How to reduce your legal fees and costs

By discussing how much your solicitor's fees are and what the relevant costs will be, you have taken the necessary first step to help you control your legal expenses. Still, there are a few things you can do to help you and your solicitor manage the overall fees and costs:

• Be organised: During you initial interviews, bring as much relevant information as possible and share it with your solicitor. You should think about the case in advance before talking to a solicitor. Write down the questions that you want your solicitor to answer. This could help cut down the time that the solicitor will spend investigating the case and gathering information
• Be thorough: Tell your solicitor all the facts. You should not assume that your solicitor knows them all. Your solicitor should tell you that all your information will be kept in confidence. In order to represent you efficiently, it will help your solicitor to know as much as possible about your case and to avoid surprises during the course of the matter
• Be efficient: Try to be as concise as possible. In many circumstances you will pay for every minute you spend with your solicitor. A friendly relationship can facilitate the handling of your case, but you should try to limit your discussions to your legal matter. You will not want to pay for a long, friendly conversation about non-legal matters!
• Communicate: You need to discuss the case with your solicitor and prepare for meetings. You are probably the primary source of information about your case. If something new happens, you should inform your solicitor. It may change what the solicitor is doing on the case and save you and the solicitor time (and money)

Examine your bill: Make sure that your bills do not contain costs or expenses beyond those you agreed to pay for.

Last Updated on 13/05/2013