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Frie, Arndt & Danborn Blog

Reduce the Cost of Legal Fees

by Jim Arndt

Reduce the Cost of Legal FeesOne Way to Help Reduce the Cost of Legal Fees

It’s rare indeed that anyone leaves our office and remarks about how inexpensive our fees were, or that our work cost much less than they had anticipated. Particularly in litigation, whether a divorce case, a probate case, or a lawsuit for breach of contract, the fees and costs mount quickly. Even though we try to be efficient and always hold the cost to our clients firmly in the front of our minds, our work is expensive.

There are many ways you can help us reduce the cost of our services to you.

One of the simplest ways is to organize material that you bring us. Our work typically relies on lots of documents – e-mails, bank records, sometimes photographs and medical records.

To the extent that your attorney asks you to bring him or her documents, I suggest you organize them completely. I sometimes tell my clients to treat me like a fifth grader.

Take bank records for example. There are several ways to comply with my request if I ask you to bring me three years’ worth of bank statements. Sometimes clients simply open the box or cabinet where they have these things at home and put them in a box and bring me the box.

Certainly I have information now, but what do I do with it?

Typically I get one of my staff members to organize the information for me. This person sorts through all of the information and organizes it chronologically by month and year. This, of course, costs money, but at least now I know what I have and can find a particular check or deposit or other entry if I need it.

On the other hand, you could do this work-at-home. Simply organize material chronologically. Never write on an original, but you might put a sticky note on the November 2013 statement for example that says “See 11–14 entry. This is the check for orthodontic care I was talking about.”
Not only is this helpful, but it saves us time and you money.

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