Attorney Fees, Retainers, & Hourly Rates in Oregon

Attorney Fees

Romano Law, P.C. handles criminal defense, divorce, DUI, and family law cases. These cases are not typically eligible for contingent fee arrangements in Oregon. We also handle personal injury cases which can by billed on contingency. Our firm requires a retainer for most cases, and we bill our attorney fees and paralegal / administrative fees on an hourly basis.

Hourly Rate

Most cases handled by our firm are dealt with on an hourly basis with funds being withdrawn monthly from a client trust account (aka “a retainer”). We send out detailed billing statements in the form of a monthly invoice, and then apply client trust funds towards towards any fees and expenses. Our attorney hourly rates depend on the type of case and location, but Mr. Romano’s hourly rate is typically $540 per hour and Ms. Becker’s hourly rate is typically $450 per hour, in sixth of an hour increments. Our paralegals typically bill at a rate of $120 per hour, also in one sixth of an hour increments. We also employ– as independent contractors– private investigators at a rate of approximately $100 per hour.

Retainer

We require a retainer in all cases. This retainer is a set amount of funds held in a client trust account, while we are working on your case or billing for previous work in your case. As described above, will bill typically once a month and apply funds held in the client trust account towards fees and expenses. The remaining balance of your client trust account remains your money and stays in the trust account while we continue work on your case. Once your case is completed, any remaining trust funds are refunded to you. If there is a balance due for fees and expenses, it must also be paid. Our firm requires replenishment of the client trust account while working on your case. For example, after we bill a client for $500 of work, and then apply $500 of the client trust funds held in retainer towards this work, we require that $500 be replenished by the client back into the client trust account. This system allows our retainers to be lower than traditional retainers because we only require enough funds in the client trust account to cover one month’s legal work and expenses on a client’s case.

Our required retainers vary depending on the case type (civil vs. criminal), status or posture of the case (e.g. likely settlement vs. trial), and location (e.g. Portland metro area vs. rural Oregon). The retainers typically start at $5,000. If an expert witness is used, they will have a separate retainer paid directly from the client to the expert, and the amount and terms of those retainers vary depending on the expert.

Flat Fees

Our firm allows for flat-fee agreements on some cases. With these arrangements, the client pays a set rate for an agreed-upon number of hours worth of work. We most typically offer flat-fee arrangements on expungement cases, firearms restoration, and diversion-eligible DUI cases within the Portland metro area, but you may contact our office to inquire about other flat-fee arrangements.

Modest Means or Pro Bono Work

We do not do any “Modest Means” or “Pro Bono” work.

Engagement Letter & Fee Agreement

If we agree to accept your case, and if you wish to hire us to work on your legal matter, we will review and execute a written engagement letter including a fee agreement.

Credit Card Payments

In addition to cash, checks, money orders, and cashiers checks, we accept Visa and MasterCard.