In this economic downturn should a client negotiate a fee with an attorney. The answer is a resounding yes! We have entered into an era where America may not, if ever, recover from the economic malaise that has been brought upon the country by deregulation and the loss of millions upon millions of jobs overseas. America is essentailly a country that does not manufacture (other than a few autos) things anymore and we are a country of paper pushers as we descend towards third world status.
So what is the average person supposed to do if he must seek legal assistance? Let's say for instance, that our average person has been arrested and charged with D.U.I. in West Palm Beach, Florida. Not to far fetched given the number of D.U.I.s that occur every week in Palm Beach County, Florida. Within several days, after the arrest, our average person will probably receive 30 or 40 direct mail soliciations from attorneys. However, maybe our client has had his hours reduced or taken a cut in pay and is swamped with credit card debt. What is he to do?
Well, the obvious answer is to call some of the attorneys he or she received the letters from. See how long it takes them to return the call if they are not in when the client calls. That sometimes is a good indicator of how responsive the attorney will be to their issue. So when the client speaks to the attorney over the telephone and if and only if the attorney says okay I will represent you for a certain amount then the client should feel free to negotiate that figure. Often times an attorney may not give an indication of what the fee will be but instead wants the client to come in for an appointment. By all means make the appointment and go in and speak to the attorney. When the fee comes up then the client should feel free to negotiate that amount or negotiate the payment terms.
I have recently written a self help e-manual for those who wish to expunge their Florida arrests without using an attorney. The book is far less expensive than any attorney fee and is full of useful information. The site for the e-book is www.expungemyfloridaarrest.com
Copyright 2010 by Timothy Foster, All rights reserved.
About the Author:
Mr. Foster holds a B.A. in Political Science, a B.A. in Legal Studies and a J.D. in Law. Mr. Foster is a member of The Florida Bar and practices primarily in the areas of criminal defense with a special emphasis on defending D.U.I.s and in the area of Family Law. He is also studies Reiki and Tai Chi Chuan. He maybe reached at 561-616-8700 7 days a week. Feel free to visit his blog at http://floridaduidefense.blogspot.com and his websites www.duilawyerofpalmbeach.com and www.expungemyfloridaarrest.com.