One of the biggest hurdles to representation in any given legal matter is the expense. It’s no secret that lawyer fees are very expensive, and often times when we are engaged by a client who’s never hired a lawyer before, we are met with surprise and shock at just how costly our services can be.

In order to gauge whether your lawyer is too expensive, you need some way to assess whether the lawyer’s own fees are worth the potential results you are facing. While no legal dispute has a guaranteed outcome, a good attorney will provide you with a range of likely possibilities for both your potential outcomes and potential costs. Forecasting litigation results, however, is more art than science, as you need to factor in the prospects for a settlement of some kind, which may occur early in your lawsuit, late in the suit, or possibly not at all.

Remember that every dollar you spend for an attorney to fight your case is a “good dollar” out of your pocket, and may be getting spent to chase questionable dollars you may never recover, or if you’re a defendant, may have to pay out anyways. If it appears that you are likely to spend more money than you could recover or save through your lawsuit, this is a red flag, and you should question your lawyer for an explanation why the costs are shaking out the way they are.

Sometimes there are cases where the result you’re pursuing is less measurable in financial terms. Perhaps you’re protecting a property boundary or right, or salvaging your reputation with a defamation lawsuit. In these cases, your attorney should be up front about your dim prospects to recover money, and should warn you that you’re likely to spend more money than you could ever recover through the process.

If you’ve found yourself in a situation where your lawyer costs are getting out of control, you have reasons to doubt whether spending your money is worthwhile, and your lawyer lacks a satisfactory explanation, you should give Asheville Legal a call today. We can help you make an independent assessment of the matter and, if necessary, help you to navigate an exit from your legal matter.