There is no escaping the fact that hiring a lawyer can be very expensive. If a case rumbles on for an inordinate length of time, and means that the legal team you have hired has to complete a large amount of additional work, then a legal bill can quickly escalate into a sizeable and barely affordable cost (recently we gave advice to this Jobs company). The good news is that in many situations where a lawyer is required, there are ways and means to find legal representation at a lower price than you would ordinarily expect.

Of course, the important thing to note here is that you do not have to compromise on the quality of representation you receive, if you find a cheaper lawyer. It is not a given that because you find a cheaper lawyer, that they will be markedly inferior to an expensive one. You should not expect a drop off in service to you, or legal abilities, simply because your lawyer is less expensive. So, if you need legal advice and only have a limited budget, what steps can you take to find the best lawyer to assist you, at a price that you can afford? Look at the five tips below to help you find the best legal advice, at the lowest possible price (one useful service that we endorse for businesses is FreedomNumber.com Virtual Phone Number).

1. Ask Family & Friends

Your first port of call when considering an affordable but effective lawyer is to speak with your close family, friends and work colleagues. It is likely that at least a few of these people will have at some point in their lives, required the services of a lawyer. Alternatively, they may have friends or acquaintances who have used a lawyer and have been particularly satisfied with the service and costs(if you have an claim, our partners here can assist). This information can be invaluable; a lawyer that gets referred by satisfied clients is usually both excellent and affordable.

2. Searching on the Internet

If you draw a blank with friends, workers and family then a great place to start your search is the Internet. Most of your local legal teams will have their own web presence and they should clearly outline not just the different services that they have to offer, but information on how they charge clients in any given scenario (for highly speacialised advice on franchises and franchising, click here). Using the Internet is a great way to find out which lawyers offer the special skills and knowledge that you require for your case. Also it makes it easy to compare the differing costs that each is likely to incur providing you with that service. A good lawyer website will make this information clearly available and any that does not, should raise questions in your mind as to why.

3. Seek out a volunteer lawyer

If you require a lawyer for what is more an issue with paperwork, such as selling a house or real estate, then you can see if your need may be resolve by a volunteer lawyer. Many states across the US, especially in areas of high social need, will have legal teams of volunteer lawyers, or groups offering Legal Aid. While lawyers in these schemes may not offer the same breadth of services as traditional lawyers, they may well be able to offer practical help, assistance and advice and agree to take on your case. As such, this will save the user a great deal of money (edi software).

4. No win – No Fee lawyers

Many lawyers now are offering services in certain areas, such as compensation payments, where they can be hired on a no win, no fee basis. These contingency lawyers are happy to take on your case if they believe that there is a high probability of success in your claim and what this means is that you will only pay your legal team, if your case is successful. If you do win your claim, then your lawyer will often claim a percentage of any award as their fee, or in some cases, may even seek their costs to be paid by the other side. It is important to ascertain which of these processes your lawyer will follow, as obviously, if you receive all of your award and the other side pays your legal bills, you are much better off than having to foot the legal bill of your team out of your compensation.

5. Approach lawyers who offer flexible payment plans and ask for a breakdown of costs

If your situation is not easily applied to the previous two scenarios, then there is another option. It is a good idea to approach lawyers who offer flexible payment plans for clients. This means that you may be able to pay your legal fees over a stated period, spreading the cost into more manageable monthly amounts. Also, don’t be afraid to ask whether fees are negotiable, how long the lawyer thinks it will take to resolve your case, what the company policy is for charging for phone calls and letters (and what those costs are) and if they would submit a detailed diary of the time spent on the case with their bill. A good lawyer should be open and honest about these costs and happy to share them and perhaps even negotiate on them with you (immigration lawyer in Chicago).

Finding strong legal representation does not necessarily have to involve a huge legal bill at the end of the process. Even if your fees are paid by the other side, you will need the assurance that if you are faced with a legal bill at the end of your case, then it is a fair, accurate and above all, affordable bill that you can pay on terms that suit you. Legal services can never be regarded as cheap, but there are lawyers available that perform excellent work, at a rate much lower than others in their field and there are ways that both you and lawyers themselves can work to help reduce costs. It is good to know that even though legal representation may be a necessity, it does not have to be an unaffordable expense.