Communications
Communications in a lawsuit deserves its own separate discussion. Communications can be a real sore spot for clients because a client will look at their invoice and see a list of .1’s on their invoices adding up to hundreds of dollars for the billing period and thousands of dollars over the course of the litigation. The fact is, attorneys bill for their time and much of that time is spent talking to clients, other attorneys, judges, and witnesses. Some attorneys will bill for every single second of their time, others are more lenient and flexible.
We offer flexible solutions discussed below. The point is to keep in mind that communications can and do vary and are unavoidable. For a complex lawsuit you could be spending tens of thousands of dollars dealing with communications. For more straight forward breach of contract claims communications are likely far more manageable. How do we address the costs of communication? Well, here are some simple options to consider:
- Flat fee monthly billing for attorney-client communications.
- Reduced hourly fee for attorney-client communications.
- No billing for attorney-client conversations less than 10 minutes.
- A policy of minimal attorney-court communications (i.e. we don’t litigate through letter writing as it’s a waste of time for the Court and an utter waste of money for the client 9 out of 10 times.)
It’s important to outline communication parameters early on in your lawsuit so neither you nor your attorney has defeated expectations later on.
