How Do I Keep My Legal Fees Low?

There’s no easy, universal answer to this. It may not be possible. Much of it depends on your specific situation and what you’re hoping to accomplish by hiring a lawyer in the first place.

If you’ve been arrested and can’t afford an attorney, the state is required to appoint you one at no cost. That’s part of the Miranda Rights someone probably read to you when you were being detained: “You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish.” This is one of those rare occasions on which something you probably know about mostly from TV is actually true – you have a right to a lawyer whether you can afford one or not.

Most of the time we need legal counsel or assistance for other reasons, however. One way to keep the cost manageable is to ask up front how legal fees will be computed and what you can do to help keep the cost under control. This needn’t be confrontational. Your lawyer should be right up there with your doctor, clergyman, and significant other in terms of how direct and honest you can be. Let them know you’re absolutely going to pay what you owe, but that resources are not unlimited. They may have things you can do about it, or they may not. You lose nothing by asking. If you’ve already made arrangements to take out a legal loan, that may prove helpful as well (although you don’t necessarily have to share the total available to you unless it seems relevant). Transparency is key.

No matter what the situation, arrive with your facts in order. If documents or other paperwork is involved, bring several copies of everything you might be asked to provide. Have your information organized and neat. Know your facts. If there are names or dates relevant to your situation, write them down with whatever contact information or other specifics might come in handy. If your situation involves online communication, print off copies of everything you may need to reference. Many attorneys charge by the hour for legal work; if you can do a few hours of organizing and preparation so they (or their assistants) don’t have to, all the better.

How To Get Help Paying For A Lawyer

If you’ve controlled the parts you can control and it’s still clear that decent representation is going to cost more than you have on hand, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with financing legal fees. Legal fee loans allow you access to funds you need now while restructuring your payments into regular, predictable, manageable monthly amounts. In other words, it brings some order to whatever chaos you may be going through right now and gives you flexibility by stretching out your financial obligation.

Don’t worry. We can help you find some good options when it comes to loans to pay for attorney fees. Hooking up normal people with reputable, flexible lenders is something of a specialty of ours. If you arrived here because you need help paying legal fees, you’re in the right place. You can skip to that nice little form at the top of the page and let us know who you are and what you need, and we’ll help you find a lender.

Of course you’re welcome to check with your local bank or credit union, or ask around with family or close friends. You never know what other options might unexpectedly present themselves. But don’t commit to anything without at least seeing what our online lenders have to offer. You may be surprised at just how flexible and competitive they can be.