Fees & Costs

Fees for professional services are based on the standards set forth in the Washington Rules of Professional Conduct.

The Nellor Law Office has the following general policies regarding charging and billing for professional services; Please note that the terms of an engagement letter or fee agreement with this office, if any, override the basic policies set forth on this web site to the extent they differ:

• Fees for services are computed by multiplying all time spent by an attorney on the case by a baseline hourly rate, currently $495⁰⁰. Baseline hourly rates change from time to time in response to the costs and expenses of doing business.
• We will normally provide you an estimate of fees and costs from time to time as circumstances warrant. Although we try to be as accurate with estimates as we can be, they are estimates only and not a guarantee that your case will be completed for a fixed fee or price.
  • The term “fees” means the charges for professional services from this office — charges for work performed on your behalf by the attorneys and staff employed by this office.
  • The term “costs” means services, fees or products that must be purchased or acquired from persons or entities other than from persons employed by this office that are necessary to perform our services. The most common costs incurred on a case are court filing fees, depositions, computer assisted legal research, printing and copying, messenger services, postage, publication fees, subpoena, expert witness fees, mediation and arbitration fees, and process service fees.
• You will ordinarily be required to pay a retainer, an advance deposit for fees and costs, or both, before we work on your case or otherwise represent you.
  • A “retainer” is a fee that a client pays to a lawyer for the lawyer to be available to the client during a specified time period or on a specified matter. In the absence of a written agreement to the contrary, a retainer is a charge in addition to and apart from compensation for legal services that are performed and is not ordinarily refundable. A retainer is the lawyer’s property on receipt and is not placed or held in a trust account.
  • An “advance deposit” is a deposit to cover future fees or costs — advance deposits are based on fees and costs we expect will be earned or incurred on your case or matter. We may request advance deposits periodiclly during the course of representing you based on the complexity and anticipated requirements of your case. Advance deposits are held in a client trust account. We will draw from the trust account to pay for fees or costs when statements are not otherwise timely paid as they are billed. Unused portions of advance deposits will be returned to you when your matter is completed.
• Your case may require that other professionals be engaged to assist in the evaluation or trial of your case. This may include the services of an appraiser, accountant, or other experts. You will be required to pay for the services of these professionals before they are hired.
• We provide periodic (monthly, quarterly, semi–annual, depending on the matter), comprehensive billing statements for our services that itemize the work performed and any costs or expenses ncurred, together with the balances of your account and any balances of funds held in trust (such as advance deposits for services or costs).
• Any questions or concerns about billing should be directed to us immediately upon receipt of your statement. If you have questions regarding a specific charge, we can best help you if you mark your statement and call or email us to discuss the charge. You will not be charged for us to review a statement or answer questions you have about a bill. Please pay the uncontested portion of your statement to avoid interest charges. We need to hear from you about billing questions or disputed charges within thirty days after a statement, or the charges become final.
• Payment for our services and for costs advanced is due on receipt of the statement. If a statement is not paid in its entirety within ten days, the unpaid balance collects interest at a rate of 12% per annum.
• If you have difficulty paying a statement, it is important that you contact us immediately to discuss payment arrangements. We will normally discontinue work on a case, and withdraw from representation, if a statement is not paid on time and you have not made alternative payment arangements.
• It is part of our normal practice to invoke our statutory right to place an attorney lien on any money judgment or personal property awarded to you for any balance due for our services.