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First consultation: 30 minutes, at no charge, at the office or by video (sample)

(555) 014-3300

[email protected]

Know the time and the fee before we start

Hartwell Rowe Law (sample) is a small firm in Springfield for family matters, wills and estates, work disputes and leases. Every matter starts with a free consultation and a letter that says what the work will take.

Ask for a consultation
How we charge

Matter and typical time

Fee

First consultation

No charge

5 units, 30 minutes

Residential lease review

$180

8 units, 48 minutes

Severance agreement review

$450

15 units, about 1 hour 30 minutes

Simple will

$440

20 units, about 2 hours

Parenting plan, drafted with you

$1,050

35 units, about 3 hours 30 minutes

Uncontested divorce, agreement and filing

$1,440

60 units, about 6 hours

Time in the fee Time we do not charge

Typical lawyer time for a straightforward matter, in six-minute units (sample). Example prices: fixed fees unless marked estimate. Your own estimate is in your engagement letter.

Practice areas

Four areas, the everyday legal matters of people and families. If yours is outside them, we say so and suggest where to go.

Family law

About family law

Separation and divorce, custody and parenting time, child support and prenuptial agreements. We work toward agreement where that is possible and prepare for court where it is not.

Typical matters

Divorce, parenting plans, prenuptial agreements

Wills and estates

About wills and estates

Wills, powers of attorney and health care directives, and probate for families dealing with an estate.

Typical matters

Simple wills, powers of attorney, probate

Employment

About employment

For employees: severance agreements, dismissal, unpaid wages and workplace investigations.

Typical matters

Severance reviews, demand letters, interviews

Property and leases

About property and leases

Residential leases, home purchase contracts and disputes between landlords and tenants.

Typical matters

Lease reviews, purchase contracts, notices

How we charge

Lawyers keep time in units of six minutes, a tenth of an hour. We use them to set our fixed fees, and you can ask for your time record at any point.

One hour: ten units of six minutes

A short email or reading a one-page letter

A phone call of up to twelve minutes

Reading a ten-page agreement with notes for you

A meeting of an hour, with a written summary

Rates

Partner

$30 a unit

$300

Associate

$22 a unit

$220

Paralegal

$12 a unit

$120

Example prices, per hour. A fixed fee is the typical time at the rate of the person who does the work, rounded.

Never charged

  • The first 30-minute consultation
  • Questions about our bill
  • A copy of your file when the matter ends

From first call to engagement letter

Four steps before any work starts, the same for every matter.

1

You call or write

Tell us in a few lines what has happened and the names of the other people involved.

2

We check for conflicts

We make sure we do not already act for the other side. This takes up to one working day.

3

A 30-minute consultation

At the office or by video, at no charge. We explain your options and what each would involve.

4

An engagement letter

The work, who does it, the time it should take and the fee. Nothing starts until you have signed it.

A lawyer at his desk meeting two clients, seen from behind

Who you will work with

A small firm on purpose: the lawyer you meet in the consultation is the one who does the work.

Claire Hartwell

Partner, family law (sample)

Samuel Rowe

Partner, employment (sample)

Nadia Okafor

Associate, wills and estates (sample)

Luis Ferreira

Associate, property and leases (sample)

Meet the lawyers

What to bring to a consultation

You do not need everything. These papers let us give you a clear first answer in thirty minutes.

For any matter

  • Photo ID
  • Any letters, notices or court papers you have received, with their dates
  • The names of the other people involved
  • A short timeline of what happened, if it helps you

For your kind of matter

  • Family: marriage certificate, a list of assets and debts, the children's current schedule
  • Wills: a list of what you own and who you would like to provide for
  • Work: your contract, the severance offer, recent pay slips
  • Property: the lease or purchase contract, with any emails about it
A desk from above with a yellow legal pad, a pen, a laptop and a cup of coffee

Questions people ask before they call

General information, not legal advice on your own matter.

Do I need a lawyer for this?

Not always. Some matters can be handled with a form or a letter you write yourself; if yours is one of them, we say so in the consultation.

Can you tell me if I will win?

No lawyer can promise how a court or the other side will respond. We tell you your options, the risks of each as we see them, and what each would cost in time and fees.

How do your fees work?

Most matters have a fixed fee based on the typical time, written in your engagement letter. Where the time cannot be known in advance, you get an estimate in units and a monthly statement.

Is the first consultation really free?

Yes. Thirty minutes, at the office or by video. It is recorded on our time sheet as time we do not charge.

Is what I tell you confidential?

Yes. What you tell us to get legal advice is confidential from the first conversation, even if you do not instruct us afterwards.

Do you work with clients outside Springfield?

Yes, for matters under the law of this state. Consultations work well by video and documents can be signed electronically.

Legal notes

All legal notes

The office on Elm Street

220 Elm Street, Springfield (sample)
Second floor, lift from the courtyard entrance

Monday to Friday

8:30–17:30

Tuesday evenings, by appointment

until 19:30

Saturday

Closed

Opening hours (sample). Two minutes’ walk from the county courthouse; visitor parking on Mill Lane.

Get directions
Map of the streets around the office at 220 Elm Street
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First consultation: 30 minutes, at no charge, at the office or by video (sample)

(555) 014-3300

[email protected]

Ask for a consultation