Dolgin Professional Corporation
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Why Engage Us?
- Depth of Experience
- Proven Track Record
- Commitment to Excellence
- Extensive Business Network
Managing Legal Fees
At DPC, we understand the importance of working with clients to manage legal costs. While hourly billing rates do impact overall fees, the most important factor in final legal costs is project management. Effective project management can significantly reduce the total time invested by both lawyers and clients to complete a given matter.
At DPC, we work with our clients to create effective project management in several ways, including:
- Clarifying our role at the outset of each new engagement (i.e., are we to lead negotiations or merely providing “behind-the-scenes” coaching and support?)
- Outlining initial project scope and identifying key stages and deliverables
- Unbundling projects into simple/single-party stages vs. complex/multi-party stages
- Providing “first draft” fixed fees estimates for simple/single-party stages
- Providing realistic stage completion timelines
- Integrating scope change requests into initial fee estimates in a timely manner
- Encouraging clients to adopt “term sheet” approach (i.e., defer legal drafting until deal terms are sufficiently confirmed)
- Encouraging clients to confirm third party negotiation authority (i.e., defer legal drafting until key decision-makers are sufficiently identified)
- Fostering targeted email communications in lieu of lengthy phone calls or meetings (where possible)
- Delivering periodic fee updates prior to project completion comparing “actuals” to “estimates”