Call several attorneys and compare their answers to the questions listed above. Only after you get a sense of the range of fees will you be able to determine which rate and which attorney best suit you and your budget. A written agreement specifying the fee arrangement and the work involved is the best way of assuring clear communication between you and your attorney about the total cost of the case. For example, if your attorney charges by the quarter hour, you will know that if you call and speak to your attorney for five minutes, you will be charged one- quarter of the attorney's hourly rate. Knowing that, you may choose to give the information to his secretary or write a brief note.
Most legal work is relatively routine.
It often has little to do with complex legal theory or constitutional analysis, and much more to do with knowing which form to fill out and which county clerk will process it most quickly. Smaller firms, attorneys charging lower rates, and less experienced attorneys are often well suited for the broad range of legal work needed by many consumers. Recently graduated attorneys may offer to work for a somewhat lower price to compensate for the extra risk and time involved in becoming familiar with the specific area of law. The associate may take three or four times as long as an experienced lawyer to draft the necessary papers. You might want to meet with the associate and the supervising partner before work begins to ascertain who is going to do what, and to get an estimate as to how much the work should cost.