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Knauf Santos Law

206.782.6200
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Knauf Santos Law, Seattle family law and divorce firm
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YOUR CASE : GETTING STARTED

This page walks you step‑by‑step through what it’s like to work with Knauf Santos Law, from your first call, to your consultation, to retaining our firm and receiving monthly bills. You can read it straight through or click a section below to jump to what you’re wondering about right now.


If you’re new to working with us, our first step is simply getting to know you and your situation. A member of our Client Care Team will take some basic details about you and the opposing party (often called the “OP”) to help us understand the issues you’re facing and whether we can assist.

Once we’ve gathered this information, we’ll perform a conflict check to ensure we can ethically and professionally represent you. If there are no conflicts and you’re ready to move forward, we’ll schedule a one‑hour consultation with one of our attorneys.

We primarily handle family law matters in King and Snohomish Counties, Washington, including (but not limited to):

  • Divorce and legal separation
  • Committed intimate relationships (unmarried couples)
  • LGBTQ+ family law
  • Pre‑ and post‑marital agreements
  • Child support
  • Mediation
  • Parenting plan and child support modifications
  • Relocation cases
  • Domestic violence protection orders (DVPOs)


While we handle most family law issues, we do not take on adoptions, guardianships, or grandparents’ rights matters.

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CONSULTATIONS

We meet potential new clients via Zoom or by phone, whichever is easier for you. Our consultations are one hour long and cost $250, payable in advance.

How it works

  • You’ll receive a Pre‑Consultation Intake Form to give us key background details. This form contains three upload spots that allow you to send us any documents for review. If you need to send more than that, let us know and we can set up a secure upload folder. 
  • Please avoid sending attachments by regular email; this helps protect your privacy and security.
  • We’ll send you a secure payment link. Once payment is made, you will receive an email confirmation.
  • After payment is received, your consultation date and time will be confirmed by our Client Care Team via email.
  • You’ll receive a confirmation email with your Zoom link. If you prefer a phone call, we’ll call the number you provide.


Our consultations are designed to give you the time and space to share your goals, ask questions, review any paperwork you already have, and confidentially talk through how we can best support you moving forward. If you decide to move forward with our firm, we’ll credit the $250 consultation fee at billing. If you still have questions after that first meeting, we can always schedule another one; any additional time will be billed at your attorney’s regular hourly rate and is not eligible for credit.

By the end of your consultation, our goal is that you:

  • Have a clearer picture of your options under Washington law
  • Understand what the next steps could look like in your case
  • Know whether we are a good fit to work together and what that would involve


Our consultations are designed to give you the time and space to share your goals, answer your questions, review any paperwork you already have, and confidentially talk through how we can best support you moving forward. 

If you decide to move forward with our firm, we’ll credit the $250 consultation fee at billing. If you still have questions after that first meeting, we can always schedule one. Any additional time will be billed at your attorney’s regular hourly rate and is not eligible for credit.

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RETAINING OUR FIRM

If after your consultation we all feel like a good fit, retaining our firm is straightforward. We’ll send you a Fee Agreement that clearly outlines our hourly rates and your advance fee deposit (your “retainer”). You’ll review and e‑sign this agreement, then submit payment securely through a link we provide. You’ll receive an email confirmation once payment is complete.

Your retainer is structured in two parts:

  • A working retainer that we draw from as we do work on your case
  • A “security retainer” we call the evergreen, which is held in place to help cover your final invoice

If any portion of either retainer is left after your matter concludes and your final bill is paid, the remaining funds are refunded back to you.

Once we’ve received your signed Fee Agreement and payment, we’ll send you our KSL Take Away, a brief guide with best practices, tips, and expectations to help you get the most out of working with us. You’ll initial each page to confirm you’ve read it so we all start on the same page.

If someone else is helping pay your fees, we’ll also ask them to sign a Third‑Party Payer Agreement. This makes clear that you are our client, and that your conversations with us remain confidential, even if another person is contributing financially.

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COMMUNICATION & CASE UPDATES

Clear communication is important, especially in family law.

  • We typically use email for day‑to‑day communication, with phone or Zoom calls when a live conversation is more efficient or sensitive.
  • We aim to respond to client messages within a reasonable time during business hours, and we prioritize urgent matters and court deadlines.
  • You will hear from us before and after key events in your case, such as court hearings, mediation sessions, or important filing deadlines.

Reading and responding to emails, reviewing documents you send, and calls with you are part of our legal work and will appear as line items on your bill. If you’re ever unsure whether something will be billable, you are welcome to ask.

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DOCUMENT PORTAL & PRIVACY

From the beginning, we work with you to collect the information and documents we need to handle your case effectively.

  • Before your consultation, you can upload documents through your intake form, and we can create a secure upload folder if you have more to share.
  • After you retain us, we will set up a shared client folder where you can upload and access documents related to your case.
  • We avoid sending attachments over regular email and instead rely on secure methods of transferring and storing your data.

Typical documents we might request include prior court orders, financial records, parenting schedules, and any existing paperwork related to your matter. We treat your information with care and handle it through secure systems designed for law firms.

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HOW WE BILL

When we work on your case, we bill in six‑minute (1/10th of an hour) increments, a common billing structure in the legal profession. Our attorneys and staff record tasks in six‑minute increments. Things that take less time are rounded up to six minutes for billing purposes, for example, a three‑minute telephone call is billed as six minutes of time.

We send billing at the beginning of each month by email. That email will contain:

  • An invoice detailing the work done on your case for the prior period
  • How much you have in your IOLTA account (your “advanced fee” or “retainer”)
  • Whether you may owe additional funds if your retainer was depleted for that period

If no work was done for the month, you will receive a Statement rather than an invoice. The Statement simply tells you what you have in retainer, or in some cases, what you might owe from prior billing periods.

You will receive these emails from “Clio” or “Clio.com,” which is our case management and billing system. It’s a good idea to check your junk or spam folders, as billing emails sometimes end up there.

What billing can look like over time

  • Early in your case: consultation, initial strategy, document review, and first filings
  • As your case continues: communications, negotiation, court appearances, and ongoing work
  • At the end of your case: a final invoice, application of any remaining retainer/evergreen, and a refund of any unused funds
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HOURLY RATES

Our rates reflect the experience of the team members working on your case.

Attorney hourly rates
generally range between $350 and $550 per hour.

Paralegal and legal assistant hourly rates
generally range between $150 and $380 per hour.

We use Confido Legal (formerly Gravity Legal) as our payment processor. A card processing fee is assessed when a client uses a credit card. The 3% fee is not assessed if you use a debit card or an ACH bank transfer.

One‑hour consultations are billed at a reduced hourly rate of $250 and are not subject to the 3% card processing fee.

OTHER QUESTIONS

The amount you put into retainer depends on the type of case you have. Schedule a consultation with us and we can walk you through your case.

The fee agreement between us will require that you keep the retainer topped up at all times. Falling below the agreed upon retainer amount will be subject to us withdrawing from your case.

Once we have concluded your case, we can mail you a check for the remaining amount. When requesting funds back, please send us your new address, as you may have moved from the time you started with us and the time your case ends.