At the Piatchek Law Firm, we are always working hard to streamline our processes to be more efficient, so that we can continue to be the most affordable full-service law firm in the Ozarks. By working closely with our clients, we’ve found new ways to save you money while also providing better customer service.
Ways We Keep Your Costs Down
Communication
Working closely with our clients is important to us, and we like to have you actively participate in gathering and organizing factual information at the beginning of your case. This helps us quickly understand the facts of your case and provide you with more informed advice. Plus, it provides a significant cost savings when compared to standard methods.
Discovery
Discovery can often be the most expensive part of litigation, but when you work with the Piatchek Law Firm, it doesn’t have to be. Generally, we make the decisions regarding what discovery is necessary and whether you should supply factual information and documents requested by the other side (or object to supplying that information). We will involve you in the decision-making process. Is the discovery worth fighting about? Often, the answer is “no” even though the request is objectionable. Once the decision has been made to respond to the discovery, we will ask you to gather the necessary factual information and documents to reduce the costs of discovery, passing the savings on to you.
Documentation
Large cases (and sometimes smaller cases), such as real estate subdivision disputes, are frequently document-intensive. A case may require that thousands of pages of documents be produced and reviewed. To reduce litigation costs, we often have paralegals perform the production and review.
Expert Witnesses
Expert witness costs can make up a significant portion of the overall expense of litigation. To reduce those costs, we will discuss with you early in your case what expert testimony is necessary, the costs associated with each potential expert, and the selection of the appropriate expert. We will then have you gather the factual information the expert needs to support his or her opinion.
Billing
Our invoices describe in detail each professional involved, the distinct tasks and activities performed by each professional, the time expended in tenths of an hour or quarter-hour, and the fees charged for that work in separate time entries. Additionally, we do not batch activities or tasks under one charge (i.e., “block-billing”).
Complimentary Services
We will not charge you for professional time spent on the following items:
- Conflict review
- Time spent preparing or reviewing invoices
- Time spent completing time slips
- Time spent responding to billing questions
- Data entry and input of information into the billing system
- Time spent by paralegals performing secretarial work
- Time spent by attorneys performing paralegal work
- Calendar maintenance
- Duplicative document or file review
- Excessive conferencing with other attorneys, paralegals, or staff members
- Unfocused legal research
If you have any questions or wish to set up an appointment to discuss your case, call us anytime at 417-882-5858 or email us for more information. For caring, experienced, and compassionate legal representation, contact our offices to arrange a confidential consultation.
