The rate/cost of an attorney charges vary very significantly. It depends upon the location, type of case, and particular billing structure. The attorney may charge different clients for different amounts for the same legal matter. Thus, some charge hourly rates, some charge flat fees, some on containers and some on contingent fees. They are not cheap and you should know how much they will cost and also how much you are able to spend upfront.
When you are searching for legal service, you need to ask the potential attorney to explain his/her fee and billing practices completely. An attorney is less expensive than an agency.
The first question you need to ask the attorney is that what sort of billing structure s/he uses. But generally a lawyer will be charged as said above that is: hourly, flat, contingent, retainers.
Hourly fees
These are the most common arrangements. In this, the attorney gets paid on hourly basis for as many hours as she works for client case until it resolves. It also depends upon the attorney's experience, operating expenses, and also the location of his/her practice. The cheaper attorney will not be that good to handle your legal protection, but a high cost attorney with a lot of experience may be able to handle your problem more quickly. In such situations, an experienced attorney will be able to better estimate that how many hours will take to resolve a problem.
Flat Fees
If the matter is simple and well defined, the attorney will be able to charge a flat fee. For example, uncontested divorces and simple bankruptcy filing, etc. If the attorney suggest for flat fee, make sure that the fee includes and will not include. But the flat fee may not include expenses such as filling fees.
Contingent fees
In some situations, the attorney will work out the fee, it means the attorney will not take the fee from the client up front but gets a percentage (one third) of the settlement or money upon judgment.
It is taken for cases including medical malpractices, debt collection cases, personal injury cases and plaintiff's counsel in automobile accident lawsuits. Here the court sets the limits on this fees, a lawyer can receive from personal injury suits and the lawyer and the client are free to negotiate the contingency fee less than the standard one third (1/3rd).
The contingency fees in such cases as criminal cases, divorce and the child custody are prohibited.
Retainer Fee
Sometimes, but not always, it is an advance payment of the hourly basis for a specific case. The attorney puts the retainer in a special trust account and then deducts from that account the cost of the services as they accrue.
During the course of legal representation, the clients should review the periodic billing statement reflecting the amounts deducted from the retainer. Most retainers are non-refundable unless labeled “unreasonable” by court. If you decide to drop a case that your attorney has worked on before the retainer has been exhausted, you may forfeit the remainder.
When you are searching for legal service, you need to ask the potential attorney to explain his/her fee and billing practices completely. An attorney is less expensive than an agency.
The first question you need to ask the attorney is that what sort of billing structure s/he uses. But generally a lawyer will be charged as said above that is: hourly, flat, contingent, retainers.
Hourly fees
These are the most common arrangements. In this, the attorney gets paid on hourly basis for as many hours as she works for client case until it resolves. It also depends upon the attorney's experience, operating expenses, and also the location of his/her practice. The cheaper attorney will not be that good to handle your legal protection, but a high cost attorney with a lot of experience may be able to handle your problem more quickly. In such situations, an experienced attorney will be able to better estimate that how many hours will take to resolve a problem.
Flat Fees
If the matter is simple and well defined, the attorney will be able to charge a flat fee. For example, uncontested divorces and simple bankruptcy filing, etc. If the attorney suggest for flat fee, make sure that the fee includes and will not include. But the flat fee may not include expenses such as filling fees.
Contingent fees
In some situations, the attorney will work out the fee, it means the attorney will not take the fee from the client up front but gets a percentage (one third) of the settlement or money upon judgment.
It is taken for cases including medical malpractices, debt collection cases, personal injury cases and plaintiff's counsel in automobile accident lawsuits. Here the court sets the limits on this fees, a lawyer can receive from personal injury suits and the lawyer and the client are free to negotiate the contingency fee less than the standard one third (1/3rd).
The contingency fees in such cases as criminal cases, divorce and the child custody are prohibited.
Retainer Fee
Sometimes, but not always, it is an advance payment of the hourly basis for a specific case. The attorney puts the retainer in a special trust account and then deducts from that account the cost of the services as they accrue.
During the course of legal representation, the clients should review the periodic billing statement reflecting the amounts deducted from the retainer. Most retainers are non-refundable unless labeled “unreasonable” by court. If you decide to drop a case that your attorney has worked on before the retainer has been exhausted, you may forfeit the remainder.
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