It’s a pretty safe bet that all of us try and do whatever we can to avoid finding ourselves in a situation where we need to hire a lawyer. But sometimes life happens and we need some legal consultation or representation so that we can make the best decisions possible.
There’s no way around the fact that hiring (and especially retaining) a lawyer can be pretty expensive. The good news is that there are some things that you can do to significantly reduce the costs of having one. If you would like to know about some easy ways to save money on expensive legal fees, we have five for you below:
Look for a pro bono lawyer. If you’re someone who needs a lawyer due to a crime that has been committed, there are some lawyers who offer certain services for free. Although there aren’t a lot of law firms that will advertise this kind of service, you can contact them through their email address on their company website to ask. Or, you can go to your favorite search engine and put “pro bono lawyer” along with your city and state to see which ones are available within your area.
Consider using a new law school graduate (who has passed the bar). When someone is fresh out of law school and they have passed the bar, they are often eager to get a few cases so that they can obtain some solid work experience. Hiring a new law school graduate is another option to consider because they too are sometimes willing to work for free. Even if they are not, they will definitely charge a lot less than a firm will.
Do some of the research yourself. If you simply need a basic legal document such as a lease agreement for a tenant or a contract for a freelancer, you typically don’t need to hire a lawyer to draft those kinds of papers up for you. There are many online resources available that have these kinds of templates on their websites. Just go to your favorite search engine and put “rental lease agreement” or “work for hire agreement” in the search field.
Be careful with your time. Something that a lot of people don’t know is that lawyers charge in increments of time. So, even if you called a lawyer that you hired and talked to them for five minutes, that could ultimately end up costing you a quarter of an hour. Therefore, if it’s not dire, wait until you have several questions and then reach out.
Don’t be afraid to ask for tips on doing some things yourself. Sometimes you don’t need to hire a lawyer; you simply need to pay a consultation fee to get some solid advice on how to handle a particular matter on your own and there are lawyers who are more than willing to do that. So, whether you decide to go with a major firm such as Gullands Solicitors or you personally know an attorney, ask if they would be willing to answer a couple of questions for a one-time consulting fee. You might be pleasantly surprised by their answer.
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