Snyder & Hilliard LLO

During the initial consultation with you, we will endeavor to evaluate how much time and expense will be involved in the foreseeable future, and we will quote you a retainer for the foreseeable work in your case. A retainer is not a bid, it is an estimate. We may, and often do, condition our willingness to accept your case on your ability to replenish and pay additional retainers as the demands for work in your case may require. When you give us a retainer, we hold your funds in an account that is segregated from our own funds, until we have earned it. If at any time you lose confidence in our services or if we finish your case before the retainer is exhausted, we will refund your unused retainer when our engagement is either completed or terminated.

We take Visa, Master Card, and other major credit cards. Since most of the work that we do for clients in litigation has at least the potential for adverse financial consequences, we don’t finance litigation for our clients.

In some circumstances, the firm will accept a limited scope engagement from clients that have the ability to pay for some but not all of the work that is anticipated for a particular case. When a client needs a lawyer but can’t afford to pay a retainer for all of the work that is anticipated in the case, a limited scope engagement is an effective way to obtain representation for critical stages of a case in circumstances where it is impossible to put down a retainer for the full representation. In these circumstances, we will evaluate with you the cost of getting through a major hurdle or past a critical stage in a proceeding, and we can quote you either a flat fee or a capped hourly fee to represent you in an important segment of your litigation. If you are satisfied with our representation and the result at the conclusion of this segment of your case, you and we can evaluate together whether and on what terms the firm will be employed to represent you in later stages of the case. These agreements will always be in writing so that you and we have a record of our commitments to each other in the engagement.

Depending on the type of case, we do accept some cases on a contingency fee basis. This type of an engagement is usually restricted to injury cases where the prospect of collection from an adversary is assured by an insurance policy.

Most clients want their attorney to handle their case in a way that, in the judgment and discretion of the attorney, will result in the best outcome for the client. Sometimes the client's view of what is best differs from the lawyer's view. In those situations, the client should tell the lawyer what he or she wants for an outcome, and if the lawyer does not agree that this is the best outcome, the lawyer may ask the client to sign a written statement that the client has been advised against something but nevertheless chooses to act against the advice of the attorney. This doesn't mean that lawyer and client have to part ways, it is simply a record for the protection of both of them that there was a difference of opinion on a matter and the lawyer is deferring to the decision of the client about it.

Sometimes clients want the lawyer to take an approach or to pursue a course of action that the lawyer is either uncomfortable with, or in a way that the lawyer is unwilling to participate. While clients ultimately retain control over the decisions about how their case will be handled, lawyers reserve the decision to refrain from certain conduct and to withdraw from the case in circumstances where the continued participation of the lawyer runs against the lawyers personal or professional ethics. In those circumstances the client may take whatever course of action the client chooses, but the client will have to do it with a different lawyer, or without a lawyer if one can't be retained to act as directed by the client.

Lawyers don't have clients. Clients have lawyers. The client always retains the right to select, hire, and to discharge counsel, for any reason, or for no reason at all. Clients are encouraged to inform their lawyers of dissatisfaction as soon as possible. This gives the client and the lawyer a reasonable chance to:

• fix the problem if it can be fixed;
• minimize loss or damage or other adverse consequences; and
• prevent the problem from growing into a more serious situation.

When you discharge an attorney, you are entitled to have a copy or record of the pleadings and evidence in your case, and to the return of any unused retainer (except in “flat fee” cases), as soon as any unbilled or unpaid charges can be determined and paid.