Let’s pretend you are my top rated attorney.
Attorneys charge anywhere from $200 to over $400 per hour, but for simple sake let’s pretend that you charge $100 per hour for your services. I don’t want to pay your hourly fee, however. I want to pay you a monthly flat rate to keep you on retainer to protect me, my spouse, and my 3 children (ages 16, 19 and 23).
I am going to outline some needs we have. As I go through these needs, I want you to add them up at $100 per hour. Then I want you to tell me how much you would charge each month for all these services.
- I want to be able to pick up the phone and talk with you about any personal legal matter. Of course, I will call only during your regular business hours.
- I also need you to write letters or make phone calls on my behalf. I know that a letter from you on your letterhead means more than any letter I write.
- I need you to review any legal documents or contracts before I sign. Wealthy people never sign anything without their attorneys reviewing them, so if you are going to be my attorney, I want you to do this for me.
- I would also like for you to prepare Wills for me & my spouse, and review and update annually. I know that 70% of all Americans do not currently have a Will and that when I die without a will, the State of Indiana has a Will for me. I certainly don’t want Indiana deciding what to do with my children and my assets.
- I have 3 teenage drivers and I also drive like a teenager. If I were to get a moving traffic violation, I don’t want to take time off work to take care of it. I want to be able to pick up the phone and have you hire a top traffic court attorney. I want to fax the ticket over to you and you have the attorney represent me in court. I know you are not a ticket fixer, but try to keep the points off my license and try to get my fine reduced OK?
- And, God forbid, I am in an accident and someone is killed! I want you to hire a top rated criminal attorney to represent me as I know that if I am charged criminally with vehicular homicide or involuntary manslaughter that my car insurance will not handle it. They only handle civil stuff, so you need to find someone real good to help me.
- I want to have this access throughout the United States. If I’m traveling in another state and need legal advice, I expect you to refer me to an attorney in that state. I want that attorney to bill you, and I want you to pay that bill out of this monthly fee arrangement we set up.
Now, if you were my attorney, what flat monthly fee would you charge me for all these services?
OK, well I’m not done yet …
- If I ever receive that wonderful letter from the IRS telling me I am going to be auidted on my personal income taxes, I will need you to hire a top rated tax attorney to help me through the audit. I don’t want to take my CPA with me, as she’s probably the one that got me into all this trouble! 🙂
- You need to wear a cell phone 24/7 just in case I am in an emergency and am stopped, detained, questioned, arrested, or harassed anywhere in the US. I want to be able to call a toll-free number and reach you even if it is 3 am!
- And, anything else I run into, I want a discount of at least 25% off your hourly rate. If I get drunk, steel a Harley, and drive buck-naked through downtown South Bend and rob a bank, I want you to represent me at your discounted rate.
Now, if you were my attorney, what flat monthly fee would you charge me for all these services?
For less than $1 a day ($19.95/month), LegalShield is going to do all this for you! Contact me to learn more information and to become a LegalShield member. You’ll be glad you did!