Memphis, TN family law attorney Daniel Loyd Taylor talks about the types of cases his firm handles and how they charge for their services. Taylor Bean and HR is a firm that concentrates almost exclusively on family law, addressing areas such as divorce, adoption, termination of parental rights, custody and its modification, alimony, child support, and property division.

The firm operates on an hourly billing structure, as do the vast majority of family law practices. Each lawyer’s hourly rate is determined by their experience and expertise, with the highest rates in the firm reaching $500 per hour, while associate lawyers and paralegals bill at progressively lower rates. To keep costs manageable, tasks that don’t require a senior lawyer, such as setting a motion date or organizing subpoenas, are often handled by less expensive staff.

Though many family lawyers bill in 15-minute increments, which the Tennessee Supreme Court allows, Taylor Bean and HR instead bills in tenths of an hour. For instance, if a client speaks with a lawyer for five minutes, they are billed for six minutes, the smallest unit their software supports. This detailed approach to billing aims to reduce costs by avoiding the larger increments, allowing clients to save on even small differences, like 5 versus 15 minutes.