If you’ve hired a lawyer for a legal issue, you may have heard the term “full representation.” If you haven’t, here’s a quick definition: full representation is when a client hires a lawyer to represent them for their entire case, from filing initial paperwork to appearing in court. Sounds ideal, right? Not always.
How full representation works
Typically, your lawyer takes the reins and decides what your case requires–often without consulting you. And when it comes to billing, they’ll typically charge using the conventional hourly model. While it’s great to have a lawyer that can take care of the entire legal process, if they’re charging you hourly, that means they can bill you for every call, email, and meeting your case requires. It’s an expensive way to work. In fact, in a survey we conducted of over 280 respondents who hired lawyers for their divorces, 30% reported that they were surprised by a bill they received during the process.
The alternative: limited scope
In recent years, an alternative method of representation has been gaining popularity for the increased financial freedom and autonomy it offers clients. It’s called “limited scope representation” in the legal world, but you may also hear it referred to as “pay-per-step.”
Simply put, limited scope representation means you’ll typically pay a fixed price for each service in your legal journey, not each hour your lawyer works on the case, which is the traditional model of legal billing. This method gives you the freedom to take your legal journey one step at a time – and, if you want, represent yourself for certain aspects of your case where you feel you don’t need a lawyer.
However, even if you are working with a limited scope firm, you can still use the same lawyer from start to finish and enjoy a clear process. Getting billed per service (i.e. one, fixed cost for the first step in your case, like a “Petition for Divorce,” and another fixed cost for the next step, which, in the case of a divorce, could be “Service of Process,” etc), instead of getting a number of large and potentially unclear bills for the hours your lawyer works on your case – and all the meetings, texts, and emails associated – can help bring an added layer of clarity to overwhelming legal cases.
How limited scope works
As a client, paying per step allows you more control over your case. For example, if you’re getting divorced and feel confident that you can file the initial paperwork on your own, but don’t want to represent yourself in court, working on this model could mean you can hire a lawyer for court representation and do the rest yourself. It also allows you to plan ahead, even if you’d like representation throughout the entirety of your case: since there’s a fixed price for each service, you known how much you’ll need to save – instead of having to deal with the uncertainty of a large, upfront retainer that you could drain at any time.
One of the goals of limited scope is to make legal services more accessible. In the United States, the average hourly attorney fee is $391. Because divorce depends on a number of factors, there’s no average total case cost, but if you’re dealing with a contested case, it could take hundreds–if not thousands–of hours, which means tens of thousands of dollars – all of which, at a traditional law firm, you’ll get billed for.
How we do limited scope at Marble
After a quick initial call, our process starts with a consultation with a lawyer, where you’ll explain your situation and they’ll help you understand what services your case might require. They’ll likely recommend 1-2 services to move forward with. This doesn’t mean these are the only services required in your case; just that they’re the most logical ones to start with. No two cases are the same, so most good lawyers that work on this model will start by recommending the services they’re sure you need and wait to see how your case evolves before they suggest next steps. You’ll always get a clear, fixed price for each service your case requires, which you’ll approve before we get started on the service. And we won’t ever bill you for communication, which can happen at traditional law firms – where meetings, texts, and emails related to your case all come at a cost to you.
Financial flexibility and more control over your case are just a couple of benefits of opting for limited scope. If you’re ready to get started, you can schedule a call with our team today.
