How much should a lawyer be paid? -

I am thinking of appointing one, but Im not sure what my total expense would be. Lets say I get a free consultation... and I will tell him/her about the whole situation during the consultation right? and h/she would do work to try his/her best to expunge the record. Is s/he gonna charge me for the hours that they spent on working on it? I don t know how it works. After this case is closed, whats my total gonna be overall?! I m gona get a lawyer specializing in criminal defense.. but then I m not really sure.

Attorneys have a fiduciary duty to charge quot;reasonablequot; fees. In a criminal defense setting, this means a rate comparable to the rates charged by other attorneys in the same locale, who have similar talent and experience. A criminal defense attorney cannot charge a contingency, based on performance, because that could have the effect of encouraging the attorney to make misrepresentations to the court in order to improve his/her client s case. There are some defense attorneys who will charge a flat fee for a certain type of case, with which they re familiar, because they have a sense of approximately how many hours will be required. And, occasionally, an attorney will do a criminal case free (pro bono publico). But, unless you re seriously down and out and desparate, and you catch the attorney on a good day, I wouldn t count on getting a free ride. The only way to get an idea of whether the fee is reasonable is to call a few attorneys and ask what they charge. Don t be afraid to ask what their experience is, but for an expungement motion, it s not really all that complex. If you ve stayed out of trouble for the statutory time period, you ll have your case sealed. If not, you won t. I d estimate no more that 8 hours of billing. Maybe half of that. Good luck.

i don t exactly know if u r asking for fees re: strictly expungemt or if u want a lawyer for your WHOLE case (like u have been charged w/a crime and need his/her legal advice to guide u thru the court system). anyway, a WHOLE case will of course, cost more. to retain a lawyer, his/her fee will depend on experience and reputation. a well known person may charge $4000 just to retain his/her services, while someone who has but a few years experience may charge $1000. Of course, if other things crop up whereby the lawyer needs to get expert witnesses and what not, your costs will go up, because u will be responsible for paying for these services. Okay, but if it s just for expungemt...the consultation is free, and at that time, the fee will be discussed. it will either be a flat fee (like $200-$300), or it will be an hourly rate.

They will tell you their fee structure during your free consultation. If you can t handle it then you can just leave and it didn t cost you anything. Most attorneys do charge by the hour--unless you have a contingency type of lawsuit.