Ask about billing

Ask about billing. Okay, so no one really wants to talk about bills. However, it's really important to have an honest conversation about money because using a lawyer is going to cost you. So you need to manage your own expectations and be sure you hire a lawyer who can talk about money from the beginning. You'll want to ask about billing for the lawyer's time. In some cases, like personal injury, the case might be based on contingency, meaning the lawyer takes a cut of the settlement or award. But contingency fees are not always easy. They often increase as the case goes on, and they usually don't include out-of-pocket costs. Ask if paralegal and assistant time is included in your contingency case. Ask if costs come off the top or out of your share. When it comes to non-contingency matters, ask about the lawyer's hourly rate and the rates of the other lawyers and staff at the firm. Ask how much the lawyer expects a project to cost. In transactional matters, the lawyer should be able to provide a range of possible costs and share what the variables are. For litigation, the lawyer might provide estimates for phases of the case, so you will know what it costs to get a case filed, how much it will probably cost to get it through paper discovery, how much depositions might cost, and ultimately, if it goes to trial, what those costs might be. Attorneys may note prices as exact, but they can and should talk about ballpark ranges to help you with your expectations and managing your own budget for the case. Many matters can be done on a fixed fee. A domain name arbitration should be a fixed fee. Trademark applications are usually fixed fees. Often a family trust or a will is a fixed fee. When a project is a fixed fee, be sure you ask what would fall outside the scope of the fixed fee so you don't feel like you're being overbilled when you see the final statement. Talking about money might not be pleasant, but don't be afraid to ask, and keep asking so that you can easily keep track of your expenses.