What might your legal costs be?

The amount a solicitor charges you for legal advice may include the solicitor's fees plus additional expenses and costs (called 'disbursements'). If your solicitor is instructing a barrister to represent you in a court proceeding this will also be an additional cost and, you will also have to pay a filing fee or other court costs as well.

There are a number of costs that may appear on your solicitor's bill. Some solicitors may charge for these costs separately. Other solicitors may lump the expenses together as a separate item on your bill, while others may include some of these costs in their fee. Be sure to find out before you hire your solicitor if these types of costs are included and whether they will be itemized on your bill. Costs in addition to the solicitor's time may include:

• Filing Fees and Court Costs
• Barrister's fees
• Photocopying
• Telephone and Postage Charges
• Paralegal Time
• Messengers
• Computer or Research Related Costs
• Secretarial and Staff Time
• Deposition and Court Reporter Costs
• Facsimiles (faxes)
• Experts, Consultants, and Witness Fees
• Investigators
• Process Servers (delivery of legal documents relating to case)
• Travel Expenses

There may be other charges not listed above. It is a good idea to ask the solicitor for a written estimate of anticipated costs to make sure you understand all the different costs that you will have to pay. For example, you will want to find out if there is a set rate for some costs like photocopying. If you are concerned about the costs building up, you can also tell your solicitor that any costs over a certain amount have to be approved by you in advance. You also may be able to negotiate in advance the amount charged for many of these costs.

Last Updated on 23/03/2010