“It depends”
We know, right? You spend all this time researching on the internet and no one – no one – seems to just tell you the cost up front. It’s so frustrating!
It turns out that there are a lot of good reasons for that. There are too many variables. Really, the only way to get an idea of the cost and benefits of engaging a lawyer, is to talk it through with one at the outset.
That’s why we offer all new clients a free and friendly telephone discussion of up to 30 minutes:
- to give you an idea of where you stand;
- to see whether we can help; and
- to let you know what the likely costs will be.
Our principles
While you won’t get an upfront cost from our website (or any other); we can tell you more about the key principles we operate from when pricing:
- We want our services to be a good investment for you. Our fees are set with a view to giving you positive value for money. We want to help you with your case, but more than that, we want to do such a good job that you’ll refer us to family and friends.
- If we don’t think the benefit of our work will outweigh the costs, we’ll say so.
- We operate on a no surprises basis. You may have already been surprised by what the other side of your case has done: but you won’t be getting any surprises from us.
Not sure if you’re ready to spend money on legal fees?
Fair enough! Legal issues always seem daunting when you’re first faced with them. A no-obligations consultation with an experienced lawyer can help you get a feel for where you stand, and what the likely costs and benefits will be if you go further.
Many legal issues are notoriously difficult to get any certainty about – for good reason – but in our view that doesn’t mean you should have to give your lawyer a blank cheque.
Often it’s clear that we can add value, but we’re always conscious of the reality that some cases are simply better than others, and statistically speaking, you’re not going to win them all. Sometimes engaging a lawyer can still be an excellent investment in terms of mitigating the impact of a bad situation, but ultimately if we don’t think we can add value in your particular situation, we’ll say so.
When you’re looking for a lawyer you can – and should! – shop around.
By all means compare charge out rates, however be aware that they don’t actually tell you what you need to know. Our charge-out rate is generally $350 per hour (not including GST). What is more relevant to you as a client is how much experience your lawyer has with your particular sort of issue. Put another way, would you rather have someone charge you $250/hr for 20 hours (250 x 20 = $5,000)? Or would you rather engage someone who has seen your sort of problem before, and can deal with it in half that time, even if they use a higher rate (350 x 10 = $3,500)?
As with most things in life, you tend to get what you pay for. For example, a $17 pair of shoes might be cheaper, but they’ll probably give you blisters, and they won’t get you far. The same principle applies with legal problems. A cheaper option might cost less to get you to an outcome, but what if the outcome they achieve is only half of what a good lawyer could have achieved? At the end of the day, it can often make better financial sense to avoid the cheaper options. You want to try and find the happy middle ground between too cheap and too expensive.
Often the most important thing when choosing a lawyer is whether you feel comfortable working with them.
If you’re new to Cogent Law Limited, we offer a free and friendly no-obligation initial telephone consultation of up to 30 minutes. This is to allow us to get to know each other, and for us to be able to provide you with a tailored estimate of costs and benefits, so that you can make an informed decision about whether you want to engage our services.
Generally speaking legal issues are easier to deal with the earlier you tackle them, so it may be a good idea to contact us earlier rather than later.