Having A Lawyer on Retainer
A retainer is a fee paid up front to an attorney to establish an attorney client relationship.
Retainer agreements can take many different forms, such as a minimum or set flat fee, paid periodically, which covers certain work, or a deposit to begin work on a project.
Some retainer agreements apply the retainer to the cost of the work performed, and others do not.
Some businesses have regular legal work in areas where the work volume, scheduling and costs are fairly predictable. In those cases, a periodic retainer may be cost effective.
Retaining An Attorney
For a small business which does not have a need for regular legal work, a periodic retainer may not make sense.
Instead, the business can contract with a lawyer for projects as needed. Once you have an established relationship with a lawyer, many will be happy to do work as it comes up.
You’ll want to talk to a lawyer who has experience in the type of matter(s) where you need help, and find out how they prefer to work. Many will talk to you for free about the types of matters they handle, and how they structure their fees. If it sounds like you and the lawyer are a good fit, you may want to pay for an initial consultation to get specific advice on your situation, and determine whether additional work is necessary.
If you need legal help for your small business, call us because…It Feels Good to Prevail!
