Sure, it’s too general to say that no one likes surprises, and it’s not true: plenty of people like some surprises. For instance, I like being surprised with Sox tickets… so I’ll narrow this down.

Legal bills should be simple and unsurprising

Bills from your attorney should be easy to understand: why should the bill be as complicated as your cell phone bill?  And, there should be no surprises on the bill: you should know or expect every charge on a bill from a lawyer.  Why?  Because no one wants to be surprised by a bill.  That’s why I pledge to do better than your cell phone company – much better.

No one likes a surprise on a bill

I feel safe saying that no one likes a surprise on a bill (okay, maybe when it’s lower than you expected). People want to know how much it’s going to cost, if not to the penny, then at least with a close estimate. When that doesn’t happen, anyone would be unhappy. I’ll illustrate with two quick examples.

A broken furnace, and an HVAC company

My furnace stopped working recently. It was 8pm, on New Year’s Eve (and cold out), so it was not simple to find a company with an available repairman. When I did, I asked about the price, and they quoted a flat price for the visit (plus materials). It was more than I’d thought it would be, but it was certain. The repairman arrived when the dispatcher said he would, and the price was exactly what they’d said it would be. Simple pricing, simple billing. No surprises.

A car with a problem, and an auto shop

Around the same time, my car wasn’t driving right.  My local mechanic recommended a specialist, at a garage I’d never used.  I called him, asked about his availability and pricing, and brought the car over.  He repeated the same estimate on pricing, and I left him the car to fix.  When I went back to pick it, the price at the high end of his estimate, which was fine – no surprises there.  I drove it off the lot… and the alignment was off.  That was a surprise – he’d worked on the axle, and must have moved the wheels out of alignment – but was a simple problem.  I brought it back, he said he’d fix it.  I came back the next day – and he charged me to fix the problem he’d caused.  That was a surprise!  No one likes that kind of surprise.

My pledge to you

Why should hiring a lawyer be as uncertain as hiring that auto mechanic?  My pledge to you is that I will always make my pricing clear.  Whether I’m billing based on a fixed fee for a project, an hourly rate, a subscription model, or another pricing arrangement, you’ll always have it in writing.  I encourage you to ask questions, so that you know how I’ll be charging.  And I will never tack on extra charges outside of what I’m authorized to do for you.  You can read more about my pricing models here.

Have any questions?  I love questions.  Reach me through my contact me page.