Need an attorney??

[Maleficent13]

At least around here, legal advice is very costly, and I'm not convinved you get much for your money for a lot of routine items. Plus, where do you get off charging $300 an hour when a paralegal, making 40k, does most of the work?

I'm not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV, but IMHO, this was a bit testy and really assumes a lot.

 

[rigs32]

Another major exposure the general public has to attorneys are the "class action" lawsuits - you know the ones that wind up costing a business $500,000,000.00 and the attorney gets 30% and the rest gets divided up to $2.38 per claimant. Who wins there? Certainly not the ones who were wronged.

The US is the most litigious society in the world. It winds up costing businesses billions of extra dollars a year because of that.

#1, I work for a firm that handles class action lawsuits and their standard fee is 20% of the settlement which is significantly lower when you're talking big bucks. People also forget that the attorneys get ZERO if a case like that loses in court. After investing hundreds or thousands of man hours and an ungodly amount of their own resources, the attorney can get paid nothing. Do any other professions routinely act that way? Doctors still get paid even if they can't heal a patient.

#2, what people always forget is that yes, the US is litgious. BUT we have a lot less governmental regulation than most other countries with similar economies. It's a trade-off. We use the courts to help police industry rather than government regulation, so it's unfair to then say we're too litigious and it costs too much money. If we had regulation, companies would have to spend that money on conforming anyway.

It's just like taxes and benefits. Many people want government paid maternity leave "just like Europe", but they certainly do not want to paid the 40% tax rate on regular sized incomes "just like Europe."

 

[pearlieq]

I'm not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV, but IMHO, this was a bit testy and really assumes a lot.

I'm not allowed to have an opinion on the subject? Why am I different from everyone else on this thread?

This has been my experience, and I know enough lawyers and paralegals to back it up to my satisfaction.

I really don't get where you're coming from on this...

 

[Bob Slydell]

No, I don't need one, but thanks for asking.

 

[MouseJunkie]

This is exactly why I'm leaving Travel after more than 10 years. Everyone is their own travel agent these days. It's so easy to book online they say. I agree some things are, but with the amount of money some people spend you'd think it'd be smarter to leave it to a professional. Thanks to all the do-it-yourselfers the harder it is to pay the bills. As a now Paralegal student I can tell you just like travel there is much more involved here than you all think. I'm studying Wills, Trusts, and Estates right now. There is much that the average everyday Joe or Joette doesn't know. I was surprised how much is involved in making a will. If it's not done right your will is likely to be invalid. You really should consider consulting an attorney.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

My wills, living wills, etc. are very straightforward. The atty we used for our closing told us to come back when we were ready and he would give us a break with the writing of them. We paid $180 back in 2000. We had them re-done last year to add a vacation property and remove my DSDs (maybe I should drop the first D ). His son now owned the practice and he re-evaluated the wills, living wills, tightened them up (in case of a T. Schiavo issue he wanted the language more precise). It was $280. I live in NJ, not a state known for being inexpensive.
I've also never had a problem getting the quick question answered for other issues. I phoned one atty and made an appt, willing to pay a consult fee. He called me back, spoke for 5 minutes and recommended an alternative track. His way worked (it was free) and he never sent a bill. Never met the man.
I think lawyers are worth the money you pay them. To me its piece of mind. Oh and I'm too squeamish, I could never stitch myself up.

 

[tkd lisa]

I have to say that some legal services can be fairly reasonable.

I've been dealing with them a LOT with my divorce. A simple question isn't $150. It gets billed as client interaction, and is usually .15 hour * 150 = $22.50. Now would I like to make $22.50 to answer a question? Yes. But it's worth the $22.50 to know that the lawyer agrees that it won't hurt me in the divorce court to withhold a letter to my kids.

I can't even begin to imagine where I'd be in this divorce if I didn't have a lawyer. And yes, I've probably spent close to $10,000 over the last year on this. But I KNOW that come next month, I'll have my kids in a sole custody arrangement, and the finances will remain the way I've got them divided. It's worth it!

 

[Maleficent13]

I'm not allowed to have an opinion on the subject? Why am I different from everyone else on this thread?

This has been my experience, and I know enough lawyers and paralegals to back it up to my satisfaction.

I really don't get where you're coming from on this...

It was the "where do you get off" comment...it just seemed confrontational and unnecessarily argumentative. I've never heard anyone who was politely disagreeing with someone start a sentence with "Where do you get off?"

Never said you couldn't have an opinion...obviously a lot of people on this thread do...including myself which happens to be that I do what I can on my own to save money and consult a lawyer when I know it to be in my family's best interest.

 

[minkydog]

If I make out a will and have it notorized and tell my kids where it is if I should die etc. wouldnt that be enough? Of course it would, unless my kids were to fight over it and hire attorneys.

If you make out your own will, be very sure you use the proper legal language so your kids can probate it easily. My dad made his own will to save money using an example he found on the internet. It was very simple and did not contain the proper language. Consequently we have had a lot of trouble settling the estate and things that should have been settled by the will have been difficult. Two years later we are still wrestling with this thing

BTW--the attorney's fees which we have incurred are over $10,000 at this point. Thanks a lot,Dad

 

[babiesX2]

I think the "bottom feeder" attorneys that advertise on daytime TV give the legal profession a bad name. Morris Bart is one name that comes to mind. Ya know, the ones who encourage people to "stand up for their rights and get every dime they are owed" from that little fender bender they were involved in. During my ER years, I saw many people come in on an ambulance stretcher because they had been involved in a fender bender! For some reason, people think it will give them a "stronger" case if they go to the ER via ambulance.

 

[MushyMushy]

I'm not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV, but IMHO, this was a bit testy and really assumes a lot.

I was a legal secretary when I was younger, and she's right -- at least in the offices where I worked. And don't even get me started on how much the secretaries had to do compared to our meager earnings ($11k a year back in the late 80s).

 

[DizGeek]

This is exactly why I'm leaving Travel after more than 10 years. Everyone is their own travel agent these days. It's so easy to book online they say. I agree some things are, but with the amount of money some people spend you'd think it'd be smarter to leave it to a professional.

Oops. I guess we can add travel agents and lawyers to my list of "dont need"...sorry. I've rarely used a TA. The one time I did was a few year ago when I was comparing the internet to an agency. The TA I was working with gave me the exact same quote (plus $15 agency fee) as I got on the internet. The reason I went with her is because she researched it for me so I felt bad. Since then, I have always gotten better deals on the net then Ive seen in TA ads. Speaking of ads, the ones I see for Liberty Travel in the Boston area are usually outrageously expensive.

 

[DizGeek]

A simple question isn't $150. It gets billed as client interaction, and is usually .15 hour * 150 = $22.50

Thats not everywhere. I got a bill once that included a $45 email response that was shorter than this sentence. In that bill, there was also "administrative" charges that included a $.37 stamp charge! Gee...I wonder if they had "stamps" included in their tax deductions at the end of the year? Double dipping?

 

[DVC Sadie]

I think the "bottom feeder" attorneys that advertise on daytime TV give the legal profession a bad name. Morris Bart is one name that comes to mind. Ya know, the ones who encourage people to "stand up for their rights and get every dime they are owed" from that little fender bender they were involved in. During my ER years, I saw many people come in on an ambulance stretcher because they had been involved in a fender bender! For some reason, people think it will give them a "stronger" case if they go to the ER via ambulance.

Oh, you mean, "Mr. One call thats all." What a doozie he is.

 

[olena]

Oh, you mean, "Mr. One call thats all." What a doozie he is.

Are you talking about Ken Nugent? He used to have those commercials here in Atlanta. I hadn't seen one in years. On our last trip north from Florida, we heard his radio ad in Middle GA. Is he in Mississippi, too?

 

[babiesX2]

Oh, you mean, "Mr. One call thats all." What a doozie he is.

Yep! That's him! He's a real winner!

 

[babiesX2]

Are you talking about Ken Nugent? He used to have those commercials here in Atlanta. I hadn't seen one in years. On our last trip north from Florida, we heard his radio ad in Middle GA. Is he in Mississippi, too?

I'm in Louisiana. I haven't heard of Ken Nugent, but that is hilarious that there is a "network" of these guys who share the same slogan.

 

[pearlieq]

It was the "where do you get off" comment...it just seemed confrontational and unnecessarily argumentative. I've never heard anyone who was politely disagreeing with someone start a sentence with "Where do you get off?"
.

I see what you're saying. I meant it as a general statement, not specifically directed to the OP. For all I know, he's a pro bono lawyer.

I changed it to read "Where does a lawyer get off..." Hopefully that will reflect my original intent.

 

[olena]

Yep! That's him! He's a real winner!

HA! I only heard him. I haven't 'seen' him in years. He definitely had that crooked TV Evangelist vibe going on then. I bet he still does.

 

[Lynn CC]

DH and I just paid $3500 for our will and trust to be set up. I guess this is the going rate around here. It's no small chunk of change, but something that will save DS in the long run.
I still don't understand how everything is under the trust etc. Bank accounts, safety deposit box, house all become part of the trust
can anyone explain in simple terms?
I love this thread!