Most law firms have high overhead expenses, such as rent, staff, salaries, and technology which increases what they charge for simple legal services. Most law firms bill hourly for their legal work; that is not the way it should in today’s legal world. This system means both sides are going to do whatever they can to increase the amount of hours they work on your case. When lawyers charge by the hour, they will often request a retainer (deposit) to assure they get paid. However, most times the cost of the services will exceed the deposit amount. This is not the way the system should run; in all other walks of life; you do not pay until your receive your services.
I have been a lawyer in California for four years. During that time that I have seen many instances of lawyers overcharging people. Examples
1:-$10,000 charged to an immigrant couple to handle an asylum case. Then another $5000 for an appeal after they lost their case.
2- $5000 for a simple revocable trust.
3- $1000 to drive to Norwalk to get a copy of a property deed/title.
4-$17,000- for a property fence dispute, that was eventually settled by a simple meditation process.