You will be overwhelmed when looking for a lawyer to represent you in a criminal or civil hearing. A mistake that most clients make is assuming that all lawyers offer the same quality of services. However, this is far from the truth. A lawyer's engagement contract will give intricate details about the services they will offer and how the lawyer relates with clients. Below is an article discussing some of the details you should look out for in a lawyer's contract.
Availability And Contact
Lawyers deal with multiple clients at any single time. Therefore, you need to know the number of hours they will dedicate to your issue every week. Ideally, you want a lawyer who works for more hours if you need your issue completed within a short while. However, if you need a lawyer for long-term engagements (such as corporate affairs or estate management), a few hours will be adequate. If you have a complicated issue, the lawyer could bring other lawyers and paralegals on board. He or she should introduce you to the team and explain the duties of each member. Finally, the lawyer should provide you with their contact information and inform you of their working hours.
Services Provided
Lawyers include this clause to prevent conflicts with their clients over work that was not part of the initial agreement. For instance, a family that hires an estate planning lawyer would assume that the lawyer will help manage a certain trust. Nevertheless, if this is not stipulated in the contract, the lawyer will only perform activities within their scope of work.
Terms Of Engagement
Depending on your case, the lawyer could include the following terms:
Pricing
The lawyer could charge an hourly fee, fixed cost, or take a percentage of the claim or property in question. The proposed pricing strategy should work in your favour. Check whether you will incur additional costs, if the lawyer needs a retainer, and how the lawyer bills the service.
When assessing your lawyer's contract, check their availability, services, terms of engagement, and pricing. If you have any questions, talk to a lawyer in your area.
Share12 August 2021
I work as a counsellor for couples going through a divorce. Obviously this is an emotional time and it is often a miracle that I manage to coax the former partners into the same room. There are two themes which occur regularly in my work. The first is that my clients often confess to throwing plates at each other. The second is the amount of money the divorce is costing because they cannot come to an agreement. Over the years, I have learnt that satisfied divorcees spend more time getting legal advice and making sound financial decisions than throwing crockery. In the course of my work, I have gained a considerable understanding of legal issues related to divorce. I share this blog in the hope that this knowledge will help you make sound decisions that lead to future happiness. I wish you all the best.