Trends Report

At Hemmat Law, we believe that knowing how to access legal help to find justice shouldn’t be hard to find. We also believe that knowledge is power, and to help arm the public with the information they need, Hemmat Law (and our sister company Hemmat Interactive Inc) collaborated to undertake the largest-ever survey of Family Law Firms in the United States.

We secret-shopped 400 Washington Family Law firms. Here are our findings.

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Top 5 Key Takeaways

01

Few Firms Offer Free Consultations

Only 20% of law firms provided free consultations, and consultation costs typically ranged from $100 to $500. The closer they are to a city, the more they cost.

02

Email and Voicemail Are Ineffective

75% of firms never answered our emails, and 90% of voicemails were never returned.
If you want an attorney, you need to call them.

03

Transparency is Lacking

Many law firms failed to provide clear details about pricing, appointments, or consultation processes, leading to frustration among potential clients.

04

Larger Firms = Better Experiences

Law firms with 11+ employees were rated higher in responsiveness, service quality, and overall client satisfaction compared to solo practitioners and small firms.

05

The larger the city, the more expensive.

Law firms in more populous counties cost more to hire, consult with, and retain.

Things to Keep in Mind

Hourly Pricing is the Standard:

Only a fraction of firms offer flat-fee family law pricing. Those that do wildly vary in service scope. Be prepared to hire a firm hourly starting at $350 per hour. Often much more.

Most Firms Cannot Text:

Only 1-in-7 law firms can text with their clients. Most firms rely on email and phone calls to collaborate.

Geography Matters:

Western Washington has the law firms that deliver the best client results. Rural area practitioners are more challenging to get in touch with.

What does Hemmat Law think about this:

01

The more communication channels a firm has, the better. You can call us 24/7, email us at any time, collaborate with us via app, or even text us on demand. Demand the same from your attorney.

02

Flat fee services are best for low-conflict matters. Be cautious hiring a flat fee firm to handle a matter that requires tactical flexibility and fast response times.

03

Trust your gut. If you don’t vibe with the attorney you consult with, keep looking. Hiring the wrong attorney is usually worse than hiring the right one more slowly.

The Hemmat Law Group knows how important it is to be able to communicate easily with your lawyers – we use these tools to try and make sure that we can communicate with all our clients effectively and promptly.