I’ve had penthouse offices on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. I’ve also had storefront offices in not-so-nice parts of town. I charged different fees at each office for the same services.
And why not? Why not charge more at the office with higher overhead and nicer furniture? Why not charge what the market will bear?
What about clients in the same office? Can you charge some clients more than others?
Of course.
If a client gives you a ton of work, why shouldn’t you give them a break? If you provide elite services to some clients who are willing to pay a higher fee, why shouldn’t you?
Insurance defense firms and firms that handle subrogation and collection charge less per matter because of the volume of business they get, less than they would charge if you walked in with a single case.
Living trust mills hire outside lawyers to do the legal work. The lawyers earn less per client than they charge their regular “retail” clients.
By the way, you could do something similar no matter what your practice area. Joint venture with an attorney in a lower-end part of town who doesn’t provide the services you do. He brings in the clients, you do the work, and maintain your other office where you charge higher fees.
(Verily, make sure your bar is okay with this, yada, yada.)
Anyway, people pay different fees for the same goods and services every day. Ever buy a hot dog at the ball park?
Clients will pay different fees, too, because they’re willing to pay for convenience or prestige, or because they like and trust you and don’t want to go anywhere else.
How could you charge more (or less) for your services?
More ideas for joint ventures with other lawyers
