About Retainers
Lion and Mouse Retainer
The amount you pay according to the offerings here, is your Lion and Mouse retainer. This is a flat one time fee and its caped, regardless of how many hours at $150 are used on your file.
You will never have to top up your retainer, but those that do voluntarily are rewarded with more instantaneous access to assistance.
The capped "Pay-What-You-Can-Afford" retainer is for the Lion and Mouse retainer only. Law firm retainers are different
.
Why the Pay-What-You-Can Retainer?
I want to make sure that you can afford counsel like FFLG. Your ability to obtain and keep legal representation is paramount for me. I only take on clients that I feel can succeed in court. The hope is this is an investment. If I do everything I can, if I invest time into your cause so that you can use funds for counsel; win your trial and obtain a costs reward, deferring any value you see in Lion and Mouse until then.
Law Firm Retainers
Retainers paid to law firms such as Feldstein Family Law Group, while can be viewed as just a deposit against hours booked, really is much more. Once a law firm is retained, they have ethical rules that govern their conduct of care with a client and their file. While yes it is a deposit against blocks of time, and you generally absolutely should expect to have to top up retainers several times, you are also buying protection that comes along with that.
Firm Ethics
There are two types of lawyers, those that service their client, and those that service the firm.
A firm like FFLG serves the client. They will be just as quick to talk you down from a losing and expensive battle, as opposed firms that serve themselves by convincing you to stay in the fight so their retainer can be topped up a few more times.
How Much Will Retaining a Lawyer cost if unassisted?
Every file is different, the more complex the more you'll spend. A divorce application with property and support and children could hit the $65k mark by the second case conference. It could easily hit over $100k before getting to trial, and north of $100k after trial.
A simple motion for relocation can easily cost $10k or more.
How Much Will Retaining a Lawyer cost if Assisted by Lion and Mouse?
Much like was was said above, the cost is dependent on the complexity of your file. But if Lion and Mouse takes you on as a client with the Pay-What-You-Can-Afford model, cutting legal fees in half is a good starting point.