9/67 Depot Street, Banyo Queensland 4014, Australia
This is often the first thing clients ask, and usually the last thing other lawyers want to talk about!
Most solicitors charge by the hour, or fractions of the hour. This means if a lawyer spends half an hour working on your file, you are charged just that time. This is a great way of knowing exactly how your lawyers have spent their time and your money, but it doesn't really give you any idea of how much your legal matter will cost you overall, through to finalisation. There are many stories of clients getting to the end of their legal matter, and then being surprised by a legal bill for several thousands of dollars!
Many law firms also offer 'fixed fee' arrangements, but inevitably you will get (less than) what you've paid for. Fixed fee deals can be appropriate for many very straightforward matters, but if you need help with something more complex then is it worth taking a risk on your future happiness, with a discount service? Often clients end up with horror stories of buying a fixed-fee "package" only to be told in the midst of their dispute that what certain services are out of scope, and will cost (a lot) extra.
Clients deserve the best of both worlds. The solicitors at Shorestone Legal will detail all the time spent attending to your matter, so you can track all of the work done, but they also give clients a realistic estimate of the overall cost for ALL THE WORK they are being engaged to do, from start to finish. This is a requirement of all legal practitioners, however Shorestone Legal will also break down those costs into stages, so that you can track the progress of the matter in relation to the fees you are paying.
Often, clients have a set budget. Aaron and his team can work out a plan with you, so that you can do as much as you can do on your own to keep your fees down, so there's no surprises and your total legal costs stay within your budget. If something unexpected or unavoidable happens along the way, that may adversely impact on your total expected legal costs, you will be told about it and your solicitor will work with you to come up with a solution so there's no hidden or unexpected fees.
In some instances clients can be offered deferred fee arrangement so that no or limited legal fees are paid until your legal matter is resolved. This can be especially helpful for single parents, who have limited or no income, but are having tonight their ex-partner for access to matrimonial assets.
If you have any questions about our fees or how you will be billed, please contact Aaron or Shorestone Legal and ask for a telephone discussion about your options. And no, you won't be charged anything for that first call!
If you have any questions about legal fees, or the contents of this article, please contact Shorestone Legal on 3266 4657