Our Firm
Our firm is so proud to be big enough to serve, small enough to care. You don’t have to drive to Raleigh or Charlotte to find a good lawyer. We’re right in your backyard. When you work with us, you become more than just a client; you become part of our Kelly, West and Murphy family. We want you to feel right at home whenever you call or stop by, as if you’ve known us for years. Chances are, you have! We’ve been around that long!
Our Humble Beginnings
At Kelly, West, and Murphy our team is family! Since Kelly & West began in 1982, we have grown thanks to the support of our amazing clients and the Lillington community. We are very proud to have team members who love working with us as much as we love working with them. Many stay with us for decades, or even their entire career.
Ahead of the Curve
We constantly strive to improve our services by sending an evaluation form to our client upon the closing of the case. You, our clients, have helped make our continued growth possible. As a result, we are able to continue providing efficient and effective service so necessary in today’s ever-changing, competitive legal environment. We’re constantly updating our in-firm technology to ensure that our clients are informed about every detail concerning their case.
Reasons To Choose Kelly & West
Today there are more attorneys than ever to choose from, and we want our clients to know why they should choose us rather than some other attorney. In short, we strive to treat our clients the way we would want to be treated if we were put in your shoes.
Cold-calling a law firm can be intimidating and stressful. We get that. However, we want you to know that you have nothing to worry about when it comes to contacting us. Whatever you’re dealing with is tough enough without you having to deal with some snobby attorney, and that’s why we’re here to listen to you and help you navigate through your situation.
We Work For You
If we accept your case, we will discuss our fee and the schedule for payment. We try to keep our clients informed about their case with letters, emails, text messages and phone calls as needed. We are also able to have our clients sign documents on their phone, computer or tablet so they do not have to come to our office. We also use cutting edge technology and other resources to help us manage our cases thoroughly, professionally and in a timely manner.
Fee Policy
We continuously strive to keep our fees fair and reasonable. It is our practice to discuss fees with you at the initial call or interview, and to confirm contingency fees in writing. We have three types of fee arrangements: contingency fees; fixed fees, and hourly fees. These are explained below:
Fixed Fees
Fixed fees are fees that are determined and paid upon acceptance of your case and do not change regardless of the time required to handle your case, and regardless of the outcome of your case. The amount of a fixed fee is determined by the task that you engage us to undertake; whether your case is of an urgent nature which will require us to place it before other matters already pending; by the time we expect to spend on your case; its complexity; whether your case will prohibit us from being retained by others due to present or future potential conflicts of interest; and our experience in handling similar matters. The advantage of this fee arrangement is that our clients know the total cost of our services up front upon our acceptance of their case.
Hourly Fees
As the name implies, hourly fees are fees that are charged based on the time we spend handling your case. Hourly fees are used in more complex cases when we are unable to determine how much time will be required to handle your case. Hourly fees are typically used in the administration of complex decedent estates or other similar matters.
We also consider such other factors as:
Time constraints: Is your matter of an urgent nature which will require us to place it before other matters already pending? The amount of risk, the effort required, and the responsibility of the firm.
Exclusivity: Will your matter prohibit us from being retained by others due to present or future potential conflicts of interest?
Contingency Fees: We accept injury and wrongful death cases on a contingent fee basis. Contingent fees are fees that are determined by the result we obtain for you. The advantage of a contingent fee is that you are not required to pay anything upon our acceptance of your case and there is no fee charged if we are not successful. In addition, it encourages us to do the best job possible since the amount of our fee depends upon the result that we obtain for you.
Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Separate from our charges for legal services are the disbursements of funds made by us on your behalf. Expenses include such items as recording fees, filing fees, court costs, court reporter charges, certified copies of documents, Sheriff fees, copying costs, overnight delivery fees and wiring fees.
Referrals and Confidentiality
Referrals
We are proud that the majority of our cases come from repeat clients and referrals from our clients, our friends, and other attorneys. If you know of someone that may need to talk to an attorney, please refer them to us. Referring a new client is the greatest compliment that you could pay us.
Confidentiality
We assure you that all information you give any member of this firm will remain confidential. To completely understand your situation and formulate a sound legal solution, we must have certain information from you. Effective communication between us is the keystone to our relationship.
Appointments & Phone Calls
We recognize the value of your time, and therefore we strive to avoid making you wait when you come in to see us. To assist in this effort, we ask that you arrange an appointment prior to visiting the office.
Of course, if circumstances do not permit you to schedule an appointment in advance, we will see you as soon as possible.
If we are unable to talk to you when you call, your call will be returned as soon as possible.
