Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does Santen & Hughes charge clients for legal services?

Our firm offers three basic fee arrangements.

  1. Hourly

    In most circumstances, our attorneys charge for their services at an hourly rate based on the amount of time spent working on any given matter. We keep track of the time spent and send an itemized invoice to each client at the end of each month. The hourly rate for our attorneys varies depending on the type of matter and the attorney, and typically increases annually. We strive to provide the most economical service for our clients by using paralegals, where appropriate, whose rates vary. If no other agreement is set forth in a written contract between our firm and a client, this is the fee arrangement that will be applicable.

  2. Fixed Fees and Estimates

    Under some circumstances, our firm can commit to a fixed price for the completion of defined legal services. A fixed fee arrangement may be available for matters where the scope of the project is known at the outset and the expectations of the parties can be defined in a written description. In order to obtain our firm’s services on a fixed fee basis, the terms of the representation must be set forth in advance in a written contract.

    The scope of work for some assignments is difficult to accurately predict. In those situations, we can provide a non-binding estimate of the range of fees that is likely to be incurred, however, our estimates do not constitute an agreement to provide services for a fixed fee.

  3. Contingent Fee Agreements

    In some cases, our attorneys represent clients on a contingent basis. In these cases, our clients are only obligated to pay any legal fees if we succeed in recovering funds for the client. Our contingent fee agreements require the client to pay the expenses of litigation, even if no recovery is obtained.  In these cases, our fee is paid when the claim is paid, and our fee is a percentage of the settlement or judgment recovered. Personal injury, medical malpractice and employee discrimination or harassment cases are sometimes appropriate for contingent fee arrangements. In any case where our firm provides services on a contingent basis, the terms of the representation must be set forth in advance in a written contract.

  4. Expenses

    In many types of cases, expenses arise during the course of the representation. Expenses may include filing fees, court reporters, expert witnesses, couriers, document production and other costs. Under each of our fee agreements, the expenses of the representation are the responsibility of the client, and we ordinarily request that the client pay the expenses on an ongoing basis.

2. Does Santen & Hughes accept credit cards as a form of payment?

We gladly accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express.