What do lawyers do?
Lawyers protect their clients' legal interests by
negotiating for them, preparing documents, providing advice, and representing
them in legal proceedings. Their knowledge, training, and experience keep their
clients out of legal trouble and minimize the difficulties once their clients
are in legal trouble.
How do lawyers charge
a client?
How a lawyer charges a client depends upon the type of work
involved. There are generally three types of fee arrangements: set fee, hourly
rate, and contingency fee.
Set fees are used where the amount of work involved is
generally known in advance, such as preparing a will, closing a loan, or
defending certain types of criminal cases. In those cases, the lawyer will
quote a single fee that the client must pay for the work involved.
Hourly rates are the most common method for lawyers to
charge their clients. Under this approach, the lawyer charges the client the
number of hours involved multiplied by the lawyer's hourly rate. All lawyers
have an hourly rate, and it can vary widely from lawyer to lawyer, with the
most experienced and accomplished lawyers generally charging the highest rates.
Contingency fees are used most often where a lawyer
represents a client who is the plaintiff (the party filing the suit) in a civil
suit. Under the typical contingency fee arrangement, the lawyer collects
nothing unless he or she wins the case, at which point he or she collects an
agreed-upon percentage of the amount recovered.
What is a retainer and
what is a reasonable amount?
A retainer is an amount the client pays up front for the
work the lawyer will do. Retainers are common in cases where the lawyer will
have to incur out-of-pocket expenses in preparing the case for trial, such as
criminal cases.
If I meet with a
lawyer, do I have to pay them and keep them as my lawyer?
Whether you have to pay them when you meet with them depends
upon the lawyer. Most lawyers provide a free one-time consultation meeting, but
not all do. You should ask the lawyer before meeting with him or her whether
the consultation is free. Meeting with a lawyer does not obligate you to hiring
the lawyer. In any event, the lawyer works for you, and you are free at any
time to dismiss him or her if that is your wish.
What kind of documentation and information do I need to
prepare for meeting with a lawyer for the first time?
You should bring whatever documents you have regarding the
matter you want to hire the lawyer for. If you are not sure whether a document
is relevant, bring it. If you have a general understanding of the law involved,
you can ask better questions and greatly increase the value of your meeting
with the lawyer. One way to gain a general understanding of the law is to visit
a local library and research the area. A better way is to read the information
available in the Leading Lawyers Network archive.
How can I verify a
lawyer's claims regarding experience and reputation?
There really isn't any good way to verify the claims. The
only ones who can really verify a lawyer's reputation are judges and other
lawyers. You could interview previous clients, judges the lawyer has appeared
before, and other lawyers, but the time involved just in discovering who they
are would make the exercise futile. A better way is rely on Leading Lawyers
Network, which has done the work for you by identifying those lawyers with the
finest experience and reputation.
What can I do if I am
unhappy with my lawyer?
Your lawyer works for you. You can fire the lawyer if you are
unhappy with his or her performance just as you could fire anyone who works for
you.
This IS NOT intended to be legal advice or in any way replace the advice and judgment of a licensed lawyer. Every case and situation is unique and only a licensed lawyer can offer legal advice which is appropriate for your situation