King & Jones Litigation Fee Structures
King & Jones bills business litigation matters using whichever fee structure fits the case: standard hourly rates in the mid-$500s to mid-$600s, blended rates, capped fees, flat fees, contingency, partial contingency, milestone payments, or hybrid combinations. We design the arrangement around the client’s risk tolerance, case posture, and budget.
Litigation is expensive. We do not pretend otherwise. But we work hard to ensure our clients receive real value. Although most of our matters are handled hourly, below are some examples of different types of fee structures we’ve used with clients before.
Fee Type | How It Works |
Hourly | Time is billed in tenths of an hour at the attorney’s rate (mid-$500s to mid-$600s). |
Blended Hourly | One negotiated rate applies to every attorney on the matter. |
Capped Fee | Hourly billing with a hard dollar ceiling; nothing billed above the cap. |
Flat Fee | One fixed price for a defined scope of work. |
Contingency | A percentage of the recovery; no recovery, no fee. |
Partial Contingency | Reduced hourly rate plus a smaller percentage of recovery. |
Milestone Payments | Fees tied to defined case events (motion outcomes, discovery completion, settlement). |
Hybrid | Two or more structures combined (e.g., discounted hourly + success bonus + cap). |
What is an hourly fee?
An hourly fee is a charge based on the time attorneys and staff actually spend on your matter, billed in quarter-hour increments. Our hourly rates currently range from the mid-$400s to mid-$600s, depending on the attorney and the complexity of the matter. Hourly billing offers maximum flexibility and is well-suited to most litigation matters.
What is a blended hourly rate?
A blended hourly rate is a single rate that applies to every attorney on the matter, regardless of seniority. Instead of paying one rate for a partner and another for an associate, you pay one negotiated rate for all attorney time. Blended rates simplify budgeting and remove any incentive to over-staff junior attorneys.
What is a capped fee?
A capped fee is an hourly arrangement with a maximum dollar ceiling that we will not bill above, regardless of how many hours the matter requires. The client pays for time worked up to the cap; everything beyond it is on us. Capped fees are useful when budget certainty matters more than billing flexibility.
What is a flat fee?
A flat fee is a fixed total price for a defined scope of work, paid regardless of hours. Flat fees work well for discrete, scopable engagements — drafting a demand letter, outside general counsel work, or handling a defined phase of a matter — where the work product is predictable.
What is a contingency fee?
A contingency fee is a percentage of the recovery, paid only if we obtain money for you. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorneys’ fees (you remain responsible for litigation costs unless we agree otherwise). Contingencies make sense for plaintiff-side matters with clear damages and creditworthy defendants.
What is a partial contingency fee?
A partial contingency fee combines a reduced hourly rate with a smaller percentage of the recovery. The hourly piece keeps the lights on; the contingency piece aligns our incentive with yours. Partial contingencies suit cases where the client wants reduced near-term cash burn but the firm needs some certainty of compensation.
What is a milestone payment arrangement?
A milestone payment arrangement ties fees to the completion of defined case events — surviving a motion to dismiss, completing fact discovery, defeating summary judgment, reaching settlement, or obtaining a verdict. Milestones smooth cash flow and give both sides clear progress markers. They can be layered on top of hourly, flat, or hybrid structures.
What is a hybrid fee arrangement?
A hybrid fee arrangement combines two or more of the structures above — for example, a discounted hourly rate plus a success bonus, a capped fee with a milestone trigger, or a flat fee for early-stage work followed by a partial contingency at trial. Hybrids let us match how you pay to how the case actually unfolds.
Why Our Rates Deliver More Value Per Dollar
Our hourly rates — mid-$500s to mid-$600s — are deliberately positioned below the rates charged by the AmLaw firms that typically appear opposite us in commercial cases. That is not an accident; it is a function of how we are built.
Senior attorneys do the work. When you hire King & Jones, the lawyers handling depositions, drafting briefs, arguing motions, and trying the case are the same partners on the firm letterhead — Peter M. King, William H. Jones, Paul King, and Jeffrey M. Mathis. We do not hand significant work to junior associates and bill it back at near-partner rates.
Lean staffing means a leaner bill. Most of our matters are staffed with one or two attorneys, not a five-person team. Fewer hands means fewer redundant reviews, fewer internal meetings, and fewer line items.
No leverage pyramid to feed. Big firms run on associate leverage; we do not. That structural difference shows up directly in your invoice.
The practical result: clients regularly tell us their bills from our firm run a fraction of what comparable work cost them at a larger firm — for the same or better case outcomes.
Disclaimer: The information on this page is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Fee arrangements are case-specific and depend on factors including the nature of the dispute, the parties involved, and the scope of representation. Any engagement is subject to a written agreement and the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.