You tell them what you’re willing to pay. But if you’re going to ask for a lower fee, be prepared to do more to cut the lawyer’s costs. I don’t have many clients, mind you, intentionally, as I work on complex cases. They don’t choose me. I choose them. So it’s important to be a client that an attorney wants to help out. I am speaking about litigation, as opposed to being General Counsel for a company or organization.
Dedication in Law
Many people who hire attorneys take for granted that for some of us, money isn’t everything. Some of us care about them and are willing to fight for them to the death if they’ve been wronged. But many of us don’t have big firms or even offices. I work out of my mother’s home, as I am her caregiver. If I’m going to work for a lower rate, my clients are expected to do more to assist me. They must be engaged in the case. If I’m working for less, they can’t expect me to do everything, working long hours while they’re tanning in their backyard and watching late-night television while I’m slaving over their work.
Client Commitment Required
They must answer my phone calls and emails promptly. I am not going to wait around for answers because I lose income when I need answers from them that impact my ability to proceed. They must read cases that I send them, that explain their case, and be able to communicate with me about them. I don’t make anything up. I need answers from them, strategies and theories and they must be well thought-out. They must be invested not just financially, but strategically. They can’t hand their life over to me to fix without contributing.
My clients pay for copying costs, phone calls, and filing fees, and I bill each week or every two weeks for my work. I stop working if they don’t pay on time, which gives me a break because I work hard for my clients. I give away more free advice and assistance than I take on paying clients because most people don’t understand what good lawyers do and I don’t want to spend time justifying what I do. Be a client that can be trusted and you might find someone willing to go out of his or her way to help you.
