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Chasing the billable hour:
Billing by the hour is
the standard for business and compliance attorneys. While most of my
clients have chosen this approach for purchasing my services, I
acknowledge the criticisms of the billable hour. Where appropriate,
I will explore providing legal services under a flat fee arrangement,
or an approach that combines legal services with administrative and
consulting services. For our clients that prefer to be charged for
legal services on an hourly basis, I make the following promises:
1.
We document “Off
The Clock” services. OTC time might include time on the phone
answering questions about a document we have prepared or a letter we
sent to you or your business associate. We also consider the time it
takes to learn your business OTC. We will call frequently to seek
advice from the client before giving ours. We don’t charge the client
for calls where we seek his or her advice or to learn about their
business. Documenting this time is meant to demonstrate our
commitment to the client.
2.
A bill is not
communication. When a client has a question about an invoice, I will
be available whenever the client wants an explanation. My clients
include Fortune 500 companies that have review procedures for their
legal invoices. I will afford the same accountability to all
clients. A client will not be billed for calls about bills.
3.
All compliance
memorandums will be objective and concise in addressing regulatory
constraints while providing accurate risk/exposure assessments. If a
memorandum is confusing or fails to address a client’s issues because
I failed to ask the correct questions, the client will not be charged
for the time it takes to revise the memorandum so that it does address
the issues.
4.
If I cannot
competently handle a matter for a client, I will recommend an attorney
to the client who can. I do not accept referral fees for doing so. |
Office Location(s)
Overland Park, Kansas
9300 Metcalf Avenue, Suite 202
Overland Park, Kansas 66212
Telephone: 913-378-9920
Facsimile: 913-378-9924
URL: http://www.stalterlegal.com
Bill@stalterlegal.com
wastal@swbell.net
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