If You Think Your Lawyer Bill is Too High...
The next time you get your invoice from your lawyer and think his or her rate is too high, be grateful that the hourly rate is not over $1,000.00, as some attorneys across the country are charging in excess of $1,000.00 an hour. While even $150.00 an hour seems excessive to some clients, it is important to remember that the fees that attorneys charge cover all of the overhead expenses from support staff, office rent, equipment, supplies, law library subscriptions, marketing, malpractice insurance, continuing education, deadbeat clients, and eventually pay for the attorney. Attorneys have invested years in their education and training and a reasonable return for the knowledge they have obtained is to be expected. We here at Sullivan & Ward believe that our fees are reasonable and in step with current market. Some of our work is handled at flat rate charges, which does provide some comfort to clients about the bill at the end of the day. Various online companies and services attempt to provide "low cost" legal-type services, but you can probably imagine what you get.
Now if my hourly rate was $1,200, this blog post would be really expensive.
