Hiring and Paying a Lawyer
Hiring and Paying a Lawyer
If there is not a free legal advice clinic or free or lower-cost legal service that can help you with your situation, you may need to hire and pay a lawyer.
Legal issues can often have long-lasting impacts, including financial impacts. Hiring a lawyer to help you may be more affordable than you think, and it may protect you from doing something that cannot be undone. You should think seriously about whether or not to hire a lawyer.
It is a good idea to talk with more than one lawyer before you decide which one to hire. Many lawyers will offer a free consultation where you can talk to them for 30-60 minutes for free to help you decide if you want to hire and pay them.
There are different ways to pay for legal services, so when you first meet with a lawyer, you should talk about their fees and put any fee agreement in writing. This written agreement is often called a “representation agreement” or “retainer agreement.”
There are different ways legal fees may be charged. The fee structure a lawyer uses may depend on the type of case.
“Limited scope or unbundled services” means that the lawyer will work on a specific task for you, and you would only pay a fee for that specific task instead of hiring them for the entire case. For example, the lawyer could review your court papers, go to court with you, or give you their expert opinion about your legal rights and options. Not all lawyers offer “limited scope” or “unbundled” services. Review the Other Lawyer Referral Resources tab for information on finding a lawyer who offers unbundled services.
Depending on the type of case, you may be able to hire a lawyer on a “flat fee,” “sliding scale fee,” or “contingency fee" basis.
A “flat fee” means the lawyer will charge one fee for all of their work on the case and should tell you what the fee is before starting the work.
A “sliding scale fee” means the lawyer charges different fees depending upon your income.
A “contingency fee” means the lawyer will represent you in the case, but you do not pay a fee for the legal services up front. Usually, the lawyer only gets paid if you succeed in your case and the payment comes from money awarded to you in the case.
An “hourly fee” means the lawyer will charge you an amount of money per hour. With hourly fees, the lawyer keeps track of all of the time they spend on your case and then bills you for that time based on their hourly rate.
If there is not a free legal advice clinic or free or lower-cost legal service that can help you with your situation, you may need to hire and pay a lawyer.
Legal issues can often have long-lasting impacts, including financial impacts. Hiring a lawyer to help you may be more affordable than you think, and it may protect you from doing something that cannot be undone. You should think seriously about whether or not to hire a lawyer.
It is a good idea to talk with more than one lawyer before you decide which one to hire. Many lawyers will offer a free consultation where you can talk to them for 30-60 minutes for free to help you decide if you want to hire and pay them.
There are different ways to pay for legal services, so when you first meet with a lawyer, you should talk about their fees and put any fee agreement in writing. This written agreement is often called a “representation agreement” or “retainer agreement.”
There are different ways legal fees may be charged. The fee structure a lawyer uses may depend on the type of case.
“Limited scope or unbundled services” means that the lawyer will work on a specific task for you, and you would only pay a fee for that specific task instead of hiring them for the entire case. For example, the lawyer could review your court papers, go to court with you, or give you their expert opinion about your legal rights and options. Not all lawyers offer “limited scope” or “unbundled” services. Review the Other Lawyer Referral Resources tab for information on finding a lawyer who offers unbundled services.
Depending on the type of case, you may be able to hire a lawyer on a “flat fee,” “sliding scale fee,” or “contingency fee" basis.
A “flat fee” means the lawyer will charge one fee for all of their work on the case and should tell you what the fee is before starting the work.
A “sliding scale fee” means the lawyer charges different fees depending upon your income.
A “contingency fee” means the lawyer will represent you in the case, but you do not pay a fee for the legal services up front. Usually, the lawyer only gets paid if you succeed in your case and the payment comes from money awarded to you in the case.
An “hourly fee” means the lawyer will charge you an amount of money per hour. With hourly fees, the lawyer keeps track of all of the time they spend on your case and then bills you for that time based on their hourly rate.