BALDWIN LAW OFFICE
For all your business and real estate needs est. 1994
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is an initial consultation, and what do I bring to it?
Depending on the time you have booked, at minimum at the initial consultation, Ms. Baldwin will discuss the type of matter you have, whether she an assist you and whether or not it qualifies for a fixed maximum fee.
If you have booked a 30 or 60 minute initial consultation, she may have time to review any intake information you provided, explain the process for what to expect regarding your matter and answer any questions that you may have. You may drop off or electronically deliver, your documents before your initial consultation. Be sure to book an appropriate amount of time for this consultation.
2. Why do you charge for some initial consultations?
When you have an initial consultation with Ms. Baldwin, you will be receiving legal advice. If you meet with Ms. Baldwin for an initial consultation, even if you do not hire her, she is forever precluded from representing someone with interests opposite to yours in that particular matter. In the event you do hire Ms. Baldwin, the charge for the initial consultation will be credited to your account, thereby making your initial consultation free retroactively.
3. What is the initial consultation fee? Ms. Baldwin allows a free brief 15 minute consultation to see if you wish to proceed and she can assist you. For a more involved consultation, Ms. Baldwin charges a fee of $175.00 for up to one-half hour and $375.00 for up to one hour of initial consultation. Payment of this fee is required at the time of the scheduling of the initial consultation.
If you cancel your appointment, your initial consultation fee will be returned to you, however if you have paid by credit card and you cancel the appointment you will be refunded your money less the credit card fee charged to Ms. Baldwin.
4. What is a retainer agreement? What is a retainer?
The terms of the relationship between attorney and client are formalized in the retainer agreement. It contains the terms the client and the attorney have reached regarding, among other things, which legal services Ms. Baldwin will be providing to the client, what fees will be charged, how expenses are incurred and what to do in the event of a dispute of the fees.
A retainer is a sum of money attributed to legal fees in a matter- not to expenses or disbursements. If a retainer is required in your matter, it must be paid before any work will be started on your case and can be paid by credit card. This amount is separate from any expenses or disbursements in your matter. Expenses and disbursements will also be collected from you in advance of the expenditure and can be paid by credit card
NOTE: The client will be responsible for credit card fees charged to Ms. Baldwin for receiving expenses/disbursement money and for any legal fees that are held in a client trust fund for draw down. Ms. Baldwin does not upcharge clients for this convenience.
The amount of the retainer will be determined at your initial consultation and is typically a portion of the total cost for legal fees. You will be billed the additional amounts due per the terms of your retainer agreement. In the event there is any retainer money remaining in your client account, upon completion of your matter, it will be returned to you per the terms of the retainer agreement. You will not receive any interest on the amount of the unused retainer because the mandatory IOLA program requires that the interest on IOLA accounts be pooled by banks to provide the money for grants made by the Board of Trustees of the IOLA Fund to non-profit civil legal services providers across the state.
5. Can you quote how much a case will cost?
Absent extenuating circumstances affecting the course of completion of a matter, often attorneys can give clients a good range of what a matter might cost because they are experienced in that particular matter. However, giving an exact quote for a fee or cost of a legal matter is not good practice.
Unless a particular matter is a fixed maximum fee, Ms. Baldwin charges an hourly rate of $375.00 per hour. She informs clients about expenses that are typically incurred in the matter and notifies clients of any atypical expense. Ms. Baldwin endeavors to work diligently and efficiently to keep work progressing for the best and most efficient use of billing time so her clients are best served both with regard to their legal matter and their financial investment in hiring her.
Clients are billed regularly per the terms of the retainer agreement, so they can be aware and keep track of the legal fees and expenses incurred on an ongoing basis.
6. Do you accept credit cards? Yes.
NOTE: The client will be responsible for credit card fees charged to Ms. Baldwin for receiving expenses/disbursement money and for any legal fees that are held in a client trust fund for draw down. Ms. Baldwin does not upcharge clients for this convenience.
