Los Angeles Legal NetworkThe Union Friendly.com website now introduces our new Union Friendly Legal Network for our Union Friendly Discount Cardholders. While we are one of the largest labor union resources for information and news in the world we are constantly improving our services to union members. Our new Legal Network makes it fast and easy for union members to locate and utilize our pre-screened legal professionals with a savings to their pocketbooks. UnionFriendly.com is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada and offers labor union members, their families and retirees exceptional discounts on a large variety of legal services with their Union Member Discount Card. Aside from discounts or free services offered, the discount cards are unique in that they are localized for the areas they are made and offer several choices for union members in nearly every category of legal specialists . UnionFriendly.com website was established in 2000 and has operated in many capacities with America's labor unions and is, as always, a work in progress as we continue to expand our services network. UNION MEMBERS click on one of the areas below to find the legal specialist you need in the area closest to you. All the legal firms listed in the Union Friendly Legal Network pages are dedicated to giving you the best legal services available at great rates. Each sponsor will give discounted rates and/or free consultations to our UF Discount Cardholders. If you operate a legal firm anywhere in Los Angeles, not only in metro areas, you can benefit union members, their families and retirees by becoming a Union Friendly sponsor at our regional Los Angeles card site; please call us at (888) 978-6466 to become an Los Angeles sponsor and create a positive presence for your Los Angeles based law firm. Consulting an AttorneyIt never hurts to talk to a lawyer, and it may be the best thing you can do if you think you have a legal problem that you can’t resolve yourself.In many situations, it is obvious that you need to act fast. But even if you think you have lots of time to consider your alternatives, deadlines sneak up on you and lawyers need time to prepare. So its always better to start looking for a lawyer sooner than later. If you’ve been injured in an accident, keep in mind that there are time limits on your right to file a lawsuit. These statutes of limitation vary greatly from state to state and depend upon the fact and type of each case. In some instances, the law requires a claimant to notify potential defendants about any injury within an extremely short period of time — as little as a few weeks or months. If you sit on your rights, you could lose them. You might have been angry for years over your neighbors fence encroaching on part of your property. But if you wait too long without objecting or taking some legal action, the law might give your neighbor the right in the form of a prescriptive easement to leave the fence there permanently. What type of Attorney do I need ?Many attorneys specialize in one type of law. Other lawyers handle a wide range of matters. You want to hire an attorney who has expertise to represent you effectively with respect to your legal problem. |
Knowing a bit about the law will help you become a smarter legal
consumer. From agricultural law to zoning and land use from family
law to taxation and more, UnionFriendly Legal Network provides useful information that can help you to make better decisions with respect to your legal problems. How Attorneys chargeLegal services aren’t cheap, how much are you willing to spend? What are typical fee arrangements for legal services? How much can you expect to pay? What about expenses and court costs? How can you keep track of fees for legal services? What about free or low-cost legal services? What should you do if you are charged with a crime but can’t afford a lawyer?When you’re shopping for legal services, always ask potential attorneys to fully explain their fees and billing practices. Don’t hesitate to ask detailed questions and don’t be embarrassed. A lawyers willingness to discuss fees is an important indicator of how he or she treats clients. What are typical fee arrangements?Standard payment arrangements an attorney may suggest include:Hourly rates Flat fees Retainers Contingent fees Hourly rates are the most common arrangement. Here, the attorney gets paid an agreed-upon hourly rate for the hours he or she works on a clients case or matter until its resolved. How much is an hourly rate?It depends on each attorneys experience, operating expenses, and the location of his or her practice. Cheaper is not necessarily better when it comes to your legal protection. A more expensive lawyer with a lot of experience may be able to handle a complex problem more quickly. Also, an experienced attorney will be able to better estimate how many lawyer hours a particular matter will take to resolve. Flat FeesWhere a legal matter is simple and well defined, lawyers typically charge a flat fee. Examples of flat fee matters include wills, uncontested divorces and simple bankruptcy filings. If an attorney suggests or has advertised a flat fee, be sure you understand exactly what that fee will and will not cover. The flat fee might not include expenses such as filing fees.Retainer FeeA retainer fee is typically, but not always, an advance payment on the hourly rate for a specific case. The lawyer puts the retainer in a special trust account and deducts from that account the cost of services as they accrue. During the course of legal representation, clients should review periodic billing statements reflecting amounts deducted from the retainer. Most retainers are non-refundable unless labeled unreasonable by a court. If you decide to drop a case that your lawyer has worked on before the retainer has been exhausted, you may forfeit the remainder.Contingent FeesIn certain types of cases, attorneys work on a contingent fee basis. Contingent means that the attorney takes no fee from the client, but gets a percentage typically one-third of the settlement or money judgment. |
Contingent fee arrangements are typical for plaintiffs counsel
in automobile and accident litigation, medical malpractice and other
personal injury cases, as well as in debt collection cases. Courts set limits on the contingency fees a lawyer can receive from personal injury suits. Of course, lawyers and clients are free to negotiate contingency fees less than the standard one-third. Contingent fee arrangements in certain kinds of cases such as divorce, criminal cases, or child custody cases are prohibited. How much can you expect to pay?Rates for legal fees vary based on location, experience of the lawyer, and the nature of the matter. Believe it or not, rates may vary anywhere from $50 an hour to a $1,000 an hour or more.In rural areas and small towns, lawyers tend to charge less, and fees in the range of $100 to $200 an hour for an experienced attorney are probably the norm. In major metropolitan areas, the norm is probably closer to $200 to $400 an hour. Lawyers with expertise in specialized areas may charge much more. Here are some national averages to help you get a general idea. In addition, you can expect to be charged at an hourly rate for paralegals and other support staff. A good paralegals time, for example, may be billed out at $50 to a $100 an hour or perhaps more. It would not be unusual for a legal secretary’s time on things like document production to be billed out at perhaps $25 to $50 an hour. What about expenses and court costs?Little things add up. Carefully discuss with your lawyer anticipated miscellaneous costs so that you can estimate those costs up front and avoid any unpleasant surprises. Be prepared to scrutinize court costs, filing fees, secretarial time, and delivery charges.How can you keep track of legal fees? Get a fee agreement in writing. If an attorney is unwilling to put a fee agreement in writing, cross that attorney off your list. Some states require written fee agreements for most cases. Ask your attorney to include in the fee agreement a provision for periodic, itemized billing. An itemized bill should list and describe all charges so that you can review them and compare them to your fee agreement. You might want to arrange for a ceiling or limit on fees. You might also require your lawyer to get your approval before proceeding beyond a certain amount in legal costs. If you’ve hired an attorney to recover a $10,000 debt, you probably don’t want to pay $8,000 in legal fees to resolve the matter. An Attorneys obligations to youAll lawyers are subject to strict standards of professional responsibility. These standards are set forth .in codes of conduct and Privileges, ethics, rules of professional conduct that are established by state bar associations. Although the rules will vary from state to state, here Here are some basic ethical and professional rules your lawyer must follow:Your lawyer must represent you ethically, zealously and within the bounds of the law . |
Your lawyer must competently analyze legal issues and exercise knowledge
of the law applicable to your case He or she must communicate with you in a timely and effective manner. Your lawyer attorney owes you, as the client, a duty of loyalty. Your lawyer can’t simultaneously represent you and another client with legal interests that conflict with yours. An example of an obvious conflict would be representation of both the landlord and the tenant in an eviction action. For so long as he or she continues to represent you, your lawyer is required to follow your directions in handling your case unless those directions are illegal Your lawyer must keep your personal property separate from his or her own property, and must keep your money in an escrow account. Any time you demand it, your lawyer must return your money or property. Except in rare circumstances, your lawyer is required to keep client confidences confidential Depending on the jurisdiction, lawyers may be prohibited from having personal relationships with their clients Unless he or she first obtains your informed written consent, your lawyer is prohibited from taking on representation that is adverse to your interests. Your attorney may have other responsibilities to you, depending on your case and the ethical rules that apply in your jurisdiction. If a lawyer fails to abide by these rules, he or she can be disciplined by any bar association of which he or she is a member. Its possible the lawyer may even be disbarred for serious violations. Criminal prosecution is also a possibility. And a failure to comply with the rules may be the basis for a malpractice action. Are your discussions with your lawyer confidential? Yes. When you speak with an attorney about a legal matter, your communications with that attorney are privileged. This means that subject to some very limited exceptions, and unless you give permission, your attorney can’t disclose any information you provide to a third party. Your obligations as a ClientFirst of all, look at the retainer agreement that you may have signed when your hired your lawyer. Typically, these agreements will set out certain duties and responsibilities of the client. By signing the agreement, you are contractually bound to abide by them. Such duties and responsibilities may include:Being truthful with your lawyer Being cooperative with and responsive to your lawyer Being available to your lawyer and attending legal proceedings, as requested Paying your legal bills in a timely mannerThese duties and responsibilities are pretty common sense, so they may be implied even without a retainer agreement that expressly reduces them to writing. Regardless, a failure to abide by them may result in a lawyer deciding to terminate your client relationship |
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