At the first interview you should discuss your file with your lawyer and how you will be billed for the work done.

There are many ways that lawyers charge, depending on the circumstances of the client in some cases, and also on the type of work being done. Sometimes, as in Real Estate transactions, or in some types of criminal defenses, such as impaired driving charges, or in totally uncontested divorces, a flat fee may be quoted. More often, in such matters as contested divorces, involving disputes over custody, access, alimony, maintenance, etc., and in most other types of civil litigation, such as damage actions, you will be interim-billed on a regular basis for the time expended on the file at the various hourly rates of the lawyers and paralegals who work on the files.

In some civil litigation cases, including personal injury and some matrimonial property actions, depending on the financial circumstances of the client, and the facts of the case, the client and the lawyer may conclude a Contingency Agreement in writing, filed with the court, where the lawyer will be paid a percentage of the damages recovered.

A more exhaustive explanation of "Understanding Your Lawyer's Fee" may be obtained from a Law Society of Alberta pamphlet of that name available in our office. If you do not see it and other pamphlets we have available on a variety of legal subjects of public interest, ask our receptionist.