When an individual seeks the professional services of an attorney, this individual must understand that the attorney charges a fee for services rendered and the fee can be based on a host of factors which include the experience of the attorney, his or her ability as well as credentials. Reasonable attorney fees will vary and they do tend to fall in different categories such as a fixed fee arrangement, hourly fees, flat fee or contingency. It must be understood that many types of attorney’s fees are negotiable.
Attorneys are called upon for many common situations such as drafting the last will and testament of a client or reviewing the title to a piece of property. In situations like these the fees charged by the attorney are usually fixed. These types of tasks are routine for many attorneys and as they are rarely complex the attorney is happy to quote the fee that he or she will charge for the service. Fixed fees are not quoted in cases where the legal task includes lengthy proceedings or complex legal matters.
Attorneys also will also work on an hourly fee, this is exactly what it says it is; work on the case by the hour. The attorney maintains an accurate log of the time spent on your case, the log details the time spent as well as any out of pocket expenses which are considered as costs. Most reasonable attorney’s fees will include their expenses for such things as photocopies, travel expenses if necessary and other such costs which the attorney bares on behalf of the client.
When the client has agreed to an hourly fee arrangement with the attorney he or she will usually be asked for a deposit of up-front money which is known as a “retainer.” This retainer is a partial payment for services which show you have a claim on the attorney’s time. In such hourly fee arrangements it is wise for the client to ask for periodic statements which detail the number of hours worked and any out of pocket expenses up a certain point of time.
Attorneys also work on contingency. This type of fee arrangement is different for fixed fees or hourly fees as the fee is based on a percentage of the award the client is granted by the court or out of court settlement. This fee arrangement is most often used in personal injury cases. A reasonable attorney fee for a case handled on contingency is about one third although it can go higher in some cases.
Law firms have an obligation to charge reasonable attorney fees for their services but in many cases the firm will inflate the billing as a way to increase profitability.
