Criminal defense attorneys fall into two camps when it comes to charging
for their services. Many criminal defense attorneys charge "flat" fees.
That is, the client will agree to pay one set fee for the attorney to
handle the entire case from beginning to end (or broken down
into segments, such as a set fee for pretrial preparation,
and another set fee if the case proceeds to trial). Other
criminal defense lawyers charge by the hour. There are
a number of advantages and disadvantages for both
attorney and client under each system.

Mr. Duvall generally prefers to charge by the hour.
His minimum fee to meet with a new client is currently
$95, and if an agreement is reached that he will
continue to assist the person, he charges $295 per
hour. Every case is different in both seriousness and
complexity. It is rare that total fees and costs are
less than $1000. Common retainer amounts
(money which must be posted into the
“client trust” account in order for Mr. Duvall
to begin representation) range from $1500–$10,000.
In more serious or complex matters, the required
retainer may be higher.