Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Attorney's fee: The money paid to a lawyer for their legal services. Lawyers can charge in different ways, like by the hour, a flat fee for a specific service, or a percentage of the money won in a case. It's important for the lawyer and client to have a signed contract for any extensive legal work. A "retainer" is a down payment on fees. Attorney fee disputes can be decided by arbitration. Attorney's fees are not awarded to the winning party in a lawsuit except where there is a provision in a contract for the fees or there is a statute which provides for an award of fees in the particular type of case.
An attorney's fee is the payment made to a lawyer for their legal services. There are different ways that attorneys charge for their services:
It's important for the lawyer and the client to have a signed contract for any extensive legal work, especially in contingent fee cases. The lawyer keeps records of the time spent on the case to justify the fees, even when the work is not on an hourly basis. A "retainer" is a down payment on fees, often required by the lawyer to make sure they are not left holding the bag for work performed, or at least as a good faith indication that the client is serious and can afford the services.
For example, if a lawyer charges $200 per hour and works on a case for 10 hours, the attorney's fee would be $2,000. Another example is if a lawyer charges a flat fee of $250 to write a will, the attorney's fee would be $250. In a contingent fee case, if the lawyer and client agree on a one-third fee and the client wins $90,000, the attorney's fee would be $30,000.
Attorney fee disputes can be decided by arbitration, often operated by the local bar association. Attorney's fees are not awarded to the winning party in a lawsuit except where there is a provision in a contract for the fees or there is a statute which provides for an award of fees in the particular type of case.