{"id":357954,"date":"2016-04-04T10:46:17","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/hirealawyer\/attorney-fees-and-agreements\/types-of-legal-costs.html"},"modified":"2023-09-22T12:26:40","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T17:26:40","slug":"types-of-legal-costs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/hirealawyer\/attorney-fees-and-agreements\/types-of-legal-costs.html","title":{"rendered":"Types of Legal Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Types of Legal Costs<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By Susan Buckner, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Melissa Bender, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n

Legal costs are any non-attorney expenses incurred in the course of legal services. Court filing fees are a common example of these extra costs. While fee agreements vary, a lawyer generally charges attorney’s fees plus legal costs.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One of the first questions people ask their attorney during the initial consultation comes down to expenses: “How much will this cost?” Price is a big concern for people seeking legal advice, as they know attorneys are expensive.<\/p>\n

Most of the line items included in a fee agreement are typical office costs, such as postage, copying, and office staff. Some things are less obvious, like the costs of process servers and private investigators.<\/p>\n

Read on to learn more about lawyer’s fees and\u00a0legal fee agreements<\/a>. Or, you can talk to a local lawyer<\/a> about your case to get a sense of the potential costs.<\/p>\n

How You Pay Your Lawyer<\/h2>\n

Lawyers have different types of fee agreements depending on the situation and type of case. You should always have a written fee agreement, but most state laws only require written agreements for contingency fees.<\/p>\n

The standard types of fee arrangements include:<\/p>\n