General Practice & Other Areas
5. Costs of Hiring a Lawyer
Authors: Staff Legal Eagle
Firm / Chambers:
Last updated: 27 Jul 2015
- In retaining the services of a lawyer you are paying for his or her professional time and skill.
- Most lawyers charge by the hour but some charge a set fee.
- Where lawyers offer a ‘no win no fee’ arrangement you may still end up out of pocket because if you lose in court you might still have to pay the other party’s legal costs even though you don’t have to pay your own lawyer’s fees. No litigation is risk free.
- Your lawyer may ask you to deposit money into a trust account.
- This is to cover the estimated amount of your lawyer’s fees and other costs associated with your case such as court fees.
- Your lawyer is legally obliged to keep you informed of how and where the money in trust has been paid out.
- Your lawyer must provide you with both a ‘costs agreement’ and a ‘disclosure statement’ as soon as practicable after they agree to act for you.
- These should outline an estimate of fees or the basis on which the services will be charged.
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