Since some cases do not work on a contingency fee, you might wonder what other fee structures attorneys use. There are several fees, and you must discuss these with your attorney during your first meeting. Fee Advance: A lawyer may charge an advanced fee for services they expect to perform. The attorney will put it into a trust and charge the trust as they complete work on the case. If any fee advances are left over, the client will recover them. Cost deposit: There are several filing and other legal costs that you will incur through the case. These fees include copying charges, travel expenses, filing fees, and more. While you will give an initial deposit, you will also face additional bills if the costs exceed the deposit. In comparison, you will receive a refund for the difference when the lawyer does not use all of the cost deposit. Flat rate fees: For simple legal matters such as drafting legal documents, there are flat-rate fees such as creating a will. Other cases, such as immigration and criminal, will have a flat-rate fee. Hourly charges: Just as some jobs offer hourly wages, some attorneys work on an hourly wage. Each lawyer will have different hourly rates, and you must discuss an estimate before agreeing to hire them. The lawyer will use a complex calculation to determine what the hourly rate for your case will be. You may receive monthly bills for the duration of your case. Retainer: One final possible pay structure you can face is a retainer. This fee is a payment to have a lawyer available for your legal matters. Keep all of this in mind when discussing attorney fees. You must keep yourself organized and provide as much detail about your case as possible before signing anything. You can mitigate additional work the attorney charges for by preparing for your initial consultation: Gather all documents for your case Have a current telephone and address information for witnesses and other parties involved Have witness statement of the incident ready Make copies of everything Present your case from your point of view Share all information, good and bad, and let your attorney decide what to use Discuss legal fees Ask your lawyer about their fees before signing. During an initial consultation, you and your attorney will discuss the fee structure, length of time the case will take, and possible challenges. An agreement should benefit both parties and is a mutual commitment. Aside from asking about the fee structure, you should also ask: The chances of winning a case The potential damages you will be awarded Whether the lawyer will need expert witnesses and how much this will cost Total estimate costs of filing fees If you will receive monthly bills How often to expect communications At the end of your legal matter, you will get a breakdown of the costs for your case and see how much the attorney will receive. There will also be other parties that can obtain a portion of your compensation, such as expert witnesses. You will likely receive this breakdown online. You can also ask for a periodic breakdown of costs and work the attorney performs on your behalf.