Understanding Our Billing Practices

Transparent. Professional. Value-Driven.

At Keystone Law Group, P.C., we believe in transparency when it comes to our billing practices. As California’s premier probate law firm, we understand that trust and estate matters are deeply personal and often complex. Our clients deserve clarity not only in their legal matters, but also in how we structure our fees and billing.

Investment in Excellence

When you choose our firm, you’re investing in:

Specialized Expertise. Our singular focus on probate law means our attorneys navigate complex trust, estate, and conservatorship matters with unparalleled knowledge and skill.
Proven Track Record. Our exceptional record of multi-million dollar recoveries and successful outcomes speaks for itself.
Experienced Representation. We’ve helped hundreds of clients resolve their probate matters effectively.
Premium Service. From your first consultation through resolution, you receive the highest caliber of legal representation.

When your inheritance, your loved one’s estate, or your family’s future is at stake, experience and results matter. Keystone delivers both.

Our Commitment to You

At Keystone, we’re committed to providing exceptional probate services with billing transparency. Every invoice reflects the skilled legal work performed by our experienced probate attorneys on your behalf. We want you to feel confident in your investment and understand exactly what you’re paying for.

We understand that legal fees can be a concern, which is why we’ve made our billing practices clear and accessible. At Keystone, there are no hidden fees, no surprise charges, and no ambiguity.

What we bill reflects the work we do—and the results we achieve. Our clients choose us because they value expertise, results, and the peace of mind that comes from working with California’s leading probate law firm.

What You Can Expect

The following provides an overview of the process.

Our Billing Methods

At Keystone, we recognize that every client’s situation is unique, which is why we offer a range of billing methods to suit your needs. Depending on your case, you may be offered contingency arrangements (where fees are collected only if you recover funds), flat fee structures for clearly defined services, or hybrid arrangements that combine different billing models for maximum flexibility. However, most of our clients are on the hourly billing method, which is the standard and most common approach at our firm.

Under hourly billing, you are charged for the actual time our attorneys and legal staff spend working on your matter. Every task, whether it’s court appearances, document preparation, phone calls, or research, is tracked in detailed increments and reflected on your invoice. This method ensures that you pay only for the work performed on your behalf, with transparency into how your fees are calculated.

The remainder of this page will focus on our hourly fee arrangements. We will explain how our attorneys track and bill their time, how invoices are prepared and sent to you, and what your payment obligations are as a client. Our goal is to provide you with a clear understanding of the process, so you can make informed decisions and feel confident about the services you receive.

Monthly Invoice Schedule

Within 10 days after the end of each month, we send you a detailed invoice for services made in the previous month. Your invoice will include:

A detailed report of how our legal personnel spent their time on your matter
Any expenses or advances incurred by us on your behalf

This regular billing cycle ensures you’re always aware of the work being performed on your behalf.

Electronic Billing

To be more environmentally friendly, invoices are sent via email only from billing@keystone-law.com, unless you do not have an email address or specifically request to receive invoices by mail.

Important: Please check your spam folders if you are not receiving billing emails.

Payment Terms

When we issue your invoice, we will apply any available funds from your deposit held in our Client Trust Account to pay the balance. Payment of any remaining balance, plus replenishing the client deposit (as explained below), is due upon receipt of the invoice. Prompt payment allows us to continue working efficiently on your matter without disruption.

Client Deposits

A minimum deposit amount for your matter is stated in your fee agreement. Key details about deposits:

You must replenish the deposit to the minimum amount each month to cover our charges
The required minimum deposit may be adjusted (either increased or decreased) at our discretion
Once your matter concludes, the deposit will be applied to your last invoice

Any remaining funds will be promptly refunded to you or the individual who paid the deposit once your matter is complete and all third-party expenses have been paid

Costs and Advances

We advance funds for costs incurred on your matter, such as:

Messenger fees
Filing fees
Court costs
Other necessary expenses

Advances incurred in one month will typically be reflected on the following month’s invoice, since we generally bill you for these advances once we receive and pay the invoice from the appropriate vendor. At times, you may be asked to pay certain invoices directly to the vendor.

Interest on Outstanding Fees and Costs

If payment of the outstanding balance is not received within 30 days of the bill date, a monthly simple interest charge will apply, as stated in your fee agreement. A simple interest charge means that interest is applied only to outstanding attorney fees and costs—not on any previously accumulated interest. In other words, interest is never charged on interest itself; you will only be billed interest on the original unpaid amounts related to attorney fees and costs.

Understanding Your Invoice

We want to ensure that you fully understand every aspect of your monthly invoice. When you become a client, you’ll receive an example invoice that clearly explains what each element of the invoice means and how to read it.

How to Pay Your Invoice

We’ve made it easy to pay your invoice with multiple convenient options:

1

Pay by Check

Make all checks payable to:
Keystone Law Group, P.C.

Please send to:
11300 West Olympic Blvd.
Suite 910
Los Angeles, CA 90064

2

Pay by Wire Transfer

For wire transfer payments, contact us at billing@keystone-law.com to request our wire transfer details.

3

Pay by Credit Card or eCheck

You can pay by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover) or eCheck by visiting:

https://keystone-law.com/pay

Or call us at 424.444.9720 and we’ll process your payment over the phone

Billing FAQs

Below are answers to some common questions about our billing practices and how we manage your case. If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Why are multiple people working on my matter?

At Keystone, we take a team-based approach to ensure your case receives the highest level of attention and expertise. Each matter typically has a supervising attorney who oversees the strategy and a handling attorney who manages day-to-day tasks. In addition, associates, law clerks, and paralegals may assist with specific aspects of your case to keep things moving efficiently and cost-effectively. This approach is cost-effective because associates, law clerks, and paralegals typically have lower hourly rates than senior attorneys. By assigning tasks based on each professional’s expertise and rate, some work can be handled by those with lower billing rates, ensuring you receive high-quality service while keeping your overall legal costs down. This collaborative model allows us to leverage the strengths of our entire team for your benefit.

Why is time being billed on my matter even when it seems dormant or nothing appears to be happening?

Matters in court often involve waiting on court calendars, filings, or actions from opposing parties, which can create periods of apparent inactivity. However, your case is never sitting idle. During these intervals, our attorneys are not only monitoring deadlines, reviewing developments, and positioning your case for success, but also proactively using these low-activity periods to prepare and plan. This may include holding strategy sessions among the attorneys managing your case and developing approaches tailored to your circumstances. Even when progress isn’t visible, important behind-the-scenes work—including case analysis and strategic planning—is being carried out to protect your interests and move your case forward.

What are your hourly rates?

Our hourly rates differ by timekeeper and are based on factors such as experience, expertise, and role. This approach allows us to match the right level of skill to your needs while managing costs effectively. Rates applicable to your matter will be reflected in your monthly invoices. Clients may request, at any time, a schedule identifying the rates of each of our timekeepers.

Is the retainer billed separately, or is it applied to my hourly fees?

Your retainer is not a separate fee. Instead, it is a deposit that is applied toward your legal work as it is performed.

Here’s how it works:

We bill our time on an hourly basis.
Each month, we issue a detailed invoice showing the work completed during that billing period.
The amount due on that invoice is paid from your retainer balance.
After the invoice is applied, you are asked to replenish the retainer by the amount that was used, so we can maintain the agreed‑upon retainer balance going forward.

This process ensures that funds are always available to continue working on your matter, while also providing you with regular, transparent monthly billing.

When will my unused retainer funds be returned to me?

When your matter is nearing completion, our legal team begins a formal closing process to ensure everything related to your case is finalized. This includes confirming that all third‑party expenses (such as court costs or vendor invoices) have been paid and that all attorney and staff time has been entered and reflected on the final invoice. At the start of this process, you will receive a closing letter from our office. This letter outlines important details, including when your final invoice will be issued and the timing for returning any unused deposit funds. Because each matter is different, the timing can vary. Any remaining deposit balance is refunded after the final invoice is processed and all charges have been resolved, in accordance with the timeline provided in your closing letter.

Why do multiple attorneys bill time for meeting or conferring on my case?

These meetings are truly where most of the magic happens in your case. The supervising attorney—one of our more experienced team members—and the handling attorney, who knows your case details inside and out, meet to discuss the status and strategize the best way forward. Picture it like a sporting event: a coach will spend hours developing strategies and plays, then distill those plans to the team in a focused huddle before the game. Similarly, in our firm, the critical planning takes place during these meetings—usually once a month—and the rest of the month is dedicated to executing on that plan. We don’t start from scratch each month; instead, we check in on the progress of previously developed strategies and adjust as needed based on any new facts, events, or developments. This ongoing collaboration ensures your case remains on track and responsive to changes.

Why do some third party costs appear later on my invoice?

While we bill third‑party expenses as quickly as possible, we cannot control when vendors, courts, or other service providers invoice us. As a result, some costs may be billed to your matter after we pay the invoice. For this reason, we wait until all known third‑party expenses are received before finalizing billing and refunding any unused retainer funds.

Will I be charged a fee for paying by credit card?

No. We do not charge clients any additional fee for paying by credit card. Credit card payments are processed securely through our trusted payment vendor, 8am LawPay, and the processing costs are not passed on to you.