Big Law Veterans Launch a New Law Firm with a New Business Model
PEAK Litigation Moves Away from the Billable Hour and Puts Women Front and Center
KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A new women-owned and controlled Kansas City law firm is providing legal services in a common-sense way. Founded by Big Law veterans, PEAK Litigation promotes straightforward and transparent pricing.
Most law firms bill by the hour, charging clients for every six minutes an attorney spends on a matter. This can lead to tension; lawyers are not economically incentivized to resolve matters quickly, and clients lack any means of accurately predicting their legal expenses. In Clio's 2018 Legal Trends Report, 54 percent of legal clients reported they worried about, "never knowing how much a lawyer will cost in total."
PEAK Litigation is bucking that trend. For clients who want pricing certainty, PEAK Litigation works with the client up front to provide a budget, strategy and proposed fee covering the life of the matter. Legal matters can be structured with fixed fees, budget caps or success bonuses, depending on the client's legal and business goals. The firm provides regular updates on both the case and the budget that are uniquely catered to match each client's need.
"It's an approach that works for business clients – who worry about balance sheets as much as dockets – and is more rewarding for the lawyers," said Emily Sullivan, a founding partner and PEAK Litigation's chairwoman.
"By its nature, litigation is a challenge. It's hard enough to manage risk, strategy and resources – law firms shouldn't make it harder with inefficiency and guesswork," she said. "We take pride in truly understanding our clients' goals and finding ways to make their lives easier, whether that's through proactive reporting, predictable pricing or just plain common-sense answers."
Along with Sullivan, PEAK's founders are Kristi Burmeister, Aaron Craig and Pat Fanning (PEAK is an acronym of the four founders' initials). The four worked together at litigation powerhouse Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P., where they served clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Their work has been recognized by the Association of Corporate Counsel's Value Champion program and others for quality, efficiency and results.
PEAK Litigation represents individuals and companies on a variety of litigation matters, including contract disputes, business-to-business commercial disputes, fiduciary duty and partnership claims, trust and estate disputes, product liability claims and personal injury matters. Its alternative fee model is available for both plaintiffs and defendants.
After a soft opening in September 2018, the firm is now fully staffed and open to the public at 4900 Main Street, Suite 160, Kansas City, Missouri.
The firm's approach already has attracted a number of local clients who value the promise of, "skilled representation and straightforward pricing."
"It's rewarding to work with lawyers who are so invested in meeting our goals – from providing intelligent budgeting to pursuing our ultimate business objectives economically and intelligently," said Sara Meinhard, senior corporate counsel and head of litigation at Cerner Corporation. "We congratulate them on this exciting new venture and look forward to being a part of their future in Kansas City."
About PEAK Litigation:
PEAK Litigation LLP is a women-owned and women-controlled law firm, built by four trial attorneys with more than 50 years of collective Big Law experience. The firm represents individuals, small businesses and corporations in a full range of commercial litigation matters. For more information, visit http://www.PEAKlitigation.com.
SOURCE PEAK Litigation
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