Fixed fees, banded by what the motion actually is.
A summary judgment on a signed note with a defined sum is not the same animal as one between partners with competing valuations. So the fee is banded, and you are told which band before you engage — not after.
What moves a file between bands: whether the sum is liquidated; whether an expert is required on either side; how many affirmative defenses have to be taken down and whether any of them has evidence behind it; whether a records custodian has to be proved up; whether there is a hearing that will actually be argued; and how much of the record has to be reconstructed before anything can be drafted.
On price generally: the reading, record reconstruction and first draft that used to make small cases uneconomic now take hours rather than days. That is why a flat fee can be quoted where a firm would have to bill hourly. The judgment about which mechanism to use is unchanged, and it is the thing being sold.
| Engagement | What it looks like | To filing | Flat fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier I — Documentary | Liquidated sum, signed instrument, no expert, no real fact dispute. A note, a guaranty, a lease balance, a sworn account. | 2–3 weeks | Quoted on the file |
| Tier II — Contested | Live affirmative defenses, a records custodian to prove up, evidentiary objections to brief, a hearing that will actually be argued. | 4–6 weeks | Quoted on the file |
| Tier III — Technical | Competing valuations, fiduciary duties, multiple movants, expert challenges, partnership or construction facts. The motion that decides the case. | 6–10 weeks | Quoted on the file |
| Hearing only | Your motion, your brief, my argument. I read the file, prepare, and stand up. | By setting | Quoted on the setting |
| Read & opinion | Send the file, get a written answer: which mechanism fits, what it is worth, what it costs to get there. | Same day where the file arrives before noon | No chargeCurrent offer |
| A current offer, not a standing rate — it can be withdrawn at any time and this page will say so when it is. Where it is not in force the read is quoted like any other work and credited against any engagement that follows. A file already sent is read at the price in force when it arrived. | |||
| Enforcement | Abstract, writ, turnover, receiver. Quoted on the judgment and the debtor, after a look at what there is to reach. | By posture | Quoted |
Murphy v. Liberty Hill Construction & McGrathEight causes of action, arbitration waiver, three evidentiary strikes, then a receivership.
Aramcor, Inc. v. Tri Marsh Retail LLCCAM reconciliation. Opposing declaration struck; judgment granted in full the day of the hearing.
Johnson & Farst v. CarnesHunting lease. Response struck for want of competent evidence; judgment on the whole case.
Restaurant tenant · partial defaultDamages proved by affidavit against an out-of-state defendant.