Fees:

Attorney Fees:

We know the cost of legal services is an important (if not the most important) factor when deciding which attorney to retain, or whether to hire an attorney at all. Many attorneys will not disclose their fees before you have to commit to pay for their services. While some areas of the law, such as litigation, make it impossible to know how much it will cost to go through the process, the exact fee for many legal services is known and should always be explained to the client up front.

Why We Publish our Fees:

You are entitled to know the cost of our services before you retain Helton Law Firm. Transparency and understanding are critical for all good relationships, and we never want our clients to be surprised by our fees. While it is somewhat of an advantage to our competition to see what we charge without publishing their own rates, we are confident that our fees are not only competitive with other firms, but are, overall, a much greater value when considering the client-focused services we provide.

We Aren’t Always the Cheapest:

While our rates and fees are often a fraction of what other firms charge, we are not always the least expensive firm in Tulsa. The old adage “you get what you pay for,” is very true of attorneys. Would you rather have an attorney that bills less but doesn’t return your calls, or an attorney that bills a little more but always keeps you updated on the status of your case and explains things in a way you can understand? We take the latter approach and strive to be the quickest, most responsive, approachable, and client-focused law firm in Tulsa. Our fees include the extra time and dedication necessary to explain complicated legal processes in understandable language, provide regular updates on the status of your matter, communicate with third parties in an effort to move things along more quickly, and many other activities that set us apart from most firms.

Flat Fees:

Many of the services we provide are performed for a fixed or flat fee. Trusts, wills, powers of attorney, limited liability companies, corporations and materialmen’s liens are just a few of the services that you will know exactly what the cost will be before we start. Unless discussed otherwise, flat fee matters include all filing fees and postage that sometimes accompany these projects. While it is important for our families to know the costs, it is especially important for our business clients to be able to budget and plan for the costs of legal services. We are constantly looking for opportunities to provide services in a manner that is consistent with our business clients’ accounting and budgeting needs.

When We Can’t Guarantee the Cost of a Case:

While we can often tell you how much a project will cost up front, some cases are simply impossible to give an exact amount. Whether it’s litigating a disputed lawsuit over several months or negotiating a 40-page contract, certain variables are outside of our control and may cause a project to cost more or less than expected. The cost of litigating the same type of lawsuit may vary considerably depending on the conduct of the lawyer on the other side or even the personality of the other party. Similarly, reviewing and finalizing a commercial lease may be more time consuming than expected because the Landlord insists on arguing for unreasonable provisions. In these cases, we work on an hourly rate that varies depending on the experience of the attorney handling the case. Even though we cannot know the exact total of the final fees, we always try to provide an estimate of the costs and explain the things that could cause the final amount to be more or less. We always want our clients to have the most information available to decide whether they want to proceed with the matter. When possible, we prefer to approach cases in stages and break down the total fees of a case by estimating the cost of each phase so that the client can deal with a larger project one step at a time. While we cannot always provide the exact cost of handling a case or project for our clients, we can provide the information necessary to allow you to have a better idea of what you’re getting into.

How Do Retainers Work?

Attorneys often ask clients to pay a retainer or “trust payment” before beginning legal services. When the legal project is billed on an hourly basis, we sometimes ask for a deposit that will cover an estimate of the cost of the first phase or two of the case. The retainer payment is not a flat fee and is not intended to cover all the costs of the project. We will apply the retainer funds to the first invoice and let you know how much was charged and the current balance of funds held in trust. When the retainer has been used, we may ask you to replenish the retainer to cover upcoming costs in the case.

Flat Fee Schedule:

Estate Planning:

Single Person Will Package: $1,200
(Includes Will, Health Care Power of Attorney, Financial Power of Attorney, Advance Directive, and Nomination of Guardian for minor children – All plans are custom designed for your planning needs)

Couple Will Package: $2,200
(Includes Two Wills, Health Care Power of Attorneys, Financial Power of Attorneys, Advance Directives and Nomination of Guardian for minor children – All plans are custom designed for your planning needs)

Single Person Trust Package: $2,200
(Includes Revocable Trust, Will, Health Care Power of Attorney, Financial Power of Attorney, Advance Directive, Nomination of Guardian for minor children, Deed(s) to real estate (including all filing fees), and Assignment(s) of business interests – All plans are custom designed for your planning needs)

Couple Trust Package: $3,500
(Includes Two Revocable Trusts, Wills, Health Care Power of Attorneys, Financial Power of Attorneys, Advance Directives, Nomination of Guardian for minor children, Deed(s) to real estate (including all filing fees), and Assignment(s) of business interests – All plans are custom designed for your planning needs)

Trust Amendments: Varies depending on complexity but a flat fee may be provided after additional information is provided by the client.

Transfer on Death Deeds: $500
(Includes all filing fees)

Affidavits of Surviving Joint Tenant: $350
(Includes all filing fees – Fee waived if included as part of a Trust Package).

Warranty Deeds and Quit Claim Deeds: $300
(Includes all filing fees – Does not include title examination)

Business:

Single Member Limited Liability Companies or Corporations (or married couple): $800
(Includes all state filings, Operating Agreement, Tax ID number, and all filing fees)

Multi-Member Limited Liability Companies and Corporations: $2,500
(Includes all state filings, Custom Operating Agreement, Tax ID number, and all filing fees)

Residential Lease Agreement: $500
(Includes custom lease agreement for use with residential tenants)

Commercial Lease Agreement: Varies depending on complexity but a flat fee may be provided after additional information is provided by the client.

Residential Property Sale Contract: $600
(Includes Contract and Disclosure Statements)