What you need to know:

Hiring a Lawyer: Avoid the pitfalls.

  • How do legal fees work if I change lawyers?
  • If you are not satisfied with your lawyer's services, you are free to change lawyers. Before you fire your lawyer, however, obtain a second opinion from the lawyer you are thinking of hiring to determine if it is economically viable for you to change lawyers. Unless your first lawyer does an incompetent job in handling a case, he or she will be entitled to some fee at the end of your case (but not earlier) for the services provided.

    The amount of this fee depends in part upon the terms of the fee contract. Some contingency fee agreements state that the lawyer is entitled to a fee at a certain hourly rate if the client fires the lawyer. Others agreements state that the lawyer is entitled to a reasonable fee for services rendered.

    A number of factors are considered in determining a reasonable fee after termination. These include:

    a) the time the lawyer spent,
    b) the quality of the services the lawyer provided, and
    c) the lawyer's standing in the legal profession.

    If you cannot resolve your differences with your lawyer or if you have completely lost confidence in him, it may make economic sense to change lawyers. In smaller cases, however, it may not make economic sense.

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