The Firm
How We Work
Written by Blake Stewart | Florida Bar No. 84716 | Admitted 2010 | Florida Bankruptcy & Estate Planning Attorney
Most people have never hired an attorney. The ones who have often remember one thing: not knowing what was happening or what it would cost until the bill arrived.
We built Stewart Law to be the opposite of that experience. Before you ever pick up the phone, you deserve to know three things: how the process works, how the fees work, and whether we’re the right fit for each other. This page gives you all three.
The Process: What Actually Happens
The consultation — Typically free, and genuinely useful.
You tell us your situation. We tell you, in plain English, what your options actually are — including the ones that don’t involve hiring us. If bankruptcy isn’t right for you, we’ll say so. If your estate plan needs two documents instead of six, we’ll say that too. You leave the consultation knowing more than you came in with, whether or not we work together.
The quote — flat, in writing, before you commit.
If we’re a fit, you get a flat fee quoted at the consultation. Not an estimate. Not a retainer that mysteriously depletes. A number, in writing, that covers the work we’ve scoped. You decide on your own time — we don’t do pressure.
The work — with a map, not a mystery.
When you engage us, you get a roadmap of what happens, in what order, and what we need from you at each stage. Bankruptcy clients know when we file, when the 341 meeting happens, and when discharge typically arrives. Estate planning clients know when drafts arrive, when we review, and when we sign. You will never wonder what’s happening with your matter.
The finish — and the door stays open.
When your matter closes, you get everything: your documents, your records, and a straight answer to “what should we watch for next?” Past clients call us with quick questions years later. That’s not a billing opportunity — that’s the practice working the way it should.
The Fees: How We Charge and Why
Consumer matters are flat fee. Period.
Bankruptcy and estate planning at Stewart Law are quoted as flat fees. Here’s why: you’re coming to us at a moment when financial uncertainty is the problem. Charging you by the hour — where every phone call costs money and the final number is a surprise — would add uncertainty to a person we’re supposed to be removing it from. That’s backwards.
The quote covers the scoped legal work — all of it.
Your flat fee includes the phone calls, the emails, the questions at 9pm the night before your 341 meeting. When you’re my client, asking me questions is not a luxury. It’s the job. One honest note: court filing fees, recording fees, and third-party costs (like credit counseling courses) are separate from the attorney’s fee — they exist no matter who you hire, and we itemize them for you at the consultation so you can budget the whole picture. See our What It Costs page for the full breakdown.
What’s not covered — and why that’s still a straight deal.
Court filing fees, recording fees, and third-party services (credit counseling courses, certified copies, and the like) sit outside the flat fee — because they aren’t ours. The courts set them, the counties set them, the vendors set them, and they’d follow you to any firm in Florida. What we can do is make sure they never surprise you: every cost gets broken out and explained at the consultation, and where a third-party cost has options, you choose the option — which means you control the spend. The flat fee covers our work. The costs cover everyone else’s. You’ll see both numbers before you commit to either.
Business and contract work is scoped up front.
Contract reviews, business formation, and transactional work are quoted per project after we define the scope together. Larger or ongoing engagements get a written scope so both of us know exactly where the edges are.
What we don’t do
Hourly billing for consumer matters. Surprise invoices. Fees for “reviewing the file.” Charging you to find out what it costs.
Who We Serve Best
Every firm has an ideal client. Being honest about ours saves everyone time.
We do our best work for people who:
Want an attorney who explains the why, not just the what.
Our clients tend to be people who want to understand their own situation — the nurse who reads the exemption statute, the business owner who wants to know what the indemnification clause actually does.
Are ready to be honest about the full picture.
Bankruptcy and estate planning both run on complete information. Clients who lay it all on the table get outcomes; clients who hold back get complications.
Value done-right over done-cheapest.
We are rarely the cheapest option in Brevard County. We are also not the firm that discovers a problem at signing that should have been caught at intake. Careful work costs what it costs.
See this as a chapter, not a transaction.
Our estate planning clients update their plans as life changes. Our bankruptcy clients call us on the other side when they’re ready to start a business. We build for the long relationship.
We may not be the right fit if…
You’re looking for the lowest possible price above all else, you want a document mill rather than counsel, or you need a practice area we don’t handle — in which case we’ll tell you at the consultation and point you toward someone who does. If you have legal insurance coverage, we’re happy to talk — just know that our process and standards are identical for every client.
What to Bring to a Consultation
Bankruptcy
A rough picture of what you owe and to whom (perfect records not required — that’s our job), your income situation, and any lawsuits, garnishments, or foreclosure notices you’ve received. If it’s in a shoebox, bring the shoebox.
Estate Planning
A list of your people (spouse, kids, who you’d trust with decisions), a rough inventory of what you own (home, accounts, retirement, business interests, firearms if NFA items are involved), and any existing documents — even old ones.
Business / Contracts
The document in question, the deal context, and what’s keeping you up at night about it.
Ready to Talk?
The consultation is free, confidential, and pressure-free. Worst case, you leave knowing your options. Best case, you leave with a plan and a number.
Stewart Law serves Melbourne, Palm Bay, and all of Brevard County, with statewide representation for bankruptcy and estate planning matters.