How to Keep Your Legal Bills Under Control

I've paid a lot of legal bills, and I've sent a few. The surprise bill almost always has the same causes: work nobody planned, questions nobody consolidated, and invoices nobody read.

Most hourly bills are recorded in small slices of time, often six minutes at a time. That's fair, but it means every call, email and quick question adds up. Here's how to keep it from getting away from you.

Do your own legwork.

Your lawyer's time is the most expensive time on the matter. Gather the documents yourself. Organize them. Write a short timeline of what happened, with dates. Find the email instead of asking someone to search for it. Every hour you spend organizing can save several of theirs.

Bundle your questions.

Five separate emails across a week can mean five separate charges. Keep a running list, and send one organized message or schedule one short call. You'll get better answers too.

Ask what it will cost before you ask for it.

A research memo, a demand letter, a motion. Before you ask for something new, ask what it will take and whether it's worth it. Sometimes a five-minute phone answer does the job of a ten-page memo.

The cheapest legal work is the work you decide you don't need.

Control who talks to your lawyer.

In a company, name one person who can give the lawyer instructions. Three executives emailing the firm separately can mean three sets of charges and conflicting directions.

Read every invoice, every month.

Ask for detailed entries showing who did what and for how long. Read them within days, while the work is fresh. If something doesn't make sense, ask right away. Questions asked in the first week get answered. Questions asked six months later get argued about.

Watch the staffing.

New faces on your bill mean someone is getting up to speed on your time. It's reasonable to ask not to pay for that.

Hold a monthly check-in.

Ten minutes at month's end: what was done, what's next, and how spending compares with the budget. If the matter is heading somewhere more expensive, you want to hear it before the work happens, not on the invoice.

Don't use your lawyer as a sounding board for everything.

A lawyer who cares about you will listen. But a long call about your frustration with the other side is still a long call.

Where Lexmatch fits.

Lexmatch Elite keeps one of our attorneys involved after the hire, reviewing staffing and watching how the matter progresses, so spending stays tied to the work that matters.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Billing practices and client rights vary by state and by agreement.