Find out from the lawyer how many hours a day billed compared to the number of hours worked. Very seldom will a lawyer bill for every hour worked. Find out how he determines whether or not to bill an hour worked. Obviously, stay away from a lawyer who bills more hours than worked. A retainer fee is the payment of an hourly rate fee before it is earned.
Lawyers normally request retainer fees from clients to assure payment.
The retainer fees are kept in the lawyer s trust account in the name of the client. It is not the lawyer s money until it is earned. If the matter costs less than the retainer fee the difference is refunded to the client. In some cases, such as injury cases, a lawyer is paid only if the case has resulted in a recovery to you. The lawyer is paid a percentage of the recovery.