30min
Contract Review⁵	See note
Divorce & Separation⁷
Uncontested, 1 year separation, no agreement, no children, no support	$450	$69+/- filing fee -------- $50 for VA service $50 for out of state svc + state's svc fee or $75waiver⁶	$519 to $544	Cases in courts which require a Commissioner or formal court appearance to take depositions (e.g., Hampton, Norfolk, Va Beach) Orders of Publication fee = $200-$250; Restore former name = $75+filing fee; drafting separation agreement, if desired, or if required to pursue 6 month separation divorce.	$250
Uncontested, six month separation with agreement OR 1 year separation with agreement	$475+	" "	" "	" " (Less $50 if Separation Agreement drafted by DLC)	$250
Uncontested, 1 year separation with agreement, with children - no support	$500	"" -------	$619 to $644	Above conditions; separation agreement negotiations or modifications; drafting of Qualified Domestic Relations Order to divide retirement pay; drafting deeds to transfer real property pursuant to separation agreement; review of separation agreement prepared outside of our office to determine child and/or spousal support language for final decree..	$250
Uncontested, 1 year separation, with agreement, with children & with child support	$550	" "	$669 to $694	"	$250
Uncontested, 1 year separation, with agreement, with children, w/ child and spousal support	$600	" "	$719 to $744	"	$250
Uncontested, 1 year separation, with agreement, with children, w/ child & spousal support & with retirement language in Final Decree	$650	" "	$769 to $794	"	$250
SEPARATION AGREEMENT , 6 month separation, no children, no support, no property	$350 (very basic agreement)			Negotiations; redrafts; correspondence; client consultations	$350
SEPARATION AGREEMENT , 6 month separation or 1 year separation, no support, personal property only.	$400			Negotiations; redrafts; correspondence; client consultations Add $50 for each additional piece of real estate	$400
SEPARATION AGREEMENT 1 year separation, with children & support	$450-$500			Negotiations; redrafts; correspondence; client consultations	Full anticipated fee
SEPARATION AGREEMENT 1 year separation, with children and child and spousal support	$550-$750			Negotiations; redrafts; correspondence; client consultations	Full anticipated fee
SEPARATION AGREEMENT 1 year separation, with children, child & spousal support plus retirement language	$600-800			Negotiations; redrafts; correspondence; client consultations Attorney will quote actual fee after initial consultation	$600+


Name Change
Adult	$200	$34	$234	New VA birth certificate = $22	$234
Adult (as part of divorce process; restore prior name only)	$75	$19	$94		pay at time of divorce proceedings
Child, w/ written consent of both parents (we prepare the consents)	$300	$34	$234	Drafting consent of non-custodial parent; contested proceedings, new VA birth certificate = $22	$234
Wills/Powers of Attorney
Simple "I love you" will⁸	$250 ($400 for H & W together)			Trust clauses, disposition of specific property items.	$200
General POA	$75				$75

Uncontested Fees--A definition

        The fees quoted above are intended for those clients who present with cases containing no unresolved issues. Please understand that the term "uncontested" is a term of art.   It is the entire case that must be uncontested, not simply that both parties agree, for example, to be divorced. If your case requires more attorney time than a truly uncontested case would require, you will be billed appropriately. Your attorney will talk with you face-to-face, and frankly, about what your case likely will cost. There should never be any 'billing surprises' from our office.

        The fees and costs quoted above are for routine cases of the type described. These fees are the total fees we actually charge in our office for the service listed. There are no intentionally "hidden" fees or costs that you will be surprised with when you come into the office. (For example, notary public or "court reporter" charges for 'no-fault' divorce depositions taken in our office are not "extra.") Further there are no 'coupons' or other gimmicks (e.g., "$100 off") to confuse you as to what our fees actually are.

        If all you need is the service described above, the amount shown above is all that you will pay. If we quote you a different fee, challenge us. If we have misled you, we will apologize, thank you for correcting us and happily perform the service for you at the fee stated above.

We do not claim that we have the "cheapest" fees around (although we probably do in many areas). If you are "shopping around," ask the attorney (or staff person) who is quoting you a lower fee about any additional charges that will be required to complete the case, or if more money will be due after the case is filed. Be wary of a quote that seems too low. Some offices have been known to quote a very low attorney's fee, but when you actually discuss the fees face to face, the attorney tacks on "administrative" and "document preparation" or "rush" fees which you reasonably assumed were included in the telephone-quoted fees. Other attorneys quote fees so low that they simply cannot remain in business. We have been in business for over 25 years charging competitive, but reasonable, fees. We intend to remain in business for at least 25 more.

ADDITIONAL CAVEATS: Fees quoted presume that all parties live locally (i.e., on the Lower or Middle Peninsulas of Virginia), that we are provided an accurate address (for service of process) of the other party to the action (or that service of process is waived), and that one of the geographically local courts is the proper (and statutorily preferred) venue for the action. The fees quoted above may, nevertheless, be applicable to those living elsewhere, but that will have to be determined on a case by case basis. (Return)

Bankruptcy Footnotes         Once you retain an attorney at Denbigh Law Center for a bankruptcy, you may then direct any creditors who may be calling you at home or work to our office.
        If the debtor is the owner of a business, fees will be higher for the extra services required to account for the business. (Return to Fee Chart )
Consultation Fees         Yes, we do charge for initial consultations. See Practice Philosophies link for more information. During the consultation, we are not trying to "sell" you on us, i.e., to direct the conversation to "my advice to you is that you need a lawyer--me." Rather, in return for the consultation fee, we we will provide to you useful, substantive, "take it to the bank" type advice which often times leads to the result that you do not need to retain a lawyer. And the person who gets that type of advice fairly should not get it at the expense of the other clients who have in fact retained us. Our clients who have been to "free consultation" lawyers and then to us have told us they prefer our way of doing things.

The services covered by the consultation fee do not include the attorney making substantive "outside of office" contacts and similar services (making phone calls, drafting letters, etc.) to resolve the presenting problem. Nor does it include contract reviews for documents in excess of one page. If we are using our contacts and our skills to affirmatively address or resolve a problem (as opposed to just providing advice), we feel that we are entitled charge for those services at our standard hourly rate. Most clients agree that this is fair as well. Rest assured, your attorney will not perform any legal work for which an extra charge may apply without your permission.

A couple of additional "things" about consultations and fees. As a practical matter, if you are coming in to see us about the termination of a long marriage, or a complex business bankruptcy, it is not possible to touch on (much less resolve) all issues during the half-hour dedicated to the initial $75 consultation. Please also understand that when we seem to be "rushing" you out the door at 40 minutes, we actually are doing just that. We are not trying to be rude, but rather are trying to keep on schedule. If you need more time with the attorney to resolve the complex issues which your case may present, all you need to do is schedule another appointment. (We are always available to talk with you, but generally only at scheduled times. If you know from the "get go" that one-half hour will not be enough time, ask for an hour. We will charge you $75 for the first half hour and a full-rate charge (our standard hourly billing rate times one-half hour) for the second half hour.)

Paying for the initial consultation does not mean that you have retained the attorney. If you have consulted with, but not retained, the office, please do not refer your spouse's attorney over to us to work out a settlement of your case, or your creditors in a bankruptcy setting.

We will gladly accept the "just one more question" telephone call if it truly is "just one more question." However, if it the question simply does not allow for a simple (less than a minute or two) answer, or if our answer then leads to a series of follow-up questions from you, then we will ask you to schedule another appointment. It's not that we don't want to provide the answers--we do. But in order for us to keep our fees low and provide the quality of service on which we pride ourselves, we do need to implement what almost all of our clients feel are reasonable rules in this regard.

(Return to Fee Chart)

Uncontested Divorce Footnote The fees we quote here presume (1) that you do not have any custody, visitation, support or property issues between you and your spouse or (2) that those issues exist, but you have a valid, written and signed separation/property settlement agreement resolving them with your spouse. If you have orally agreed with your spouse about the essential issues involved in a divorce, and wish us to include that oral agreement in the divorce, bypassing a formal Separation Agreement, we can do so, but will charge additional fees for the additional work, equal to that of drafting a formal Separation Agreement. If you have this situation, it would probably be more beneficial to you to have a formal agreement prepared by us and to incorporate that into the final divorce decree. You will receive a much more complete document, with the protections that only such an Agreement can provide.

Simply agreeing with your spouse that you no longer wish to be married does not necessarily make your case 'uncontested.' All of the other issues typically associated with a divorce (custody, support, property division, debt allocation, etc.) must be settled before it can be called "uncontested." If such is the case, we can draft an "uncontested" separation agreement (if you do not already have one) and then proceed (at the proper time) to an "uncontested" divorce at the quoted fees. You may also take advantage of the uncontested rates if you simply don't want our office to address these issues at all as you proceed through the divorce. (This can be very dangerous, and potentially harmful to your interests--talk with us about this.)

The no-fault, uncontested divorce fees stated above contemplate that your spouse will not have retained counsel to represent him or her. While the additional costs are not high, there are many additional steps that the office must accomplish when another attorney is involved, and the fees will be adjusted accordingly. You will be advised of these potential adjustments as soon as we know of them, and will do no further billable work without your knowledge. We know you don't like billing surprises. (Return)

Waiver         The defendant in a divorce case has certain procedural rights that must be observed in order for the case, even an uncontested one, to be considered by the court. These rights include the right to be formally served with the pleadings in the case, the right to a reasonable period of time to file a response to those pleadings, and the right to receive notices of other events that might occur in the case. However, in truly uncontested cases, many defendants wish the case to proceed as quickly and smoothly as possible. To speed up the process, the defendant may be willing to sign a "waiver" of the rights discussed above and other rights which are normally associated with a judicial proceeding. There is no question that a bit of trust is involved, because notice of possible adverse actions is being waived. But if a party is sure that the other is trustworthy, and will not ask for anything more than a divorce (and, if applicable, the incorporation of a separation agreement signed by the parties), then the defendant might sign a waiver of the otherwise mandatory proceedings.(Return)
Retainer:     The initial retainer is that amount of money that we require to be paid into the office before we undertake substantive work on your case. Additional retainer deposits may be required as your case progresses. In order to keep our fees as low as possible (and pass the savings on to our clients), we cannot absorb collection losses. Therefore, before the final paperwork is submitted in your case, the balance of the fees must be paid in full. (Return)
Contract Review:         Reviewing contracts presents unique problems in an "initial consultation" environment. While we certainly encourage clients to seek the advice of counsel before signing any document they do not fully understand, complete contract reviews cannot effectively be done in an "initial consultation" setting. In order to comment on the fairness or appropriateness of a contract (and to put our reputation the line), the attorney would need to quietly and thoroughly review the contract. If you are satisfied that you understand the basics of the contract, and are willing to assume the apparent risks, but just need clarification of certain specific provisions of the contract, we will be happy to review the specific clauses with you in an "initial" consultation setting (and at the initial consultation fee). But please understand, it simply would not be possible for us to comment on the completeness, fairness, or the inherent risks and liabilities of a contract after only a one-half hour meeting with you.(Return)
Wills:     A simple "I Love You" will is defined as one where all property is left to the surviving spouse, and if there is no surviving spouse, all property passes to the children. Guardianship nominations for minor children are included. Variations from that formula (including provisions for specific gifts, trust provisions for minor children, etc.) are available, but at additional charges depending upon the complexity of the request.

When a married couple requests a will with essentially identical provisions, the cost of the individual prices is reduced by $50 per will. (i.e., two simple "I Love You" wills would be $400 ($250 x 2 - $100).

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prepared by:
Lasris & Vannan, P.C.
Tel: 877-2244 or 642-5050

Page last updated: 03/05/02

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Denbigh Law Center: Lawyers serving the cities of Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg and Poquoson, and the Counties of York, James City, Gloucester, Middlesex and Mathews (including the townships of Grafton, Hayes, White Marsh, Saluda, Tabb, Urbanna and Yorktown), in the subject areas of Adoption, Bankruptcy (Chapter 7 and 13), Divorce, Estate Planning, Separation Agreements, Wills and Trusts. Please call us for more information at (757) 877-2244 or contact us via e-mail by clicking here.