One of the most dissatisfying conversations that takes place between an attorney and a client takes place early in the relationship. It usually happens somewhere around the first or second meeting when the client asks the inevitable question, “How much is this going to cost me?” To which the attorney responds, “Well, I don’t know- it depends.”
At that point, the client can be very dissatisfied and even scared about what they are getting into. They are coming to an attorney with a need, that is of great significance to them, and they are being told that the attorney does not know exactly how much it’s going to cost them to reach a resolution on this.
I can tell you, from my standpoint, as an attorney, that this is a dissatisfying conversation to have as well.
I don’t like telling my client that the cost depends on what happens in the case, and yet, the traditional billable hour model that most law firms employ, of necessity, dictates that response. If you are billing on a time basis, then it depends on how much time you are going to spend on the case.
We don’t think that’s fair, not to the client, not to the attorney, and not to the legal process. Imagine you get on an airplane and you ask the airline, “How much is this flight going to cost?” and the airline replies, “Well, it depends…” and you say “Depends on what?” Then the airline says, “It depends on how many stops we have to make, and whether or not we have to go on a detour, or if there’s a delay in route…any of those things could impact the cost of the flight. We’ll tell you, when we get to the destination how much it’s going to be.”
No one has that experience flying on an airplane! Why should they have that experience with their attorney? We think it should be different. We believe the client should have greater transparency to know the costs. We have developed alternative fee arrangements to the billable hour to bring that transparency to our clients.
Jacobson & Jacobson Law Firm, since 1982, is committed to serving the Boise and Nampa, Idaho areas for your top Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, Business Law, Estate Planning, Family Law, Immigration Law, and Litigation needs. Contact us today to get started. For a free 30-minute consultation, book here: https://calendly.com/jfj-1