Initial Retainer and Legal Fees
Hourly Rate & Retainer
Litigation comes with a lot of uncertainty. At Vanderhooft Legal, my goal is to provide our clients with the resources they need to anticipate their legal fees and provide budget estimates.
My philosophy is to save our client's money by avoiding unnecessary and unproductive costs and expenses. I know that my clients would rather spend their money on other activities and so I strive to save my clients' money by providing them with a cost/benefit analysis of their case so that they can make informed decisions.
Though Vanderhooft Legal quotes initial retainers on an individual basis, my standard initial retainer for a family law case is $1,200.00 and my standard initial retainer for landlord/tenant, debt collection, and small claims defense cases $300.00.
Plaintiff Work is $600.00
My hourly rate is $150.00.
Family Law Sample Fee Table
The table below provides an estimate of costs and expenses related to family law cases based on Vanderhooft Legal's $150.00 standard hourly rate.
The estimate below is for informational purposes only. Actual costs of family law litigation are dependent on case complexity and client needs.
| Litigation Stage | Estimated Hours | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Meeting and Information Gathering | 10 | $1500 |
| Fact Discovery | 50 | $7,500 |
| Expert Discovery - Custody Expert | 40 | $6000 |
| Expert Discovery - Actuary | 15 | $2,250 |
| Expert Discovery - Vocational Expert | 20 | $3,000 |
| Pretrial Motions | 30 | $4,500 |
| Trial Preparation | 100 | $15,000 |
| Court Time | 15 | $2,250 |
| Legal Costs and Fees | - | $2,500 |
| Total Cost (Experts) | 280 | $42,000 |
| Total Cost (No Experts) | 205 | $30,750 |
