3 Ways You Can Pay Your Lawyer

Everyone is well aware of the benefits of having a good lawyer on their side when they need to go to court. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to pay for a lawyer. There is no need to worry if you do not have the cash up front, because lawyers do accept payment in different ways depending on the kind of case you have. These are the 3 ways you can pay for your lawyer.

Contingency Payment

It is understandable that you may not have the funds available when starting a lawsuit, but if you were to win, you would be able to pay. Without the cash on hand, you may feel helpless. Thankfully, contingency payment is an option.

Lawsuits can be very costly due to the court costs, forms, transportation, and time that a lawyer spends working on your case. These expenses need to be paid for, and there are law firms that will pay these up front costs for you. In exchange, you will pay a percentage of your settlement amount to the law firm. This is a common arrangement found in personal injury lawsuits and other types of civil litigation.

Keep in mind that a lawyer must agree to take your case for a contingency payment, and will be likely to take a case that they feel they can win in court to receive their payment.

Fixed Payment

Your lawyer may agree to work on a fixed payment agreement, where they will agree to work on your case for a predetermined amount that has been agreed upon. This helps ensure that the lawyer will get paid for the work that they do, and you will know exactly what the final cost will be when it is over.

This is a common payment agreement for situations where a lawyer knows approximately how much work is involved to do the job. For example, this includes real estate attorneys that help you close on a house since the process is straightforward.

Billable Hours

The most traditional way to collect payment is by billing the hours that your case is worked on. The lawyer simply tracks their time and sends their client an invoice for the work that they have done. It's possible to feel uncomfortable using this payment method since it will be uncertain exactly how many hours it will take to work on your case, even though it is a very fair way to bill for their time. This may be a great option if you only need an hour of a lawyer's time, or a consultation about what to do about your lawsuit.

If you have questions about how payment will work for your lawyer's services, do not be afraid to ask about it during the initial conversation with them. Talk to a law office, like Butts, Schneider & Butts LLP, for more information.

Share