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Getting Legal Advice What do lawyers cost?
Lawyers usually charge by the hour for all services, from providing you with advice to representing you in court. However, some lawyers will provide a first consultation - and some initial information or legal advice - free of charge. You may want to ask about that when you call to make your first appointment.
In routine cases, such as an uncontested divorce (this is a divorce where both spouses agree to the divorce, and the couple is not asking the court to settle any other issues, such as custody or child support), some lawyers will charge a set fee rather than an hourly rate.
At your first meeting, be sure to ask for a rough estimate of how much it will cost to solve your problem, including the lawyer's fees and other costs, such as court filing fees or long distance telephone calls.
If you decide to hire the lawyer, make sure that the lawyer gives you a letter setting out how his or her fees will be calculated as well as an estimate of what the other costs will be. This will provide you with a written record and help you avoid any misunderstandings about bills in the future.
You might also want to visit Dial-A-Law, a legal information service operated by the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. Dial-a-Law provides a series of scripts on a variety of legal issues, including "How Lawyers Calculate Fees in Family Law Cases" and "Lawyers' Fees."
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