Our Billing Philosophy

Tied for the number one complaint about attorneys is that they cost too much money for the results obtained (or not obtained). 

At Lion Legal we are committed to transparent, understandable billing.

Every case is different – different communication needs, different issues, different levels of aggression and negotiations and arguing.

At Lion Legal we know that cost is always a concern – if your budget is small or very large, no one wants to waste money unnecessarily on legal fees or for no practical real-life benefit. 

Our Billing Philosophy dovetails with our Communication Philosophy and Lion Values. We never allow a client to spend money on attorney’s fees if that cost is not worth the likely result – we communicate well the costs/benefits of all legal options at every step of every legal matter. 

Predictability is key. We make predictions in the beginning and we update our predictions as we move through the case, so they are always as accurate as possible. We do our best to accurately predict in the beginning – knowing that we don’t have a crystal ball and these predictions are not exact – and, more importantly to update these predictions as the information we have changes and the legal case develops. 

To a large degree, clients control their own legal bills – following our processes, following legal advice, and their desired level of communication. Also, by strategic planning, by choosing what battles are worth fighting and which are not, as a case marches toward a final trial or a final resolution. 

Each decision a client is faced with, requires a thorough cost benefit analysis of all the options available. Cost is measured in terms of dollars, but also time and stress. We compare the cost of each option to the likely realistic result of each option, so clients can make informed decisions in every aspect, every step of the way. 

To an even larger degree, clients cannot control their own legal bills – like a chess game or a football game, the moves and decisions that we make are directly dependent on the moves and decisions that the opposing party makes. Our clients cannot control what the other side does or what the judge orders (such as requiring a hearing, even if we don’t think one is necessary). We must respond to all legal moves and follow all orders, even if we don’t think the judge or opposing party should’ve filed that motion or requested a hearing. 

We promise to never run up an unexpected legal bill without prior discussion and – to the largest extent possible, consent of our client. 

We strive to fit our exceptional Lion Legal services in every client’s budget and we customize how we accomplish that based on the specifics of each case, and that thorough cost/benefit analysis we talk so much about! 

Payment Plans

We used to offer payment plans as low as $500 down and $500 a month; however, we no longer offer payment plans with less than $1500 down and a plan to have the full initial estimated retainer paid within sixty days of hiring us.

This change is for the benefit of our clients. Low payment plans delay cases and sometimes are a bigger disservice to clients than to not have an attorney at all. We have found that clients saving their money until they have a larger lump sum, minimizes frustration and allows us to move cases more quickly and achieve better results for those clients. 

Additional retainer payment plans are determined as we move through the case, if an additional retainer is necessary. 

We do not charge interest or late fees or payment penalties.

Please note that a 3% fee is added to all payments made by credit card or echeck.

Hourly Rates 

All of our cases are billed by the hour – except criminal defense, supervised visitation, and mediation services. 

Hourly rates vary among attorneys based on experience, abilities, background, training, and trial skills and the complexity of the legal matter. Our attorneys are top-notch trial attorneys and among the Best Attorneys in Arkansas. Our fees are the most economical in Arkansas, for the quality of our legal services – from communication to legal strategy to trial presentation. 

At Lion Legal we charge $350/hour for our experienced partners and managing attorneys.

We charge $250/hour for associate attorney time and we charge $150/hour for our professional support staff.

At Lion Legal you are not buying just our time – you’re buying our talent, education, training, experience, trial skills, and ability to solve your problem efficiently and effectively. The most efficient way, the most transparent way, the fairest way to calculate the value of our talent, education, training, experience and trial skills is by the hour.