If you have been arrested for a crime that you may or may not have committed, you need a professional criminal defense attorney to get out on bail and reduce the charges against you. When it comes to hiring an attorney, many people get apprehensive about the high fees of top lawyers. No wonder, hiring a highly experienced and popular lawyer will mean spending a good amount of money. But, that will also be your ticket to freedom, justice and less time in suffering.
Trying to save a few dollars by hiring an inexperienced lawyer can cost you not only more money but also mental peace. In this article, we will tell you how much hiring Hackensack criminal lawyer may cost you.
Factors to consider
When it comes to your legal bill, there are many factors that may influence the final amount. These include your lawyer’s billing preference (flat fee or an hourly rate), billing rate, and additional expenses. The billing format or lawyer’s preference can have a huge impact on the total legal bill. For example, if you choose a criminal lawyer that charges by hour, you may end up paying more if the case takes longer to conclude.
Flat fee is another preferred method of billing and many lawyers prefer this over the hourly rate. In this case, the lawyer asks for one flat fee for his legal services. Although this may sound like a better option, there are sometimes extra charges that he may not include in the flat fee and disclose them later.
Hence, it is recommend that you talk to lawyer before hiring him to find out what is included in the flat fees and whether there will be any additional expenses.
What are the additional expenses?
When you hire a Criminal Defense Lawyer to fight a case for you, there may be several additional expenses involved. Whether you lawyer prefers a flat fee or hourly rate, make sure you ask them if any of the following additional expenses are involved:
- Photocopying: You will need photocopies of several important documents to present in the court room and use them as evidences to plead guilty.
- An investigators time: Your lawyer may hire an investigator to further probe into the case and provide useful evidences that can work in your favor and prepare a strong case.
- A paralegals time: Your lawyer may need an assistant or paralegal to assist him in the case, and the fees of a paralegal may or may not be included in the flat fee, so make sure you ask.
- An expert witness fee: You may need an expert witness to speak on your favor and help you plead guilty. The fees may be required to offer travel expense to the witness and even provide security and police protection in some cases.
- Travel-related expenses for the lawyer to travel to different places to find evidences and talk to witnesses, as needed for the case.
Final words
When you are already arrested by the police, you may not have much time for negotiation. At this point, it is important to look for a lawyer that can create a strong case in your favor. However, don’t hurry into hiring a lawyer without much thought.
Look online to find information about the lawyer, read reviews by old clients, and make sure you directly ask the lawyer’s fee. Ask him if there is a scope for negotiation, and whether there will be any additional expenses involved. This will help you get a clear picture of how much you may need to spend to hire Hackensack criminal lawyer.