How Much Does a Lawyer Cost? A Guide to The Skeen Firm’s Flat Fees, Success Fees and Legal Pricing
One of the most frustrating parts of hiring a lawyer is often figuring out what the lawyer is actually going to cost.
The traditional answer is usually some version of: It depends.
Sometimes it really does depend. Legal matters are not identical, and nobody can responsibly predict every turn a case might take. But that does not mean clients should have to enter every legal matter with no idea how legal fees will work.
At The Skeen Firm, we have built different pricing models around different types of legal problems. Depending on the matter, that can mean a flat fee, a capped fee, a monthly recurring fee, a success-based fee, or a combination of those approaches.
The goal is straightforward: the fee structure should make sense for the legal problem.
Our attorneys serve clients across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, with pricing models designed to provide more predictability wherever the nature of the representation allows it.
Below is a guide to several of the pricing models we currently use.
Family Law: Flat Fees Instead of an Open-Ended Meter
Divorce and custody cases are stressful enough without wondering how much every email, telephone call, or routine development is adding to the legal bill.
That is why The Skeen Firm has developed a flat-fee family law model for qualifying matters.
Current pricing includes:
Uncontested Divorce: $2,500
Uncontested Custody: $3,500
Contested Custody: $5,000
Combined Divorce, Custody and Support: up to a $7,500 fee cap for qualifying matters
Instead of starting with an hourly rate and asking the client to hope for the best, we try to define the expected legal work and price it accordingly.
There is an important limitation. These prices generally contemplate resolution without trial. Matters requiring trial, unusually extensive litigation, experts, substantial discovery, appeals, or work outside the agreed scope may require additional fees.
But the basic philosophy remains the same: when we can give a client a predictable price, we would rather do that than leave the meter running.
Learn more about our Pennsylvania and West Virginia family law services.
Business Litigation: Aligning Fees With Results
Business litigation presents a completely different pricing problem.
A company pursuing a $500,000 claim may hesitate to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in hourly legal fees before knowing whether anything will ever be collected.
We built our plaintiff-side Business Litigation Success Fee model to address that problem.
For qualifying cases, the current structure generally includes:
Initial Fee: $5,000 to $15,000
Discovery Fee: $10,000 fixed fee if the case reaches that stage
Separate Trial Fee: $0
The success component uses decreasing tiers based on the amount collected:
25% on the first $250,000
20% from $250,000 through $1 million
15% above $1 million
The initial and discovery fees are credited against the calculated success fee under the applicable engagement terms.
There is also an important downside-protection feature: if the amount collected does not exceed the initial fee, the success fee is $0.
The idea is to create a structure in which the law firm has meaningful skin in the game while still providing the resources necessary to litigate a serious commercial dispute.
Learn more about our Pennsylvania and West Virginia business attorney services.
Business Litigation Defense: Pricing the Value of What Is Saved
Defending a business presents a different problem because there may be no recovery at the end of the case.
The value may instead be measured by what the business does not have to pay.
For qualifying defense matters, our model begins with an upfront fee of $15,000 through discovery, followed by a decreasing success-fee structure calculated in relation to the amount saved. The success component begins at 10% and decreases through the applicable tiers.
That changes the economic conversation.
Rather than measuring the lawyer's value exclusively by hours worked, the structure can account for the economic result achieved for the business.
Not every defense case fits this model, but when it does, it can better align the firm's financial incentives with the client's desired outcome.
Business Solutions Counsel: Outside Legal Counsel Without Building an In-House Department
Some businesses do not primarily need a litigation lawyer. They need somebody they can call before a problem becomes litigation.
Our Business Solutions Counsel model provides recurring legal support for businesses that need ongoing access to counsel without immediately building an internal legal department.
The process begins with a $750 initial assessment.
From there, businesses can select the level of recurring legal support appropriate for their needs. Monthly plans are designed around the volume and complexity of ongoing legal work, including contracts, employment questions, negotiations, operational issues, risk management, transactions, and strategic planning.
Businesses that pay an annual plan in full upfront receive a 10% discount on the recurring plan fee.
Learn more about Business Solutions Counsel.
Estate Planning: Flat Fees Based on the Plan You Actually Need
Estate planning is another area where hourly billing often creates unnecessary uncertainty.
Our estate-planning pricing is designed around the complexity of the plan rather than simply starting an hourly meter.
Someone who needs a straightforward will, power of attorney, and related documents should not necessarily be priced the same way as a business owner coordinating trusts, LLC interests, real estate, succession planning, and tax strategy.
That is why we prefer defined planning levels instead of pretending every estate plan is the same.
You can review current pricing and package information on our estate planning cost page for Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio or learn about our Pennsylvania and West Virginia estate planning attorneys.
Probate: Pricing Based on the Amount of Help the Estate Needs
Probate is particularly difficult to price with a single number because estates vary dramatically.
Some families primarily need guidance. Others want the law firm to handle most of the administration. Still others involve businesses, multiple properties, creditor issues, tax complications, unusual assets, or family disputes.
Our probate pricing therefore reflects the amount and complexity of work the estate actually requires rather than forcing every family into the same pricing structure.
Contested probate matters are priced separately because litigation can substantially change the scope of the representation.
For current pricing and additional information, visit our guide to probate lawyer fees in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.
West Virginia families can also find educational probate resources through WV Probate Guide.
Why Doesn't The Skeen Firm Use One Pricing Model for Everything?
Because a divorce is not a breach-of-contract lawsuit.
A lawsuit is not an estate plan.
An estate plan is not outside general counsel work.
Trying to force every legal service into the traditional hourly-billing model may be convenient for a law firm's accounting system, but that does not necessarily make it the right model for the client.
We prefer to ask a different question:
What pricing structure makes sense for this problem?
Sometimes the answer is a flat fee.
Sometimes it is a capped fee.
Sometimes it is a recurring monthly fee.
Sometimes part of the fee should depend on the financial result.
And sometimes a matter is sufficiently unpredictable that a customized engagement is necessary.
The point is not that one fee model is universally better. The point is that legal pricing should reflect the work, the risk, and the client's objective.
Predictability Is Part of the Service
Clients should understand more than what their lawyer plans to do.
They should also understand how they are going to pay for it.
That is why pricing is becoming an increasingly important part of how we design legal services at The Skeen Firm. Whether we are helping a family through a divorce, pursuing a business claim, protecting a company from liability, preparing an estate plan, administering an estate, or serving as ongoing business counsel, we look for opportunities to make legal fees more understandable and predictable.
That is part of what Everyday Legal Advice® means to us.
Practical advice. Clear expectations. A fee structure designed around the problem whenever possible.
Talk With The Skeen Firm About Your Matter
The Skeen Firm represents individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and businesses across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio, depending on the practice area and matter.
If you have a legal problem and want to understand both your options and what it may cost to address them, start the conversation with us.
Call 724-250-8841 or Book a Discovery Call.
Pricing described above is general information regarding current firm pricing models and is not a binding fee quote. Eligibility for a particular pricing model depends on the nature and scope of the matter. Court costs, filing fees, expert fees, third-party expenses, trials, appeals, extended litigation, and services outside an agreed scope may result in additional charges. Final pricing and the scope of representation are established in the applicable written engagement agreement.
The Skeen Firm | Everyday Legal Advice®
