Although not every legal dispute demands that you “lawyer up”, in many situations, you will benefit greatly from the legal protection that an attorney provides. If you are going through a divorce, starting a business, writing your will, involved in a car accident, or facing a lawsuit, a lawyer is in the best position to protect your interests by ensuring a fair trial. However, most people are intimidated by the legal fees involved in pursuing legal claims. In this post, we explore some of the legal fees you could incur and payment plans.

Common attorney payment plans

Attorneys are required by the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct to disclose all the information about their legal fees, as well as how they are calculated, any interest charged if you fail to make timely payments, and out-of-pocket expenditures or disbursements to their potential clients prior to being hired. Some of the most common attorney fees include:

Consultancy Fees

Most law firms charge a fixed consultation fee when reviewing your case to determine whether they can assist you.

Contingency Fees

In a contingency fee payment plan, you agree to pay your attorney a certain percentage once your case is successfully resolved. This payment plan helps you avoid any out-of-pocket expenses that you would have incurred during the lawsuit.

Contingency fee payment plans are common in personal injury cases, such as medical malpractice claims and vehicle or truck accidents. Most debt collection cases also feature a contingency fee payment plan. The contingency fee percentage is generally based on the projected amount of work they will be putting into your case.

Retainer

In some instances, a lawyer may ask you to pay a certain amount before they begin to work on your case. The attorney then bills his expenses and time against the retainer fee as your case progresses. In a retainer payment plan, your attorney may require you to keep depositing money into your retainer account so that there is constantly a positive balance. The retainer fee normally depends on the complexity of your case. The more complicated or high-conflict your case is, the higher your retainer fee is likely to be. The balance on your retainer account is refunded to you once your case is resolved.

Hourly rates

This is the most common payment plan used by lawyers all over the world. The lawyer carefully documents all the time they have spent working on your case documents, representing you in court, reviewing case files, and any other tasks related to your case. Hourly rates depend on such factors as your attorney’s experience, education level, location, and operational expenses. Specialized lawyers are also likely to charge higher hourly rates as are lawyers from prestigious law firms.

Flat fees

In this type of payment plan, your attorney will charge you a flat fee if the case is simple and well-defined. Cases that may be eligible for flat fee billing include drafting of wills, filing for bankruptcy, uncontested divorces, immigration, patents, and trademarks. As the hours spent working on your case could add up quickly, it is wise to ensure your attorney drafts a written estimate of the approximate number of hours they will spend on your case.

Importance of understanding the cost of hiring an attorney and their payment plan

Understanding how a lawyer will bill you before you get into an agreement with them helps you to avoid incurring costs you cannot afford or unpleasant surprises as your case progresses. Be sure to first establish how much you are willing to spend to have your case resolved. When shopping around for an attorney, ask each of them to explain their charges and any expected fees in detail. Most attorneys are willing to provide a written estimate with a scope of what their charges cover.

The bottom line

Lawyer fees and rates could be quite complex, especially when more than one billing method is used to resolve your case. Even in the case of contingency fees, you may be required to pay upfront for such expenses as case filing fees, expert witnesses’ costs, depositions, and other case-related costs.

Contact Thompson Law for More Information About Legal Fees

If you think you are eligible for a personal injury lawsuit, call Thompson Law today. Not only do we offer free case reviews, but we also work on a contingency fee basis. This implies that you only get to pay us only if we win your case. We do not charge any legal fees upfront, so call us today. You have rights!