Have you ever received information from directly from your medical doctor as to what a procedure will cost or even a prescription? Not often I bet. They have a staff for that and many of us don’t have to pay it all anyway. Well for criminal lawyers the money issue must be handled directly by the attorney.
WHO IS MINDING THE STORE?
Every lawyer can charge what he or she wants. There is no realistic adult supervision. Fees are all over the place and do not necessarily reflect the likelihood of a successful outcome, skill level, or experience in the field. Most unfortunate of all, they do not necessarily reflect the amount of work to be done.
OFFICER. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
Very few cases actually go to trial. A percentage of cases do not even withstand the review by prosecutors known as ‘intake.’ In many felony cases the police have overcharged a person at the time of arrest. On review by the state attorney many of these proceed only on lesser charges or get dropped without further prosecution. Sometimes where there has been extraordinary effort during the intake review to prove your alibi, or to show a defense, or to educate the prosecutor on the law, paying a full fee to nip the case in the bud may be money well spent but, in more cases than that, it is money that need not have been spent.
I address this issue by a allowing a reasonable retainer or down payment to be paid in most criminal cases ($1500 to $2500). Once paid, I become your attorney and, if the case is rejected for prosecution in the first 30 days or so from your arrest, that is all you pay. I am happy to have been of service and hopefully so are you. If the case proceeds after intake review, the fee situation is reviewed and I either propose a final fee or, if your case can be quickly resolved as you like, no additional fee may be charged.
WELL YOU KNOW HE’S ONLY BEEN DOING THIS FOR FORTY YEARS
When prospective clients call my office after they have talked to other lawyers. I can often hear their jaws drop when the fees I quote them are thousands of dollars below others. In fact, I have had some people not hire me because they were suspicious of my fee structure based on other quotes received. How do I do this? first of all, I have structured my practice in a way that makes it highly effective, but also efficient and economical to operate. My office is all it needs to be. In other words, its a nice place to visit but you would not want to live there. My secretary, Dawn, has been with me 18 years and now works from her home. I now have to make my own coffee but otherwise it works just as well as when she had to put up with actually being with me. You pay me for the legal work I hope to do for you not to provide me with luxury surroundings and unnecessary staff.
You owe it to yourself to at least call. If I am there, I may answer the phone and we will have a meaningful discussion even if you have no intention of hiring me. If not, leave a message and do not be surprised if I call you back at night, on the weekend, or holidays. Click below to make a payment.
