I’m looking for an attorney to go over my liability forms for PT (online and in person). What seems like a reasonable fee?
Hi Sandra,
This is a very good question. I found some information online that may be of some help if you secure a lawyer. The information below may help you when negotiating pricing. I hope this information is helpful.
Paying By the Hour
Paying your lawyer by the hour is the most common method. In most parts of the United States, you can get competent services for your small business for $150 to $250 an hour. Most lawyers bill in six-, ten-, or 15-minute increments. Understand that these are the smallest “chunks” of time that the lawyer will bill for, even if a given task actually took less time. For example, a lawyer who bills in six-minute increments will charge you for the full six minutes even though a particular phone call lasted only two.
If you are concerned about runaway hourly costs, you can ask the lawyer to agree to a “cap,” or an upper billing amount. This means that when the cap has been reached (or is near), the billing will stop (and the lawyer will stop working) until you authorize more work.
Paying a Flat Fee
Sometimes a lawyer will quote you a flat fee for a specific job—for example, the lawyer may offer to review your commercial lease for $450. In a flat fee agreement, you pay the same amount regardless of how much time the lawyer spends on the particular job.