Having to hire a lawyer always sounds like a big, expensive ordeal but there are ways around it if you know how to do the research and what to look into. Even knowing when to hire attorneys can be difficult. Between disability, divorce, personal injury, criminal activity, wrongful accusations, there are so many different times when you’ll need legal representation. Sometimes, the courts will appoint you a lawyer or you can get your own. If you are looking for ways that you can cut down the bills while being involved in a lawsuit, here are some tips that might help you out.
Find the Right Lawyer
The worst way to spend money and time on a lawyer is if you have to hire one and then realize later on, or possibly too late, that you actually need to fire them. You would then have to hire a new one so try and get the right one the first time to save yourself the wasted money. Do extensive research on the lawyer before you decide who you hire. Interviews, questions, checking on reviews and reputations are important to look into. You want someone who already knows about your type of case and preferably has won some before. They should also be genuinely interested in you and your case and want to learn more about it. A good lawyer won’t be aloof or seem too busy or good for your case.
Avoid Attorney Advertising
Don’t look for a lawyer in any kind of public advertising like the Yellow Pages or newspapers. Television and radio usually only highlight the benefits of a lawyer and make it out like they are affordable. If you know someone who has retained a lawyer’s services before then you can use their recommendations to find a lawyer. Otherwise, look in to their past cases and if possible, speak to past clients and find out the things that they liked or didn’t like about that lawyer. That will help you to make a good decision. There are legitimate lawyer directories that you can make use of as well.
Always Be Realistic
If you haven’t hired a lawyer yet and you’re in the middle of some sort of dispute or case already then you will need to be realistic about who you hire. Having a good negotiator or a logical attorney could be just what you need. You don’t necessarily need to hire the best of the best when it comes to something like that. You just need to make sure they know what they are doing and you can afford them.
Aim for Flat Fees
You’ll need to have a very clear conversation with your lawyer regarding their fees and what they charge for certain things. Every time you bring something new before a lawyer, make sure that you ask about the charges for each individual thing. If at all possible, try and work out a flat fee rate instead of hourly rates. This will usually save you some money, especially if the lawyer ends up having to work overtime for your case. However, there may be clauses regarding hours over the agreed upon time frame so make sure you understand those as well.
Review Your Bills Carefully
Your lawyer will send you bills as time goes on, make sure you look over each one carefully. Any vague titles like ‘litigation work’ should be questioned to find out exactly what that entailed. If you are unsure about a certain line on the bill then don’t hesitate to ask your lawyer about it. If you have found a good and trust worthy lawyer, then chances are there will be a reasonable explanation but don’t just take it for granted that it should be there.
If you are paying out of pocket for a lawyer, the truth is, it’s going to be expensive, there’s just no two ways about it. But the nice is, you can talk to your lawyer about paying installments and there are assistance programs out there. Also, there are some lawyers that will accept a percentage of the settlement that you win and if you don’t win, they don’t get paid. It’s a great motivating factor for them.