10 Ways to Better Work with Your Lawyer

1. Remember You are Purchasing Expertise by the Hour. Lawyers often charge on an hourly basis so make sure that you are spending your lawyer's time and your money wisely.

2. Plan Ahead. Give your lawyer advance warning about documents that need to be reviewed or drafted. To reduce costs and to maintain our high quality of work, you should avoid contacting your lawyer on Friday afternoon and ask him or her to complete an assignment by Monday morning. While we do our best to accommodate clients and their emergencies, we may be working on other projects and, as such, may not have time to complete assignments with short deadlines.

3. Contact the Lawyer's Secretary. Lawyers may be working on multiple projects at the same time and may not have time to immediately return a client's call. Our lawyers do their best to return all calls within one business day. If you need immediate attention, feel free to call the lawyer's secretary because the secretary may be able to quickly answer your question at no additional charge.

4. Keep Your Lawyer Informed About New Developments. Legal advice cannot be given effectively in a vacuum. Please keep your lawyer advised if something new arises that could impact your case.

5. Practice Preventive Law. Meet with your lawyer once a quarter or twice a year to review what you have done or what you are planning. This will allow you to fix things before they become larger legal problems.

6. Use Your Lawyer's Contacts. Our firm has contracts with a variety of experts, for example, certified public accountants, appraisers, and realtors. If you needs an expert in other specialties, kindly ask your lawyer for a referral.

7. Follow Through. Attorneys will often provide legal options for their clients to consider or ask them to consult with their tax advisor or other non-legal experts in making their decision. Clients should take the time necessary to make a considered decision. However, if you takes months to get back to the lawyer, the lawyer may have to spend time reviewing the file to get up to speed, which may result in larger fees.

8. Set Agendas. Before you meet with a lawyer, it may help to do a memo with key information or facts that you want the lawyer to consider, bring all necessary documents, and make a list of all of your questions. We are human and do understand that legal disputes can be very emotional. To make the best use of your lawyer and your money, it is important to remember that lawyers are not trained therapists but are being hired primarily for their legal skills to solve your legal problems.

9. Be Up Front About Your Ability to Pay for Legal Services. Our firm tries to work within a client's budget. If you notice that a particular legal strategy is costing more than you can afford, immediately talk to your lawyer to discuss alternative legal strategies. As part of purchasing legal services on an hourly basis, a client needs pay bills promptly on a monthly basis. If balances accrue, legal services could be terminated and the legal problems may never get resolved or may even become worse. Consequently, it is better to weigh the pros and cons of various legal strategies (including potential costs) with your lawyer through out your case.

10. Don't Be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish. In the interest of saving money, some may consider limiting the lawyer's services and doing things themselves. For example, a client may make the mistake of entering into a contract or speaking with the opposing party without consulting their lawyer. This can lead to missed opportunities, unintended consequences, or even worse bad legal results. Clients hire lawyers for a reason and, as such, should use their lawyer wisely.