What You Can Do to Keep Your Legal Fees Reasonable
Realize that every minute your lawyer spends with you or working on your case is billable time,
even if you are sitting in their conference room with them drinking coffee and "visiting." While you
and your attorney will develop a relationship, and sometimes even a friendship, he will still bill for
time spent on your case. That is a matter of necessity, just like you need to get paid when you go
to work.
If you are particularly distraught, you may have a tendency to go over the events of your situation
again and again with your lawyer. This can get expensive and counter-productive. If you are
occupying your attorney's time talking about things the lawyer can do nothing about, he is not
spending his time working on things he can do something about. If you are highly emotional it will
be a good idea to seek counseling with a trained professional.
Keep in mind that just because you are not speaking with or meeting with your lawyer, this does
not mean he is not working on your case. Much of the work your lawyer does will be "behind the
scenes."
Here are some practical things you can do to assist your attorney in minimizing your fees:
Be Thorough - When your lawyer asks you for paperwork, provide it. Be thorough. Just
producing some of the paperwork you're asked for will result in the lawyer spending more time
trying to get you to provide him with everything he needs. Remember he is doing this for you, so
you should cooperate without resistance or complaints.
Is it an Emergency? - Don't call your lawyer every time your spouse (or former spouse) does
something that upsets you. Not everything is an emergency that needs to be communicated
personally to your lawyer. Ask yourself if your lawyer can do anything about the situation. If your
estranged spouse is at your front door, trying to break it down, don't call your lawyer - call 911. If
it's midnight and you have visitation rights with your child and your spouse calls and wants to pick
the child up, your lawyer can't do anything about that either, since the courthouse is closed and
the judge is asleep. You will need to use your own good judgment about a lot of the issues that
come up in your case.
Communicate by E-mail - In my office, I prefer to communicate by e-mail. It is more
economical and more efficient. I generally print out e-mails and put them in the client file. That
way I don't have to rely on my memory or take sketchy hand written notes following a
telephone discussion. You will be billed for e-mail communications, but again, it is the most cost
effective way to communicate.
Be Patient - Be patient, and trust your lawyer to know the next right step to take in your case.
If you are at the beginning of your case, focus on what needs to be done at that stage, not on
what is going to happen at mediation several months from now or trial a year from now. While
you should have a general overview of what the process entails, you and your lawyer cannot get
specific about how your property is going to be divided, for example, when the lawyer doesn't
know yet what property you have.
We can't control everything - Realize that the number of hours spent on your case is not
altogether within your control. The behavior of your spouse will affect that. Is he/she combative,
determined to make your life as miserable as possible regardless of the cost. Or is he/she
reasonable and determined not to bankrupt the family just because it is being redefined and
restructured.
Be responsible - Take responsibility for your own actions. Do periodic reality checks with and
without your lawyer. What are your expectations of your lawyer, the judge, the mediator, and the
court system. Are your expectations realistic? If your lawyer tells you that the law does not
afford you the relief you want, you need to accept that. If you can't, then get a second opinion -
confirm what your lawyer is telling you. If you don't trust your lawyer, you should consider hiring
another lawyer - one you can trust.
Don't assume - Do not assume anything. This is so dangerous. I have had people call me
and say they are being abused by their spouse, but they don't want to leave the house because
they don't want to lose their rights to the house. If you make assumptions that are erroneous
and then act on those assumptions, the damage could be irreparable.
Educate yourself - Read this website. I update it frequently. If you have additional
questions, e-mail me and I will do my best to add that information to the website and/or
respond to your e-mail.
Prepared by:
Pamela A. Calhoun
Attorney at Law
440 Louisiana, Suite 900
Houston, Texas 77002
713-236-7793