To get the best value from solicitors you can take simple steps to save a fortune.
Have a clear estimate of costs
Whilst your solicitor can advise and guide you as to your options, communicating to your solicitor what you expect them to achieve its key to obtaining a clear estimate of costs. Unless you provide clarity on the work you require you may well end up with an open-ended best case / worst case estimate which is not helpful to map your way financially through litigation. In addition to understanding your own costs liability, you also need to understand how exposed you are to your opponent’s costs liability too.
An overall costs estimate is fine but some of the stages of litigation are more time (and cost) intensive than others. All cases are different but certain stages such as disclosure, witness statements or trial are likely to be ‘hot spots’ so you keep that in mind when planning financially to fund litigation.
A way to keep costs contained is to work with your solicitor to put a cap on the fees or perhaps work to a fixed fee if that is appropriate to your case.
Do some of the work yourself
If you can complete some of the work yourself then you should!
When providing documents, avoid duplication and sending them in a piecemeal fashion. Solicitors charge for working through documents and if they are in apple-pie order, that review will take much less time and thereby cost you less.
If you need to explain the background to your case, why not deliver a time line of events /summary of key facts to your solicitor which will speed up the review.
If you have a clear idea of how you would like your drafts to be, then give suggested drafts of documents to your solicitor rather than asking for the solicitor to draft it from scratch.
Come prepared to meetings with a clear idea of what you want to achieve and if you have questions, issues or concerns, send them to your solicitor beforehand.
Don’t be put off by junior members of staff
They will be fully supervised by the solicitor in any event and have a much lower hourly charging rate.
Avoid the ‘principle of the thing’
Litigation can be stressful and much animosity can exist between the parties. Solicitors are not counsellors and are there to offer commercial legal advice and guidance. Bringing the focus to the commercial aspects of the case and avoiding personal/emotional aspects can mean a significant reduction in time for the solicitor to help you which translates into costs savings for you.
Settlement will buy certainty in litigation and avoid future costs/risks. In fact, a well negotiated settlement can achieve an outcome which is well outside of the parameters of an order a Judge could make (which could mean a better result for you!). Keeping settlement in mind and reviewing this regularly with your solicitor could well achieve an early result on the best terms.
