There is a British adage, "penny wise is pound foolish". It generally refers to making decisions to save pennies that end up costing considerably more. However if you are paying legal counsel on an hourly basis, your legal bills for immigration matters are likely costing you considerably more than paying on a fixed fee basis. Despite this adage, you should consider requesting a restructuring of the financial terms with your immigration legal counsel. Here are four reasons why it is more advantageous for you to pay your attorney on a fixed fee basis to handle your immigration needs, on non litigious matters.
1. Fixed fees cost less
Law firms that charge hourly fees use several practices that can increase the cost of legal services without necessarily increasing the quality of the work. Many law firms place ongoing pressure on their partners to bill a certain number of hours each month in order to meet costly overheads. This pressure forces lawyers to "pad" their billings with unnecessary charges for research, phone conferences and e-mails to clients. Furthermore, it is common for law firms to hire entry-level and junior lawyers or even paralegals to perform work on behalf of senior lawyers who are able to bill their clients for much or all of the work at the senior lawyers' higher hourly rates. Some firms engage in a practice of adding a result-oriented surcharge bonus in instances where they know the client was contented with the positive outcome of a case. All of these practices lead to higher costs for the client. On the other hand, if you agree to a fixed fee with your immigration attorney before work on your file begins, the attorney will be unable to increase the cost of legal services by using any of the practices mentioned above. With fixed fee arrangements, you pay for the efficient resolution of your case and nothing more.
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The content of this article reflects the personal insight of Attorney Colin Singer and needs no disclaimer.
