In this series of posts, I am going to talk about ways clients can control some of their legal costs. Attorney fees can be frightening for some people. It can feel like legal costs for your divorce or custody battle are spiraling out of control, and you might not be sure why.
So I am here to shed a little light on some of the things that can increase your legal fees, and ways to reduce them.
One of the most common and costly things I see clients do is talk to their attorney. Now, obviously, you have to talk to your attorney—that’s a basic and fundamental part of getting good legal advice! You need to communicate clearly with your attorney to give him or her all the facts they need to represent you well. You also need to talk through options with your attorney and give clear directions for how you want your attorney to proceed. I will talk more in another post about how you can do all that in the least amount of time possible.
But what you do NOT need to talk to your attorney about is how much you hate your spouse, or what you had for breakfast, or the vacation you have planned, or all the many ways your neighbor irritates you, and so on and so forth!
Your attorney is not your therapist (and probably charges more per hour). Your attorney is not your mom, or your best friend. Your attorney probably charges you by the minute, or, if you have a flat fee arrangement, caps the amount of time you can spend on calls.
Talking is not free.
Your attorney probably will not cut you short (unless they have another meeting). After all, you are paying him hundreds of dollars an hour to listen to you. He can sit there and listen to you all day, it’s easy money. You might even both enjoy it—but you won’t enjoy the bill you get for it. So remember, when you are talking to your lawyer, the meter is running. Be as clear, and as brief, as you can be while still telling her everything she needs to know. I promise, your lawyer will not be offended when you are polite, but all business, on a call or in a meeting.
