Paying your lawyer

Lawyers charge for their time and services, and if you are holding a consultation with them or they represent you in court litigation, you’ll have to part with some fee. Moreover, the cost of litigation and consultation will vary from one law firm to another and the nature for a case. For instance, in the case of a law firm like BWO personal injury law firm, you’ll be charged a contingency fee, which is only applicable after winning compensation. The lawyers will take care of everything, including the initial costs of the case.

However, it is also important to note that lawyers are regulated on what they can charge in a particular situation. Most reasonable lawyers will also be apparent from the beginning on how much they will charge you. If you are also caught in a felony, a publicly appointed defense attorney may be assigned to you if you can’t afford to retain a private one.

Moreover, if you are dealing with a compensation case like a  motorcycle accident, a lawyer should tell you in advance the expenses that he is likely to encounter in the process. He should also keep you up to date with any costs that may arise during the process. Then finally, he must issue you with a final bill that shows the amount of work done in the entire case and the charges for the same.

Here are the explained examples of the most common types of legal fees for lawyers:

• Flat fees

Stand-alone flat fees are not common, but some lawyers will actually prefer to charge that in some types of cases. Flat fees are mostly applicable for simple cases such as tenant eviction, mortgage foreclosures, and will preparations.

• Hourly rates

A lawyer will likely charge hourly rates on litigation and contract preparations. It is the typical type of fee that you’ll experience when you walk into any law firm today. Hourly rates are different and will vary from one law firm to another. Hourly rates will also vary on the nature of the case. For instance, an election petition may not attract the same hourly rates as drafting a simple contract.

• Retainer fee

A retainer fee is a deposit made towards the total cost of the whole case to ensure that the lawyer will be paid once the job is done. The retainer fee is mainly paid at hourly rates. Regardless of any agreement with your lawyer, any fee must be consented and set forth in a written agreement, which is like a contract in this case. You must also ask about clarification about postage, expert, and disposition fees. The retainer fee is mainly placed in a separate trust account.

• Success fee

Lastly, depending on your agreement with the lawyer, you may be required to pay a success fee after winning. However, a success fee is only applicable if you initially had a conditional fee agreement with your lawyer. In other instances, you may just give it as a sign or token of appreciation for good work done.