Attorney Fees

Facing criminal charges is very stressful for most people. The future of their jobs, career paths, social stigmas, and relationships can seem uncertain. Additionally, the cost of hiring a criminal defense attorney to defend their rights and guide them through the process is more unwanted strain. The Law Offices of Chris S. Barnett understands the pressure of the situation and strives to relieve the client of as much anxiety as possible. Having an understanding of how attorney's fees work is part of the commitment to the client.

Types of Attorney Fee Agreements

Contingency Fee

A contingency fee agreement is where the attorney only gets paid if the case ends in a certain way. This fee structure is most common in personal injury or accident cases. The attorney usually agrees to take on the case for a percentage of recovery in exchange for fronting the costs of pursuing the case. If the client losses the case, the attorney is faced with absorbing the costs. The State Bar of Texas prohibits contingency fee agreements on criminal matters.

Hourly Billing

Hourly billing is just like it sounds. The attorney and support staff keep track of all time spent working on the case and typically bill the client monthly. This type of fee agreement is not normally used on criminal matters, however there are circumstances where this arrangement makes sense for the client.

Flat Fee

The most common attorney fee agreement in criminal matters is the flat fee agreement. There are variations on this type of arrangement and it is important that the attorney and client understand the roles and responsibilities of each party to the agreement. Most attorneys will provide a written fee agreement that explains the scope of work and what is and isn't included. The Law Offices of Chris S. Barnett typically use a structured or tiered flat fee agreement on criminal matters. On the most common cases, the fee agreement is divided into a "Pre-Trial" stage and a "Jury Trial" stage, plus any additional services.

Payment Plans

The Law Offices of Chris S. Barnett accepts all major credit cards and under some circumstances will accept payment plans.

DWI Cases

By far the most complicated misdemeanor criminal matter to defend is the Driving While Intoxicated charge. It typically involves legal and scientific challenges that rival many complex felony charges. The defense of DWI cases has evolved over the years such that many criminal defense attorneys focus their practices in this area. The Law Offices of Chris S. Barnett defends clients on most criminal matters but the  DWI case is by far the most common, accounting for approximately 80% of the cases defended.

For more information about attorney's fees, please contact our office to arrange a consultation regarding your case.