At Essia Law, putting the client first means not only providing expert advice but prices that are clear and fixed upfront. Learn how this differs from traditional law firm pricing.
Traditional Law Firm Pricing: Time Based Billing
Traditional law firm pricing is charged based on the time your lawyer spends on your matter (Time Based Billing). They will quote an hourly rate and give an estimate, but then your actual bill will be based on their time charged in 6 minute intervals. This can result in several disadvantages that may put a strain on your bank account.
UNPREDICTABLE
One major issue with Time Based Billing is the unpredictability of fees.
Typically, traditional law firms provide an estimate at the start of your legal matter, but this estimate is subject to change, making it difficult to budget for legal services. As fees are not fixed but based on the time spent on a matter, it can be hard to predict how much a legal issue will cost you. This can be especially problematic if you have a complex or ongoing matter that requires ongoing legal services.
With traditional Time Based Billing, you may receive a large, unexpected bill that you were not prepared for.
EXPENSIVE
With Time Based Billing, fees can end up being much higher than expected, not only because they are not charged per service but based on time spent.
In an hourly-rate scenario, your lawyer records the time spent on your legal issue, and the costs are typically billed in 6-minute intervals. For example, if you call a lawyer to ask a question that lasted for just a minute, you will still be charged for six minutes. If your lawyer charges $600 per hour (a usual rate for a partner), that one-minute call would have cost you $60 dollars. Moreover, if you send a follow-up email that takes your lawyer ten minutes to read, that's another $120.
Fees charged this way can really add up and can put a strain on your finances.
INEFFICIENT
Furthermore, traditional law firm pricing can create a misalignment of incentives between the lawyer and the client.
Since lawyers are incentivised to bill more hours, they may spend more time on a matter than necessary, resulting in higher fees for the client. This can also lead to inefficiencies, where a lawyer may spend time on tasks that could have been completed more quickly. It can also lead to drawing out matters unnecessarily when a settlement could otherwise be reached.
Ultimately, this can result in higher costs for clients without necessarily providing better outcomes.
Essia Law is Different: Our Fees are Fixed Upfront
At Essia Law, we're different. Our prices are fair, transparent and most importantly, confirmed to you upfront unlike other firms that only give you an estimate that can blow out.
You might be wondering how it is that we are able to do this when other law firms can't? The answer is that we are an online law firm that places clients as our priority. We don't spend our time or money on fancy offices, just expert lawyers.
We devote all our attention to what's essential, which is protecting your legal entitlements.
So if you're ready to stop worrying about your legal issue and get on with your life, take a look at our competitive, fixed fee rates or get started straight away, and talk to your lawyer today.
FREE CONSULTATION TO GET AN IDEA OF PRICING AND PROCESS
Give us a call to speak to an experienced member of our team about how we can help and how our pricing works, relevant to your concern.
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MEET ONLINE AND GET YOUR FIXED FEE CONFIRMATION
Meet with your lawyer by video call and get a detailed advice on your available options, pricing structures and best next steps to reach your desired outcome. At this point your price is fixed for your service, with no hidden charges or time based billing.
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RECEIVE YOUR SERVICE FOR YOUR FIXED FEE
Receive expert legal advice at the one fixed price, no matter how long your lawyer spends. Please note, if an extra service is required, or third party costs known as disbursements (eg court filing fees) this will be charged in addition to your service, but your lawyer will explain how this works and advise of all known additional costs at the outset.