|
Home > Contact > Legal Fees and Costs
:: Legal Fees and Costs
Orlando criminal lawyer Richard Hornsby offers a free initial consultation. All discussions from that consultation will be absolutely confidential. If after our first meeting you select Mr. Hornsby to represent you, a representation agreement will be drawn up. This agreement sets forth the scope of your relationship with Mr. Hornsby, including the legal work Mr. Hornsby will be responsible for and the different fees and costs that you will be responsible for.
Information is provided below to help you understand how legal fees are determined in criminal cases.
Civil Fees
Most personal injury actions are paid for on a contingency fee basis. This means that if we are suing someone for injuries that they inflicted on you, I do not charge you for my legal services. Instead, I collect a portion of any settlement that is obtained in your favor. If I do not prevail, you do not owe anything.
In some civil actions, such as business litigation, attorneys are paid on an hourly basis. Generally, a client will pay a lump sum amount up front, from which fees will be deducted based on the amount of time expended on your case. If the prepaid fees have been depleted you will then be required to deposit additional funds for continued representation.
Criminal Fees
In criminal matters Mr. Hornsby generally charges a fixed rate for his legal services plus additional expenses, such as expert witness fees, deposition costs, and transcription costs. The amount that you may expect to pay for Mr. Hornsby's services normally depends on the nature of the criminal charge against you, complexity of the evidence, length of the expected trial, and the amount of pretrial preparation necessary. More challenging and complex criminal charges justify a larger fee. In all of Mr. Hornsby's free initial consultations, he will evaluate your case and quote you a fee based on his evaluation.
If you have already spoken with some criminal attorneys, they may have quoted you two fees: an initial fee and a "trial fee," which you must pay in order for the attorneys to represent you at trial. Mr. Hornsby does not believe in a trial fee as he believes it is a gimmick that encourages you to hire an attorney who is only interested working out a quick plea. Mr. Hornsby believes this is contrary to aggressive criminal representation. Mr. Hornsby prepares every case as if it will be necessary to go to trial, so his quotation includes all attorneys' fees.
Below is a generic criminal fee schedule. Please note that these are base line fees. Actual quoted fees may increase based upon the complexity of the case, your criminal record, and the anticipated time that will be spent on your case.
Please note that this schedule is inapplicable for sexually related offenses, offenses involving death or serious injury, and federal offenses. These are very serious matters and an appropriate fee can not be quoted without first conducting an in depth consultation.
|
Criminal Fee Schedule
|
|
Second Degree Misdemeanor
|
$1,000 - 1,500
|
|
First Degree Misdemeanor
|
$1,000 - 2,000
|
|
First or Second DUI
|
$2,000 - $3,500
|
|
Third Degree Felony
|
$1,000 - $2,500
|
|
Second Degree Felony
|
$2,500 - $7,500
|
|
First Degree Felony
|
$7,500 - $25,000
|
Understanding Legal Fees
- Contingent fees - This form of compensation is most common in personal injury cases where you are suing another party for some form of monetary compensation. With this arrangement a lawyer does not charge you for their services, but instead takes a portion of the settlement you receive if you win. If you lose, the lawyer is only compensated for out-of-pocket expenses.
- Expenses - Your lawyer may charge you for expenses that are incurred on your behalf. Some of these expenses can range from photocopies to out of town transportation and lodging.
- Fixed Rates - This method is common for situations where the lawyer has to draft a will, trust, or partnership agreement. It is not common, however, in litigations and trials because it is harder to gauge how much time will be spent by the lawyer.
- Hourly rate - This is the most common charge. Almost every activity that a lawyer performs on your behalf, from phone calls and writing letters to research, all results in a fee. In most cases attorneys have a minimum billing time, usually 15 minutes, that they will be you for; so that 7 minute phone call will still cost you 15 minutes worth of billable hours.
- Retainer - The first time you give money to a lawyer will be in the form of a retainer. This pays for a predefined list of services found in the retainer agreement.
Home > Contact > Legal Fees and Costs
|
