Re: Attorney’s and fees - Posted by SueC
Posted by SueC on July 20, 2001 at 13:51:38:
Mike, rates are somewhat regional, and also vary depending on whether you’re near a city or in the outlying areas, but all in all, that seems like a fair price. In the Philly area for example, rates are roughly about $175-$200 an hour, with paralegals being billed at $70-90 per hour.
The key is to get a bill from the lawyer that is itemized as to how many hours are spent on each task; some lawyers just bill the lump sum for al work done for the client. That way, they can quote you a low or reasonable rate, and then make up for it in time spent, and without detail you can’t know what they actually did. If it sounds like the are spending too much time doing certain things, like say ten or fifteen hours to review and draft what should be a basic contract, you need to be able to call them on it.