FAQ

Please call (701) 484-2224 or email contact@suttonlawmediation.com

Phone calls and emails are generally returned within 48 hours, not including weekends. 

The office is open to clients and potential clients by appointment only. Please, no walk-ins. 

Appointments are available between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday through Thursday, and between 9 am and 3 pm on Fridays. Appointments at other times are available on a limited basis. If you need an appointment at a time outside regular business hours, please advise staff.

Staff is not always present to answer the telephone, so if your call is not answered please leave a voicemail message including your name, callback number, and a brief explanation of the reason for your call. You can usually expect a return call within 24-48 business hours.  Please be aware that support staff is not at the office full-time, and it can sometimes take longer to get back to you. We appreciate your patience.  

You are welcome to email to request an appointment or to ask non-legal questions. The email address to use is contact@suttonlawmediation.com.

222 South Randolph Street, Macomb, Illinois

The office is open to clients and potential clients by appointment only.  

The ultimate cost of legal services depends on the amount of time the attorney and support staff spend on your matter. Attorney time is billed at $250 per hour in six-minute increments, rounded up to the next .1 of an hour (e.g., 15 minutes of attorney time is billed at $75). Sometimes expenses such as filing fees, recording fees, or other hard costs are incurred on your behalf by the firm. Those fees and other costs are added to bills as well. 

For guardian ad litem cases:

If Emily is appointed as your child's guardian ad litem (GAL), the judge will determine whether the parents will split the cost of GAL fees or whether one parent will pay the entire amount. If you are responsible for any part of the fees, you will need to pay a retainer before work begins on your case.  A retainer is a lump sum paid in advance for the legal services that will be provided.  Depending on the complexity of your case and other factors, the initial retainer may be between $1,500 and $5,000 or more. 

The retainer is deposited into the firm trust account. Bills are sent periodically and the amount earned to date is drawn from the retainer in the trust account to pay that bill. Often  the retainer is exhausted before the work is complete, so you may be asked to replenish the retainer from time to time. If any amount of the retainer is left at the end of the legal work, it is refunded to you. 

For estate planning, probate, business, and other matters:

Sutton Law & Mediation, P.C., typically sends one bill at the conclusion of these types of matter. If a matter is expected to take several months or more to complete, you may receive interim bills before receiving a final bill. Payment is expected within 30 days of the receipt of the bill. 

Because each case is unique, it is difficult to estimate in advance the total bill for these types of matters.  Estate planning tends to cost between $750 and $2,500. A married couple with some assets (a house, some investment accounts) and no special circumstances should plan to pay between $1,000-$1,500. More complicated circumstances, such as those involving a farming operation, a special needs trusts, or a detailed gifting scheme, usually cost between $1,200-$2,500.

Similarly, the cost for probate varies widely. For a very simple probate case, costs tend to total $1,500, which includes expenses such as filing fees, publication fees, and charges for letters of office. Costs for moderately complex probate cases generally cost between $2,000-$5,000. Highly contented probate cases may cost in excess of $10,000. 

Sutton Law & Mediation, P.C. can provide a better estimate of your costs after learning more details about your situation at an initial appointment. 

Court-Referred Mediation

For court-referred mediation, a retainer of $750 total is due at least three business days before mediation. Each party must pay the portion of the retainer reflected on the Mediation Order signed by the judge, generally one-half or $375 each.

Court-referred mediations are scheduled to last a minimum three hours. If mediation continues beyond three hours, the parties will be billed for the additional time at the rate of $225 per hour. Time is billed in six-minute increments, rounded up to the next .1 of an hour (e.g., 15 minutes is billed at $67.50) You will receive a bill for your portion of any balance due for additional mediation time following your mediation session.  

Self-Referred Mediation

For self-referred mediation, the amount of the retainer is based on the type of case and scope of the issues to be resolved. Please call (701) 484-2224 for more information. 

No. Unfortunately I cannot offer payment plans for legal or mediation services. Depending on the type of work performed, you will need to pay the entire retainer before services begin or the entire bill when it is due.

However, if you are an existing client and a situation has arisen since you received your bill that make it difficult for you to pay the bill in its entirety, please contact Emily directly to discuss your circumstances.