Retainers
Retainers are an amount paid up front as an advance for legal services. The retainer is held by the firm in trust until you have been billed for the services and had an opportunity to discuss any charges you believe may be inaccurate.
As invoices are sent and accepted, your retainer will be reduced to reflect the charges in the invoice. If your retainer reaches 20% or lower, you will be required to replenish the retainer to the original amount. All cases which are billed by the hour will require a retainer.
The amount of the retainer will vary by the amount of work which your attorney anticipates will be necessary. Generally, however, a standard retainer will be $5,000.