To reduce billable hours in family law cases, clients need to be well prepared for meetings and respond in a timely manner to requests, says Mississauga family lawyer Deepa Tailor.
“Provide your lawyer with all documents when requested to minimize the back and forth, and respond to emails or phone calls in a timely fashion, so the law office doesn’t have to follow up with you repeatedly,” says Tailor, managing director of Tailor Law Professional Corporation.
Need legal help? Don’t wait until the last minute.
Legal counsel will need time to prepare for any upcoming court dates, she says.
“We need at least two weeks’ notice of any court appearance, to prepare and find the relevant evidence to make legal arguments the best that we can,” Tailor tells AdvocateDaily.com.
To create a separation agreement, bring in documentation of income, debts, and assets.
Bringing in professional representation after starting a legal action on your own creates difficulties for the lawyer.
“Lawyers will make every effort to put that client in the best position possible, but one of the problems with joining the process midway through is we need to spend a significant amount of time fixing mistakes,” she says.
The defense team may disclose evidence that was overlooked earlier in the legal proceedings, Tailor says.
Family lawyers offer invaluable advice and assistance to those who need it. They can help with custody disputes, prenuptial agreements or any other legal issue that may come up in your family’s life!
Tailor Law can review documents, file papers, and attend seminars on your behalf.
Lawyers do a lot of work behind the scenes to help their clients that clients don’t see, she says.
“The final bill reflects the effort that is put in, even if people are not always aware of it,” Tailor says.
Tailor’s firm offers a limited scope retainer, which allows clients to opt-out of certain legal services while paying for others.
“The unbundled services option is an alternative to paying for a lawyer to provide all legal services,” she says.
“We can provide you with coaching and advice, but you’re going to remain self-represented, which helps control costs,” Tailor says.
Unbundled services are becoming more popular, but they are not suitable for complex cases.
“Generally speaking, we try to work as efficiently as possible in order to minimize the legal bill, while providing the legal expertise and knowledge clients need to build their case,” Tailor says.
“Some of the expenses on the bill don’t put money in our pocket,” says Tailor.
“The lawyer says that the law firm does not make any money from the charges,” she says.
This post was first published on AdvocateDaily.com (which is now Inactive).
By Paul Russell, AdvocateDaily.com Contributor. November 15, 2019