Fees for Research on California Law We encourage you to call or email for a fee quote specific to your needs anytime you are contemplating a project. The following text details how we compute our fees. Our research fees are constructed in increments to allow you to order what you need, no more no less. The possible components include: 1. Basic Fee: We start with a basic research fee per adoption or enactment. This varies according to the type of project. Click here for specific fee information on particular types of research. 2. Costs Incurred: In addition to our basic research fee per project, we also charge for costs incurred in all cases. This typically involves photocopy and delivery cost. In addition, the costs incurred can be affected by the format of your report. Our default delivery mode is PDF documents forwarded digitally (for which only photocopy costs are incurred). Other options are fax delivery or hard copy by Federal Express or a combination of digital and hard copies. 3. Predecessors: Where a significant portion of the development of a proposal occurred outside the deliberations on the primary adoption, the basic research fee may be supplemented (with your prior approval) for research beyond the primary adoption we are researching. Common examples of predecessor research would include similar proposals considered by the adopting body in a prior year, background materials from the California Law Revision Commission on legislative recommendations they sponsor, or background materials on Uniform or Model Acts. As part of our initial research fee we will include some materials on predecessor sources. Where the predecessor research is complex we will provide notice of what else we think is available and fee information for researching all relevant predecessors. However, where time is of the essence this two-step process could extend the period required to complete the project. We therefore can provide a "not to exceed" fee you can authorize in advance to allow us to proceed immediately if we discover predecessor materials are pertinent. 4. Authenticated Reports: The basic fee will also be supplemented where you need a formal authenticated presentation of the research findings. This format is designed for those matters requiring thorough investigation and the ability to lodge our report with the court with a minimum of fuss from opposing counsel (link for discussion of the law regarding judicial notice of legislative documents as your judicial district might impact the form of report you choose). Authentication is also useful if you plan on keeping the report in your library for future reference. The documents will be organized and each page numbered for quick reference. The report will be permanently bound along with an abstract of the history and a declaration that defines the scope of our search, clarifies the source of the documents and authenticates the documents. The authenticity declaration also functions as an index to the documents by page number. Research Options (a) Our Default Format - All Sources - This format involves a thorough review of all sources applicable to a particular enactment or adoption. The fee charts we provide assumes this option. (b) Primary sources - In this approach we review what our experience suggests will be the primary sources for useful documents, then forward a report in a PDF document of, typically, the 15 to 30 most pertinent pages with a brief textual discussion of our findings. Choosing this format will discount the cost of research about 25% to 35% below the comparable cost for all sources. Ask for a precise quote for your project. (c) Other options - Our reports can be designed to be whatever is appropriate in your circumstance. In some cases it may be appropriate to do thorough research on some amendments pertinent to the code section we are investigating, while doing a primary sources only search for other amendments. We are happy to provide quotes on research focusing on only what you need.
Home
California Law
Federal Law
Other Jurisdictions
Using Legislative Documents
MCLE Courses
Professional Services
Fee Information
Contact US
Jan Raymond State Bar # 88703 (888) 676-1947 jray@naj.net