Pay your lawyers what you think they are worth. No more hourly rate! (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

solicitors fees

2:40pm Monday 15th October 2012 in Blogs By Harjit Sarang

Solicitors traditionally charge by way of an hourly rate.  The amount of time spent on your case determines the amount that you will pay. As it gets easier to contact your lawyer by twitter, e-mail, text, Linkedin, Skype etc you don’t hesitate in making contact when you have a question.  45 e-mails and 33 texts later you have spent your budget!

Make no mistake it’s not much fun for the solicitor either.  We have to record every communication no matter how small and the time recording is a laborious task.  It is unbelievably tedious reporting back to you the amount of texts and e-mails etc. made each month.  Understandably you are then tempted to go through your phone bills/e-mails etc. to ensure that our information is correct. 

Fixed fees are not a new way of charging but they are being used more frequently especially by our firm.  With experience we can estimate the costs of a case or, steps in a case that allow us to quote a fair fixed fee.  Sometimes we make a profit and other times, we lose out but overall, it works well. 

Clients on fixed fees are much more relaxed when they contact us because they know that the communication is not going to cost them more than they have already budgeted for and agreed to pay. 
A new approach to the costs of advice for divorce and family law. 

Best regards

Harjit Sarang