Fees

Smith & White, PLLC appreciate the work and potential sacrifice of our service personnel. For this reason, we offer a 20% discount to active members and their immediate family. We also are usually willing to extend payments for a longer period to assist our service persons. If you feel you are a class of person, not a service person, but equally deserving of recognition for your service to our city, state or country, feel free to raise the issue with us. We have some discretion in granting the 20% discount.

Generally, we charge flat fees that are known before you make the decision to hire us. While individual cases vary depending on their likely complexity, generally we base fees on the class of the offense with misdemeanors costing less than felonies and Class A felonies costing more than Class B’s, which cost more than Class Cs. Our fees include our staff and investigator fees, so they are inclusive of all the fees you will pay to our firm.

Traditionally, attorneys charge hourly rates. We strongly believe this is part of why the public generally does not care for attorneys. With cases being very expensive, costs usually being for an unforeseen circumstance, and no specific outcome guaranteed, attorneys are perceived as adding insult to injury by drawing out cases for greater billable hours. Also, the attorney may withdraw before the case is resolved, despite being paid very high fees, because the client has run out of money. These leaves a bad taste as the client often feels that they have paid thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars for no result. We enjoy our jobs and do this work to help people. We prefer it when our clients have a good experience. Knowing what a case will cost is an important part of that, so we provide a legal flat fee to you from the start.

At your Case Assessment we will discuss the facts of your case, the applicable laws and your rights and responsibilities. And, to the extent possible, we will discuss anticipated ramification, outcomes and options so you can make an informed decision regarding how to proceed. All of these specific factors plus some additional issues will affect the final price for your case. Some cases may not be available on a flat fee basis in which case our hourly rate is $500/hr.

In some rare circumstances your attorney’s fees may be reimbursed to you. In a claim of self-defense in a case brought against you by the state (District or Superior Court but not Municipal Court), if the jury finds you not guilty and makes an additional finding that you were not guilty by reason of self-defense, your attorney can petition to have your legal fees reimbursed to you. Similarly, in an asset forfeiture case, if you “substantially prevail” than the hearing examiner or court should award to you all or some of your attorneys fees.

For your convenience, the Law Offices of Smith and White, PLLC accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, as well as debit cards.