I contacted a lawyer about a case involving liability. The attorney informed me that I needed to pay $250 just to hear his tell me "yes", or "no", if I had a case or not.
If I explain the facts to him before hand, why do I need to pay to hear his answer, when he will already have all the facts. (Its like going to a fortune teller).
2007-05-12 12:23:51 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
well, let me try to give you an answer here - if you go to a medical doctor and ask him what is wrong with you do you expect to see a bill for that service? i would assume yes. with that said, you are asking a legal professional to advise you on your case for free?
in order to get the facts ( using your verbiage) he needs to research the issue and after that is done give you his best possible advice. that is what you are paying for.
in all reality you are gambling $250 not thousands of dollars on a lawsuit that will fail.
ask yourself if that is worth your investment or not and proceed.
if you have a case you will recoup your money anyway, since the courts award attorney fees above and beyond any settlement that is reached.
i hope this helps you in making your decision
2007-05-12 12:39:33 · answer #1 · answered by jandrkeller 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many attorneys will give you a half hour consultation without charging you. Also, $250 an hour seems to be a bit high for attorneys fees unless you are in a large city.
I think you can get a lower hourly fee if you shop around for attorneys.
There is an old quote from Abraham Lincoln: "A lawyer’s time and advice are his stock in trade." If you want to receive an attorney's advice, you need to pay for it.
Attorneys on many matters charge based on an hourly basis. Because of anti-trust laws, there is no "county-wide" attorney's fee schedule. However, as a rule of thumb, in most firms, a senior partner charges the highest fees, a junior partner may be less, associate lawyers are billed at a lower rate, and paralegal time is billed at the lowest rate. You may have an initial consultation with a partner, but the bulk of the work may be done by associate attorneys and paralegals. ASK ABOUT HOW ATTORNEYS BILL THEIR TIME BEFORE YOU MEET WITH THEM.
2007-05-12 12:46:08 · answer #2 · answered by Mark 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unless they're a personal injury attorney (who usually take a percentage of settlements), attorneys are paid for their time. That's a pretty standard fee.
Depending on your type of case, you might be able to get assistance from a free legal service.
2007-05-12 12:33:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Then don't use that lawyer... there are others that will give you an answer for nothing. In fact I would imagine that there many of the slip and falls that would be willing to fight over you
2007-05-12 12:48:15 · answer #4 · answered by lordkelvin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You pay for his analysis.
You pay for four years of undergraduate training; three years of law school; passing the state bar exam; and X # of years in practice.
Otherwise, you can post the facts of your case on Yahoo Answers for free...
2007-05-12 12:29:19 · answer #5 · answered by MenifeeManiac 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dear friend,
Hiring a lawyer for minor legal problems can be expensive, but there are websites like LawGuru, FindLaw and other places where you can get free legal advice. I found this website useful - http://www.uelp.org/freelegal.html
2007-05-14 23:13:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋