Looking for a Criminal Lawyer in Annapolis, requires you to know the various costs involved in the process. Normally, criminal lawyers in the US charge their clients in the following methods: Either with an (i) hourly fee or (ii) a flat fee. The two billing ways work in their own way.
Criminal lawyers who charge hourly fees
A criminal lawyer in Annapolis who charges hourly fees will normally ask for a retainer fee.The retainer fees are a lump sum amount from which the lawyer withdraws payment as the hours build up. Whenever the retainer gets used up, the lawyer might ask you to pay an additional retainer or may perhaps switchover to monthly billings.
The charges levied will vary based on the reputation of the attorney, their total experience in the field, the level of complexity of your case, their place of location and some other miscellaneous expenses.
You should not conclude that the lawyer who charges hourly rates will cost more. In case the lawyer is reputed and experienced and also has good connections with the office of the prosecutor, he or she may resolve your criminal case quickly and thus cost you comparatively lesser in the long run.
Criminal lawyers who charge a flat fee
If the case is routine and the lawyer has taken up many similar cases earlier, then you may be charged a flat fee. But you must ask what is included in the flat fee and what is not. Moreover, flat fees are usually non refundable, which means if you switch over to a different lawyer during the course of the case, your money will not be refunded to you.
Legal costs
In addition to the fees, your criminal lawyer in Annapolis will also charge you for other legal expenses, which may include court fees, charges for typing and other types of paralegal work, fees of a private investigator, photocopying work and some others like postal charges.
What to ask your lawyer
Listed below are some important questions that you should ask your criminal lawyer in Annapolis. The answer to these questions will give you an idea of the fees that they charge.
1) What is the rate of their hourly fees? Do you have to pay a retainer fee? If yes, then the amount you have to pay and what will happen when the same gets exhausted?
2) If the lawyer is charging a flat fee, then what is the rate? What is included in it and what is not? Whether it is refundable?
3) What are the other expenses that you have to pay?
4) Do they offer any payment plans?
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