The cost of a lawyer is a very important issue and a source of concern for many people. This is why the question of fees is often discussed from the first appointment.
How are the fees set?
The lawyer is a liberal professional, he cannot receive any income other than the fees paid by his clients.
According to article 10 of the law of December 31, 1971, lawyers' fees are set freely. There is no indicative scale.
The ethical rules nevertheless impose that the fees be fixed taking into account the difficulty of the case, the practice in the matter, the financial situation, the costs incurred by the lawyer, his reputation and his diligence.
The cost of the intervention of your lawyer should not be a taboo subject.
Sometimes, some lawyers or firms offer a free initial consultation, during which a fee agreement will be established, which the client is free to accept or not.
What types of fees?
For each service, a fee agreement is systematically proposed in order to allow you to know with certainty the total amount of fees that you must pay.
1. Time-based fees
Most commonly, a consultation is invoiced on the basis of an hourly rate including VAT. In terms of advice, law firms evaluate according to the questions you ask the necessary time and offer you a quote. Usually, no consultation is carried out until you accept the quote. The client thus benefits from visibility on the cost of the intervention of his lawyer.
2. Block fee
The fixed fee is a fixed and global amount for the entire procedure envisaged.
3. The success fee
This is a fee based on the result obtained and which is paid to the lawyer once you receive the sums which have been allocated to you, for example damages & interests.
Example
The defense of an employee before the industrial tribunal can be carried out within the framework of a fee agreement established at the start of the procedure which provides:
- A fixed fee: €800 for the entire procedure.
- A "result" fee : 20% of the damages obtained.
