Fees: Hourly rate is $500 per hour charged in 1/10th hour increments. Travel rate (outside of 30 miles from Leon County) is limited to a one hour roundtrip total regardless of mileage for roundtrip travel in Florida from Tallahassee to and including St. Lucie County and Charlotte County.  South of St. Lucie County and Charlotte County travel rate is limited to a two hour roundtrip total regardless of mileage. For extended services, fees and travel rates are negotiable. 

 

Costs: For car travel outside of Leon County, the rate is $.50 per mile or the federal travel rate whichever is lower. There are no charges for meals during travel, copies, faxes or long distance service unless they become excessive and you approve of them ahead of time. All other costs are at the cost to me for the particular item.  I understand the need to keep costs to a minimum and do so without exception.

 

Additional Fees/Costs Information: Fees and costs are usually evenly divided between the number of parties in a mediation unless two or more parties have one attorney and they share common interests.  In such a situation, they will be treated as one party for fees and costs sharing.  The parties may arrange for a different fees and costs allocation but must notify me of such an agreement when I am retained for the mediation.

 

All my billing will be detailed on a daily basis and show the amount of time spent and a brief description of the work performed. I will bill on a monthly basis or within two weeks after the mediation ends. Other arrangements are possible.  Payment is due within 30 days of billing.

 

Since the agreement to mediate is between the attorneys and me, the attorney is responsible for payment unless the attorney is an employee of a government entity. In the case of a government entity, the government entity is responsible for payment.

 

Mediation Retention and Scheduling Letter:  The fees/costs arrangement and all matters related to how the mediation will proceed (dates for mediation statements, information in the mediation statements, attendance at the mediation, mediation protocol, etc.) will be memoralized in a mediaton retention and scheduling letter I will email to the attorneys usually within 5 days of being retained for a mediation.