About

ABOUT US

We are a law firm dedicated to assisting middle to low income individuals in criminal defense cases. This includes all services typically necessary in a criminal case, such as discovery acquisition and review, pretrials and preliminary hearings, plea negotiations, jury and bench trials, and sentencing. We work on a sliding scale based on individual income to ensure our rates are as affordable as possible.

Public Criminal Defense

     As a public defender I have been appointed to represent indigent defendants in their criminal matters. Currently, I have been assigned to cases before the Honorable Brian Cannell and handle most public defender cases in his court. If you believe you are eligible for a public defender you will need to request one at your initial hearing with the court.

     Whether you are a public defender client or private client, I provide the best legal services I can. There is no difference in the quality of services provided to clients who have retained my services privately or who has been appointed to me as a public defender. Nevertheless, if you do not qualify for appointment of a public defender you will need to hire your own attorney. That is where our sliding scale fees come into play to help you get effective and meaningful representation at a cost you can afford.

Private Criminal Defense

     Too many times I have sat in court as an unrepresented person stands before the judge asking for a public defender only to be told they do not qualify. On paper the person simply earns too much, but in reality they do not have enough to pay standard private attorney fees. They are left in a no-man's land where they cannot get the help they need and deserve.

     In an effort to combat this problem, our firm has been set up to work on a sliding scale fee. In this way we can provide private criminal defense services for those who do not qualify for a public defender but need representation.

      As with all cases, all clients who hire our firm privately can expect complete legal services including management of all hearings, a thorough review of the discovery, a frank and honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the case, pretrial motion work, and if necessary, a trial. These services will be provided at a flat fee rate so you know from the beginning how much you can expect to pay in fees.

Fees Based on Your Income

     Our sliding scale system is designed to make our rates as affordable as possible. The way this system works is by first determining where your income falls in comparison to the federal poverty guidelines. The federal poverty guidelines are updated yearly and we work off of the current guidelines in place at the time we are quoting a fee for our potential client.

     Our rates are based on your percentage of the federal poverty guideline as follows:

  • Less than 150% = $50.00 per hour
  • 150% to 200% = $75.00 per hour
  • 200% to 300% = $100.00 per hour
  • 300% to 400% = $150.00 per hour
  • More than 400% = $200.00 per hour

     Once the legal rate that will be charged has been determined, we will next look at the charges that have been brought against you. We will take the highest level charge in your case and take the average hours Utah attorneys spend on that charge as set forth in the Provisional Caseload Standards for the Indigent Defense of Adult Criminal and Juvenile Delinquency in Utah (2021). Your legal rate is then multiplied against the average hours for the highest charge for the flat rate fee you will be charged for your case.

    For example, if you earn 150% to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines your rate would be $75.00 per hour. If your highest charge was an A Misdemeanor Possession of a Controlled Substance the average hour input by the attorney would be 6.3 hours. Multiplying your rate of $75.00 against the 6.3 average hours would give a flat rate legal fee of $472.50. This amount is hundreds of dollars less than just about any attorney in Cache County.

     Because we work on a sliding scale we do have to minimize our overhead expenses. This includes our billing and accounts receivable--meaning we cannot work on payment plans. The substantially reduced legal fees do need to be paid in full, up front, before representation in your case will commence.

     Next, it is important for any private client to understand that there is a difference between legal fees and legal costs. Legal fees are what you pay to the attorney for his or her work and expertise. Legal costs are expenses that are not kept by the attorney but used for services necessary to your case such as paying a process server to serve subpoenas on witnesses, paying a court reporter to make a transcript of a hearing, paying the County for discovery, etc. Legal costs are NOT part of your flat rate legal fees and will need to be paid by you as they are incurred. Most cases do not require any legal costs beyond paying for the discovery (usually $10.00 to $25.00). For those cases where costs above and beyond discovery may be necessary we will discuss those costs with you ahead of time, explain why we believe they are necessary, and let you determine if you want to incur those costs or not.

     Finally, we provide private attorney services throughout Utah and Idaho. Our sliding scale fees are based on representation in Cache County, Utah where our office is located. If your case is outside of Cache County, Utah, your quote will also include a one time travel fee. That fee will cover all travel to court hearings irrespective of the number of trips made in your case.

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