Hi, my name is Kirsten Krueger and two years ago, I was in a car accident. I was stopped at a stop sign when the driver behind me slammed into my car. Due to my injuries, I had to spend a few days in the hospital and I was unable to work for two months. My medical care was expensive and without being able to work, I couldn't pay my bills. The car accident was stressful enough and then I had to worry about how I would pay my bills. After speaking with a car accident lawyer, it wasn't long before I was compensated for my medical bills and lost wages from work. I'm writing this blog to help others who have been a car accident and haven't received any compensation. As you read my posts, you'll learn how an attorney can help you if you're in a vehicle accident.
If you've been accused of committing a crime and need representation in court, then you'll need to begin searching for a criminal-defense attorney. While this search is certainly a necessary one, it can often feel stressful and overwhelming. However, rest assured that there are ways to get the most for your money. So if you are concerned that you might end up overpaying for a lawyer, read just a few helpful tips below.
Retainers
One of the first questions you will want to ask an attorney is how much their retainer is. A retainer is essentially an amount of money paid up front that goes toward the total cost of representation. Retainers can be hundreds or thousands of dollars, but regardless of how expensive their services are, an attorney should send out regular updates to their client notifying them about how much of the retainer has been used on the case and when additional payments are expected in order to have continued representation.
Hourly Billing
Billing is a complex matter, but there are two popular methods used by attorneys. One is hourly billing, with which an attorney charges a set hourly fee for all legal work done during a case (not including other miscellaneous fees). In addition to asking about a lawyer's hourly rate, you should also get an estimate of how many hours the case is likely to take up. If an attorney can't confidently give you a ballpark figure, then it's best to look elsewhere.
Hiring an attorney who charges by the hour is probably the best decision if you can obtain very similar estimates from multiple attorneys of how many hours they will need to devote to your case. For simple misdemeanors, this is usually your best bet.
Set Case Billing
Another method of billing is by case. In these instances, an attorney will charge a set fee for each case. Some will further differentiate between types of cases so that their fees vary a bit. Regardless, the primary advantage of hiring an attorney who bills on a per-case basis is that you know up front how much your representation will cost you. If this cost is more than you can afford to pay up front, you at least can use this knowledge of concrete figures to seek out loans or additional means of financial support. That said, be sure that the grand total includes trial costs and not just pre-trial ones.
Talk to firms such as McKone & Unruh to find out more about their financial practices.
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