No two cases are alike; and, therefore, it is difficult to quote fees.   For example,  it is impossible to predict how long a case will take and or how cooperative the other side may be.  Moreover, although all reasonable attempts are made to obtain positive results for our clients, Ms. DiFranza cannot guarantee the outcome of the case. At all stages of her contact with clients, Ms. DiFranza attempts to use E-mail and fax communication to speed up communication, avoid misunderstanding and minimize fees.

Can I just talk briefly with Ms. DiFranza at no charge to see if she handles my type of case or can help my client’s case - will she take my call?     

    Ms. DiFranza has a ten-minute rule. She’ll talk to you for ten minutes to verify that a consultation might be worthwhile (or not) and won’t charge for that time. During this preliminary chat, Ms. DiFranza will not be acting as your attorney and thus please do not provide confidential information re your case. For a straightforward case, you may decide to directly retain her in which case she will E-mail you a proposed fee agreement and list of information and documents needed so that she can work on your case. Alternately, she may propose a consultation.

Can I talk more at length to Ms. DiFranza and find out if she can help me and what she proposes to do for me--before I retain her?

    If you’d like to talk with Ms. DiFranza in order to receive advice on the handling of your case, you will need to provide Ms. DiFranza with a consultation fee and a check, the amount of which she will quote during your initial phone contact with her. She will E-mail you a list of information and documents needed so that she can provide advice. After studying what you send her, she will E-mail you a summary of what she recommends and then followup with a phone conference to assist in your making decisions on how your case is best handled.

Does Ms. DiFranza ever do flat fee QDROs?

    Yes, in simple cases, mainly involving account balance plans such as 401(k) plans. She can tell you whether your case qualifies on your first contact.

What other things result in increasing the cost of the QDRO?

    Procrastination is the major cause of expanded fees and can easily double or triple the cost of doing a QDRO. Client/counsel is given a list of documents and information to obtain. Only 50% is received a month later. DiFranza sends a reminder E-mail painstakingly listing the deficiencies. A month later another 20% dribbles in with a note saying "Here are the documents you asked for. Let me know what else I can do." (Obviously note writer hadn’t reviewed the list carefully.) If this process reiterates several times the client may well go over the amount budgeted for the task of resolving the pension and deferred compensation issues.