I charge $610 per hour for my services. Of course, the total cost depends on the number of hours your case entails. I try to help prospective clients predict the range of costs during our informational phone call.

I am aware that some prospective clients may be surprised that my hourly rate is now fixed. That is, for much of the last decade, I had suggested an hourly rate but would typically accept lower rates if offered. Many clients appreciated that flexible system. However, as my practice has long been fully booked, and as the offer-acceptance system produced anxiety for some prospective clients, I have decided to move to a fixed hourly rate billing system. Having said that, if circumstances are compelling, I will occasionally consider a different rate structure, and in exceptional cases, even work gratis. [END OF FIXED RATE—NEXT IS FLEX; BUT RIGHT NOW I’m USING A DIFFERENT SYSTEM ALL TOGETHER]

My compensation system is admittedly unusual. In short, I ask for $610 per hour but do not require payment at this level. I request this compensation. Clients, however, are free to offer me a different hourly rate. In our first session, we have a discussion about my billing system and, in part based on their offer and in part based on an evaluation of their finances, we set a rate together.

What do clients end up contributing under this system? Just more than half pay at the rate I request. Others contribute $420 per hour, $400 per hour, etc. While it is unusual for me to accept less than $350 per hour, at times I do, even occasionally providing my services gratis. Clients are free to offer that which works for them.

Given the impersonal and often-harsh nature of the legal system, most clients find this economic arrangement refreshing. To them it communicates respect and offers choice. Some however find this system bizarre and confusing. Clients have sometimes said, exasperated, “Just tell me what to pay.” I must admit, I understand the concern, and if I were on the opposite side of this arrangement I might be similarly confused.

Nonetheless, this rate system has been my standard for nearly a decade. In exit interviews most clients express their appreciation for having had a choice. In all, by being flexible, I can make a good living and help those who do not have the financial means to pay at the top of the scale. It is my hope that this system offers my clients respect (at the cost of a occasional angst).

Please read the fine print on my fee structure for caveats and particulars.

Given the financial pain many are experiencing (with high inflation and decreased asset values), recently I changed my billing system: from a fixed hourly rate of $610 to a more flexible system. In short, I now request that clients who can afford to do so pay $610 per hour. I do not require payment at this level. Clients are free to offer me a different hourly rate—even one that is far lower. Roughly half my clients offer my requested rate of $610 and half do not. Of the ones that do not, I like to understand some about their finances. Then, during our first session, in part based on clients’ offer and in part based on my evaluation of their finances, we set a rate together.

For me, this is a return to a flexible billing system that I had used for much of the last decade—a system that so many clients appreciated. In 2019, I had switched to a fixed rate as a means of reducing my workload. However, during COVID I was moved by what was for many financial suffering. And so, I returned my billing system to its flexible nature. During our informational phone call, I help prospective clients predict the range of hours the mediation may entail

Please read the fine print on my fee structure for caveats and particulars.