A law firm can hire contract lawyers to work on its assignment through two different types of billing methods.

Hourly Rate  - Law firms retain the services of contract lawyers who charge their work through an hourly rate. Firms will publish a reasonable estimate of the overall number of hours that the assignment should take. If the an agreement is reached, 50% of the "estimated" number of hours multiplied by the agreed-upon hourly rate shall be the amount that the law firm must deposit in Escrow to activate the assignment.

Flat Fee - Law firms retain the services of contract lawyers to execute an assignment and pay a specific gross amount to the lawyer for completing the assignment. This kind of billing method is common when there is an assignment with a defined result that needs to be achieved. In this kind of billing method, 50% of the agreed upon amount will be deposited into the Escrow account in order to activate the assignment.