It is a typical Wednesday morning, and as you sit down with your cup of coffee and open your laptop, the first email you notice near the top of your inbox is an invoice from your divorce attorney. You were expecting a bill, so the fact that you have an amount due is far from a surprise. But as you scan each line of charges to ensure billing transparency, your mind starts racing with concerns.
“How do I know how much time was spent on the activities listed?”
“The amount for this court filing doesn’t look right.”
“Why is there a line item labeled ‘miscellaneous expenses?’”
It is natural to have questions about your legal invoice. After all, navigating a divorce is already a stressful time in your life, and finding qualified legal representation is a significant investment of time and money. On top of that, attorneys use different billing methods depending on the case and their model—so no two invoices may ever be created equally. That said, your attorney should recognize that you may be looking at a legal bill for the first time and approach the invoicing process with that in mind. From time spent on phone calls to research, court filing fees, and administrative tasks, they should provide detailed explanations for every charge in clear and concise language. When your attorney prioritizes clarity, you should have more confidence that the legal costs detailed in the invoice are accurate.
Follow along with us as we discuss this important legal pricing topic in today’s blog post.
(Editor’s Note: This is the third in a short series of blog posts on legal pricing. We aim to educate individuals, families, and business owners about attorney pricing, why attorneys and firms charge how they do, and how it benefits the client).
How Attorneys Can Ensure Billing Transparency
Before you receive an invoice, your attorney and their team should sit down with you and explain how they charge (hourly, contingency, modified contingency, flat-rate billing). They should also include everything in a detailed yet easy-to-understand written agreement. This is your opportunity as the client to ask questions and gain comfort with your expected legal costs—before you receive a bill.
From there, you should receive a regular bill (Nelson Law Group clients receive bills approximately on the first and 15th of each month) that contains detailed descriptions of all activity on your case during the billing period.
Signs that your attorney has strong billing transparency practices include:
- Clear, itemized line items detailing each task, the time spent, and who performed the activity.
- Billable time entries that are documented, specific, and easy to understand.
- No vague terms like “miscellaneous expenses” or “general services.”
- Detailed explanations of how billing rates apply to different tasks or team members.
- No charges that cannot be explained.
- Consistency between the invoice and the agreed-upon billing structure.
While you should expect full transparency from your attorney, it is your responsibility as the client to review each bill—in its entirety and as soon as you receive it. Not only does this keep you in the loop on the activities performed on your case, but you will also learn the amount you paid your attorney for the billing period, the balance in your trust account, and you can identify and point out any billing errors. Mistakes (duplicate charges, time entry from another case, etc.) can happen. Promptly reviewing your bill ensures these are caught and rectified quickly so that there are no interruptions in your legal representation.
We caution you against working with any attorney who does not follow proper billing transparency practices. You deserve the most effective, knowledgeable, reliable, and transparent legal representation possible.
Please continue following along as we dive into legal pricing in future blogs.
Call Nelson Law Group Today!!
If divorce is the answer, you need an advisor to guide you through each stage and help you deal with the fears that naturally come with that. We work diligently to achieve a result that ensures you receive what you are entitled to as you move forward onto the next stage of your life. The Nelson Law Group brings nearly two decades of family law experience to every case.
Give our knowledgeable staff at Nelson Law Group, PC, a call if you have any further questions. Our staff is always available. Give us a call today! For more information about Brett A. Nelson, click here.
