Tip #199 - How to Set Default Firm Fees

Default fees can be set by going to: Admin > Picklist Maintenance > Default Retainer Fee Settings.

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Fee Structure
First, you will need to make sure the required “Fee Structure” is set (Fraction or Percentage and the amounts for each). Go to: Picklist Maintenance > Case Fee Structures and then select “Add New Item” to create the fee structure you want.

Default Retainer Fee Values
Next, set the Default Retainer Fee Values. Go to: Picklist Maintenance and select Default Retainer Fee Values and choose “Add New Item”. Enter a Name, select the Fee Type, then Structure (from the list of “Fee Structure” items created above), whether the fee will be calculated on the Gross recovery or Net recovery, or enter a specific fee amount (less frequent).

Default Retainer Fee Settings
Next, create the Default Retainer Fee Settings. Go to: Default Retainer Fee Settings in Picklist Maintenance and select “Add New Item”.  You have the option of limiting which fee structure is applied in any given case based on Case State, Case Group, Case Type and Mass Tort, or you can have the fee applied to all across the board (simply select All from the available lists in each drop-down). You will need to set the priority for the fee structure in the “Priority” field (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.). For example: You may have a general fee structure of 1/3 that applies to all cases in general, but a specific fee structure of 20% that applies only to Mass Tort cases.

By giving the “general fee structure” a priority of 1 (which is applied to all cases in general) and the “Mass Tort fee structure” a priority of 2, if a Mass Tort case is entered, it will apply the 20% fee structure (since that structure has the higher priority). Note: The system was installed with an initial Default Retainer Fee Setting that applies to all cases across the board that can be edited but cannot be deleted.

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Setting default fee structures as described above, precludes the need to enter individual fee percentages on a case-by-case basis, and will automatically apply the appropriate calculations for firm fees on the Settlement Page.