If I do not have a flat fee for your case, I charge $150 an hour. I require a non-refundable retainer equal to my estimate of the lowest number of hours that will be required to resolve the case, and additional payments if the actual hours exceed the estimate.
The minimum retainers are $2,500 for state misdemeanor cases, $4,000 for state court felony cases, $8,000 for federal court criminal cases, and $5,000 for civil litigation. These retainers presume a not guilty plea and a jury trial for your case. If you plead guilty and seek a "deal," the price is a bit less. Small claims cases that are argued before a judge or jury are $500 minimum and usually total between $500 and $1,000.
Premarital agreements are usually $800 plus the recording fee in the county recorder's office (which can vary between $15 and $50 depending upon the document's length). Bankruptcies are $1,600 for a Chapter 7 and $3,300 for a Chapter 13. Chapter 11 cases start at $18,000. All include filing fees.
Divorces start at $500 for an uncontested divorce with no children and no real estate and go up from there. For example, a divorce with 2 children, child support, a home (whether you keep it or relinquish it to your spouse), and a retirement package to address is $1,500. Divorces are termed "dissolutions" in Indiana; you are "dissolving" the marital contract. Dissolutions take at least 61 days to obtain (both parties in agreement; both willing to sign the paperwork). A change of custody case is a minimum of $2,500.
If you do not have a will, please find a lawyer you like and get him/her to make you one. The wills I write cost $250 to $1,500, depending upon complexity. The will I write is good in all states. I can write a nice trust agreement also. Trust documents start at $500 and go to $2,000. Again, it all depends upon the complexity. No, I'd rather not write a so-called living trust. The IRS hates them and that's all I need to know.
Changing your name costs $950 to $1,800, depending upon the court and county in Indiana where I have to file. It takes about 60 to 90 days to complete the project. The incredibly slow part of a name change is getting the Indiana Department of Health to change the birth certificate! If you need a change of name on your birth certificate, expect to wait awhile (sometimes as long as 9 to 18 months) and appreciate that I have absolutely no control over the Indiana Department of Health. They are impossibly slow. I suspect other states' departments are equally slow. Change of name fees quoted include all filing fees and publication fees.
If you are lucky enough to win a major lottery ($500,000 plus), please call me immediately at (765) 609-2274, regardless of the state you live in. I can fly out and set up a team to protect your winnings. My fee will be $50,000 to $85,000. Add to that the numerous airfares, helicopters flights, limousines, hotel suites, and food for friends and relatives and you can expect to spend some $175,000 to $200,000 the first week. That figure includes the costs of local CPAs and attorneys. My usual method is to put them in rooms on a floor beneath yours. That way I can stay on top of the work they are doing for you.
If you have questions about the fees, please contact me. A written fee agreement is produced for every case.
This page was last revised on June 30, 2007.
Richard M. Bash
Attorney-at-Law
8418 S. Shady Trail Drive
Pendleton, IN 46064-8643
E-mail: dickbash@bashlaw.com
Tele: (765) 609-2274