Wright Commercial Litigation seeks to provide real value to clients. That includes regularly offering to work on a partial contingency basis (and occasionally a full contingency) for certain types of insurance, breach of contract, and other commercial claims depending on the circumstances. A contingency fee is the norm for personal injury suits but less common in commercial disputes. The firm backs up its assessment of the merits of a case when working on a hybrid billing basis that results in it not being paid in full for its time unless and until there is a successful recovery for a client. That provides significant benefit to a small or midsize business—as well as individual owners, partners, investors, shareholders, nonprofits, and others—who cannot necessarily afford the hourly rates charged by most law firms.
The contingency basis offered by Wright Commercial Litigation is typically a heavily discounted hourly rate with the addition of a fixed percentage of any monetary recovery. The percentage may be phased to start lower and increase depending on whether a resolution is achieved by settlement before suit or as more work becomes necessary through the filing of case, discovery, and ultimately a trial. The discounted fee and amount of contingency percentage offered for each matter is unique based on factors that include the adversary, amounts at issue, anticipated time and difficulty of the case, along with the firm’s independent evaluation of the merits and likelihood of recovery.
The primary risk for a law firm in any matter taken on contingency is not being paid in full (or at all) after a significant investment of time and/or money. That requires careful diligence on the front end to make sure a claim appears to have validity but also reasonable assurances of actually being able to collect payment if successful. Wright Commercial Litigation is experienced with a wide variety of disputes in McKinney and throughout Collin County, Dallas County, Denton County, and the greater DFW area, and puts its own compensation on the line by offering partial contingency fees in appropriate cases.
Contact the firm to request an evaluation of your case to see if it may be one that can be handled on a hybrid contingency or some other type of reduced fee basis.
1 Please note the firm’s contingency arrangements typically require a client to still pay all out-of-pocket court costs, expert fees, and other litigation expenses as they are incurred and regardless of the outcome in the case. In limited circumstances, the firm may offer to cover all the costs of litigation itself in return for a higher contingency percentage. The specific terms and conditions of any fee or contingency arrangement will be agreed upon between you and the firm upfront and documented in a detailed written agreement executed by both sides, before any billable work begins.
Reasonable Hourly Rates with a Value-Based Billing Commitment
Sometimes a contingency or other alternative fee is not feasible for a variety of reasons. In that instance, the firm can usually still offer to work on a traditional hourly basis at a rate that is quite reasonable in comparison to others, which is made possible by leveraging modern technology and outsourced support solutions to minimize the overhead costs that other law firms still treat as essential.
In addition, Wright Commercial Litigation subscribes to a philosophy that no client should be charged by the hour for anything that does not add value to their matter. That means, first and foremost, billing only for work legitimately requiring legal skill, knowledge, or experience that advances the ball on a case or project. Certainly there will be tasks requiring a significant investment of hours to make sure they are done correctly and protect a client’s rights or options, but you will never be expected by Wright Commercial Litigation to pay for anything not anticipated to provide real benefit to a client.
Still, value is a subjective matter. Like “beauty” it could be said to exist only in the eye of a beholder.
Wright Commercial Litigation’s dedication to providing value thus means that, if you get charged on an hourly basis for something you do not agree was worth the effort, then there’s no obligation to pay for that task. No questions asked. That is the firm’s “value-based” commitment for matters billed by the hour.
Other Alternative Fee Arrangements
The basis for engagement of an attorney can include any number of combinations of the main forms of billing—fixed fee, hourly, and/or contingency—and may also include other arrangements such as placing a “cap” on an hourly rate to give the client a benefit of paying only for time incurred with a guaranteed ceiling not to be exceeded even if more time is needed to properly complete a project.
Less common types of alternative fees include a “holdback” whereby the client releases a portion of fees as earned upon certain measures of “success” being attained, or even a true retainer where a client pays a large one-time, monthly, or annual fee to secure the services of an attorney for whenever needed.
Whatever form it takes, alternative fees can make skilled legal services available to a larger variety of clients and cases. Wright Commercial Litigation seeks to be innovative in all things and will consider any type of creative fee arrangement you wish to propose. All you have to do is ask.
No Charges for General Consultation. Ever.
A law firm focused on providing value must also listen closely and not hesitate to tell a client when legal services are not needed. That, in turn, requires open and honest communication at all times. Billing every six minutes in the process can be a hindrance to that goal.
That is part of the reason why general consultations with Wright Commercial Litigation (i.e., those not requiring analysis, research, or drafting) are free of charge … before, during, or after an engagement.
No client should be deterred by cost from simply asking a question, providing information, or receiving an update on their matter. Lack of communication is the root cause for most errors and dissatisfaction. Virtually every other industry on the planet charges customers only for the core product or service that business is uniquely qualified to provide, not the time spent answering the customer’s questions. Why should your law firm be any different? … Tradition? … More profits for the law firm?
Wright Commercial Litigation is not a traditional firm. Its mission is to be as efficient and targeted as possible in order to help deserving clients recover what they are due and solve difficult legal problems in a way that hopefully saves them money. Compensation for such a firm comes first in the satisfaction of a job well done for an appreciative client, whether it is an in-house counsel, small business owner, or individual client. Profit naturally follows that path carved out by superior customer service.
Contact the firm today to schedule an appointment to discuss your matter.
