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Hiring a lawyer: THE FEES
Remember: When you hire a lawyer, the lawyer will be working for you. He or she should be genuinely interested in your problem and in giving you the best possible advice.
The lawyer may not be able to accomplish everything you wish because of the facts or the law that apply in your case. Many times a good lawyer will advise you to avoid court action.
A lawyer should be able to explain, in terms you can understand, what he or she hopes to accomplish for you and how he or she plans to do it.
Think about how the lawyer responded to your questions, his or her experience and whether you will be able to work with the lawyer.
If you are satisfied with the interview so far, tell the lawyer everything about your problem, including facts which may be unfavorable or embarrassing to you. Unless you are completely candid, the lawyer will be unable to advise you properly.
Strict rules prohibit the lawyer from repeating to anyone what you say, unless you admit any ongoing or planned criminal activity.
Discuss fees frankly with the lawyer, preferably at your first meeting.
Often, a lawyer cannot tell you exactly what the charge will be because it is difficult to estimate how much work is going to be involved. But lawyers can usually estimate the minimum and maximum limits of the fee for that particular work, or give you some idea of the problems involved and the time that will be required.
The timetable for paying legal fees depends on arrangements between the lawyer and client. Usually, lawyers require an advance payment, often called a retainer, to cover the initial work and court costs to be paid on your behalf.
In other matters, you will be billed at the end of the month, or at the completion of the service, for services and disbursements. Be sure to discuss your plans for payment with the attorney when you discuss the fee.
A lawyer usually makes only a nominal charge, if any, for your first office visit. Only when actual time is spent working on a matter do lawyers charge a fee. Then charges are usually influenced by the time and work involved, the difficulty of the problem, the dollar amount involved, the result, and the lawyer's experience.
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