Lawyer expenses aren’t inexpensive. Lawyers need to cover research tools, office supplies and stationery purchases as well as malpractice insurance premiums and continuing education expenses.
Law firm billing rates remain stagnant; they never decrease to meet supply and demand needs – an absurd situation from an economic viewpoint.
While some may accuse attorneys of deliberately taking their time and delaying cases so as to increase billable hours, most are aware of their reputation and strive to get results for their clients as quickly as possible.
1. You Have a Legal Issue
If you need legal advice, consulting with an attorney may be essential to finding relief. They may help get compensation due to you from insurance, defend a company from being sued for defamation, reduce criminal sentences and more.
Lawyers devote much of their time and expertise to handling difficult cases that demand their expertise, therefore they should receive compensation for their services.
If the cost of hiring a lawyer is an issue for you, try asking them for a fee payment schedule. Many lawyers are more than willing to work with their clients on creating payment plans so that you can access legal assistance without breaking the bank in doing so. Furthermore, limited legal services (where lawyers provide advice or review documents on your behalf without actually representing) might also provide some relief from legal expenses.
2. You Need Legal Advice
Like any professional service, such as doctors or business consultants, attorneys deserve fair compensation for the time and effort they dedicate to your case. This is particularly important if their efforts require long hours and dedication.
Attorneys spend much time and resources conducting legal research, education and related expenses associated with practicing law. Furthermore, they incur various office costs such as advertising costs, equipment maintenance expenses and stationery purchases – further increasing costs associated with operating a practice of law.
Though you can access legal information online, it’s essential to remember the difference between legal information and advice. Legal information tends to be very broad in scope while professional advice requires years of training and experience – therefore its worth should not be discounted or taken for granted if an attorney does not wish to represent your case.
5. You Want to Save Money
Legal fees can be costly; however, there are ways to mitigate them and lower them.
Communicate effectively with your attorney. Although this may seem obvious, many attorneys bill by the hour and each phone call, email message, or meeting costs money. When possible use email communication or schedule one call to cover multiple issues.
Be ready to answer your lawyer’s discovery requests quickly. The more information you provide, the less time your attorney must spend searching for answers in a haystack.
Tell the truth and provide accurate, complete responses to discovery questions will save both time and money for both parties involved. If possible, try searching your documents yourself before approaching an attorney – this may decrease her billable hours considerably.