That can lead to inconsistent, even contradictory strategies that cause the client more problems. There is a danger when a client has different lawyers from different firms do different parts of the case. That can decrease the lawyers’ impact because there is no “threat” that the lawyer will take a further step for the client. However, when a lawyer is on a limited retainer, that lawyer must tell the opposing lawyer, the judge, or the arbitrator that the lawyer is working on a limited retainer and will not be participating further. This approach is attractive to clients who have limited funds and want to chose how best to use them, or clients who want greater control over how much they spend. So, the lawyer cannot be “forced” or “dragged into” longer involvement or “continuing the fight” without the client agreeing to a separate retainer to cover those separate steps. The retainer specifically limits the lawyer from doing any other work. This approach is called a “limited retainer” or “ unbundled services.” A lawyer can charge a flat fee because the amount of work is known and predictable. In these cases, the client is retaining the lawyer to do that one piece of work and nothing else.

Some lawyers will also charge a flat rate to do one particular piece of work – such as draft a document or appear in court for one particular appearance. Everything is straightforward and predictable. We can do that because there is nothing to fight about, and no variables.

That covers the costs of serving the divorce documents on the other side, paying all of the court filing fees, paying for the clearance certificate from the federal government, paying the costs we are charged for the court forms and a bit of the salary for the person who does the work getting it all together. In my practice, we charge $1500.00 for a simple uncontested divorce. Except for very few instances, they cannot predict how much something will cost. Lawyers are selling their time as professionals (in much the same way that psychologists and many other professionals do). That means that when they are working on your case or talking to you, they bill based on the amount of time it takes. See the bottom of the page for a video that also explains lawyer’s fees.įamily Lawyers bill by the hour (or part thereof). *This is an excerpt from John Schuman’s book, Guide to the Basics of Ontario Family Law, available by clicking here.

WHY LAWYERS CHARGE BY THE HOUR(AND WHY COST IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT

Risk of flat fee tax attorney