How to find a DUI lawyer – Part 3 – How much does it cost?

How to find a DUI lawyer – Part 3: How much will It cost?

• This article is Part 3 of a very important topic, “how to find a DUI lawyer.”
• This article focuses on the key questions to ask about how much it will cost to hire a DUI lawyer.
• If you haven’t read Parts 1 and 2, I go through using Google Reviews to find a great DUI lawyer.  And, what questions to ask a DUI lawyer before you hire them?
• You can read Part 1 HERE | Part 2 HERE

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• Before you hire a DUI lawyer, you need to be 100% clear on how much it will cost to hire that lawyer.
• There are 5 key questions that you need to ask.

Question #1: Does the DUI lawyer charge by the hour or charge a flat or block fee?

• DUI lawyers have different pricing models to charge their clients.
• There are two ways that DUI lawyers charge for their services.
• The traditional way is for DUI lawyers to charge by the hour.  
• So, for example, a DUI lawyer may charge $300 per hour of work. And if your case requires 20 hours of work, then the total fee would be $6,000.  
• But you would not know the total fee until the end of your case, so there is real uncertainty about how much it will cost to fight your DUI case.
• The other way for DUI lawyers to charge clients is a flat or block fee.
• That means the DUI lawyer will give you a quote with one total fee before hiring that lawyer. 
• That means you will have certainty at the very start of your DUI case, knowing exactly how much it will cost to fight your charges.
• Generally, I recommend hiring a DUI lawyer that charges a block fee and not an hourly fee.  
• Going through a DUI case is stressful enough, and if you can remove one of those stresses, namely knowing the total cost to fight your DUI case, then the easier your life will be while fighting your charges. 

Question #2: Does the block fee include going to trial?

• Assuming that you are going to hire a DUI lawyer that charges a block fee, it is very important to ask if that block fee includes the cost of going to trial or not.
• Most DUI cases do not go to trial. And often, a DUI lawyer will quote you a block fee that does not include the cost of going to trial.  
• However, if your case does go to trial, you want to be 100% clear about the cost of going to trial.
• Having a separate block fee for a trial is normal and nothing to be alarmed about.  
• From a lawyer’s perspective, the time involved in preparing for trial and conducting a trial is very different from the time leading up to a trial. This is why there may be an additional fee for going to trial.

Question #3: Are they any possible extra costs?

• Once you get a quote from the DUI lawyer, it’s important to ask a general “catch-all” question: Are there any possible extra costs that are not covered in the block fee quoted?
• For example, there may be costs to get transcripts, or videos, or an expert opinion. Just get 100% clarity about the potential for extra charges.

Question #4: Do they offer payment plans?

• Hiring a DUI lawyer in Ontario can be expensive. However, most DUI lawyers do offer payment plans.  
• Generally, lawyers will seek a payment every month, or in some cases, bi-weekly. And these payment plans are usually interest-fee.  
• Just ask your DUI lawyer if they will help you with your cash flow using a payment plan.

Question #5 – Is the cost “too good to be true”?

• There are quite a few DUI lawyers in Ontario that you can speak to about your case. In reality, the market is competitive for legal services.
• While it’s important to get a good price, if one of the quotes you get is so far below the other fees, that’s probably a red flag. And you may want to stay away from hiring that DUI lawyer.
• There is real work that goes into fighting a DUI case.  
• And if the price is too low, that may indicate that lawyer may not put in the work needed to get you the best possible outcome. 
• So be careful.