Here’s how we calculate the amount of money (cost of litigation) we have to charge you to do your case.
1. Court costs and filing fees. Filing fees run $200-$400, depending on the Court. While you might be able to shift costs to the other side, to be safe, budget around $1,000 for court costs.
2. How hard will they fight? Every time your lawyer has to go to court, you should budget $2,000 for them to prepare and attend in Knox County Fourth Circuit Court; about $1,500 in other courts.
3. Is their lawyer is honest, competent, and willing to work? If so, it will cut the cost of the lawsuit by about half. If their lawyer is dishonest, incompetent, or lazy, it will double the cost, because you’ll have to pay your lawyer to keep them honest, do their job for them, and chase them around.
4. What are your goals? The more ambitious your goals are, the longer it will take to reach them and the more it will cost.
5. How “hands on” do you want to be? The more you want to personally make the decisions on you case along the way, the more it will cost. The more involved you want to be in your case, and the more questions you have about the process, the more it will cost.
6. How much leg work can you do? The more evidence you collect, the less litigation will cost. For example, it will often take you time to bring us your medical records, or your child’s school records, or your latest retirement statement. But if you collect that information, it’s free. If we put our staff to running those same records down it costs. Bringing us the evidence we need saves you money.
7. How fast can we move? The less time a case is open, the more money it saves. To keep your case moving quickly, we need access to money easily. For that reason, we tend to charge higher retainers than some other attorneys. However, by moving the case quickly, our attorneys typically save clients’ money by the end of the case. Also, unlike most other law firms, we always refund any money left in your retainer.
8. Will you take our advice, and will the other side take their lawyer’s advice? If so, it will save you money. Nothing runs up legal fees like stubborness.