In the article below:
- explain when it is advisable to use law firms
- we describe in detail how to calculate the cost of preparing a letter by a lawyer
- We present several examples of valuations of legal services
If you are interested in an estimate of the costs of handling a specific case, we suggest the following booking of an inexpensive initial consultation - in person or online. During such a consultation we can prepare a cost estimate and a preliminary plan of action for the case. We handle cases throughout Poland.
Now to the point:
Introduction – is it worth using the services of a lawyer and when?
The general rule of thumb is that it is advisable to seek the assistance of a qualified lawyer in any important and highly significant matter. Both in private life and in business. Certainly in matters where the potential loss may be financially severe. Also where the potential gain may materially affect our assets.
Paradoxically, although it is an expense, in many cases the use of a solicitor or barrister saves money. This is such a common occurrence that any lawyer can list dozens or even hundreds of examples from practice. There are also quite a few sad stories of clients who, thinking they would save money this way, did not use a lawyer.
This type of saving is most easily compared to buying a car without headrests in the seats. In theory, such a head restraint may not be needed once for many years. This is of course true, but its absence poses a real danger. After all, accidents are rare. There are even people who have not had a single collision in 30 years. This is all true. But the cost of head restraints is relatively small, and accidents for drivers and passengers in cars without head restraints often have tragic consequences. To conclude this analogy - in Poland, as a legal matter - there are still many who drive cars without head restraints.
It is said that only large companies and wealthy individuals can afford a lawyer. This is not true. Everyone - poor and rich alike - cannot afford to make mistakes on crucial life or business matters. Using professional legal services, is usually the best way to minimise the risk of a costly mistake.
At this point, our readers, probably with much trepidation, are asking themselves, "And how much will such a service at a law firm cost?"
To (help) answer this question as accurately and precisely as possible, we must first explain:
What is the cost of preparing a letter for a lawyer in a given case?
The costs of legal services in a given case, including, for example, preparing a letter or providing legal advice or preparing an opinion, consist of several different elements. The most important of them are:
- Expected number of working hours lawyer. The lawyer spends this time on:
– analysis of documents presented by the client (letters, e-mails, etc.),
– analysis of relevant legal provisions, comments and judgments
– preparation of appropriate documents
– entering additional customer comments, printing and shipping
– ongoing contact with the client and informing him about the progress of his case
- The degree of complexity of the case.
There are cases in which the preparation of a letter, including verification of the legal status, takes no more than two hours. There are also cases to which we devote two to three months, and the result is, for example, a lawsuit for several million or a well-negotiated agreement for the sale of a large business.
- Type and level of legal specialization required.
As in many other industries not related to law, the same in the legal industry - the fewer specialists in a given field, the higher the remuneration rates. It is important to remember that each lawyer specializes in different types of cases. We, for example, deal primarily with pharmaceutical law, civil law and rental agreements. We also prepare objections to the payment order. You can find the full list of specializations on our website home page.
- The lawyer's experience and reputation.
Just as when ordering a painting from an artist-painter, we will probably pay less from a fresh graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts than from the professor teaching him, we should also expect higher fees from legal advisors with extensive experience in a given field.
- Possible need for urgent action.
There are less urgent matters and those that absolutely cannot wait. An express service requiring, for example, a weekend is usually associated with a salary that is several dozen percent higher.
It is also important what stage the case is at. Usually, the most expensive thing is to prepare an appeal or cassation, because these activities are demanding and, at the same time, strictly timely.
How do lawyers settle accounts with clients?
We are getting closer to presenting valuations of specific legal services appropriate for given categories of cases, but for it to make sense - we must first present you the methods of settlement between lawyers and clients:
- hourly remuneration - in this variant, the lawyer settles with the client only for the time effectively spent on his case, at an hourly rate agreed in advance by the parties.
- lump sum fee - in this variant, the lawyer estimates in advance the time he will have to devote to handling a given case (writing a lawsuit, response to the lawsuit, etc.) and agrees with the client on a predetermined fee
- mixed model - based on a lump sum remuneration, subject to a limit on hours - a kind of emergency clause in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Therefore, if you want to independently determine the costs associated with providing legal advice or handling a given case law firm, then you need to do a few things. First, consider how much time the lawyer will have to devote to it, taking into account the activities described above. Then choose the law firm appropriate for the given task and find out what rates they apply. In the next step, multiply the estimated number of hours by the hourly rate of the law firm of your choice.
What hourly rates do law firms offer for using their services? How much does an hour of lawyer work cost?
95% law firms offer rates ranging from PLN 250 to PLN 1,000 for each hour of a lawyer's work. However, the price list of each law firm is different - the prices of legal services depend on the location, knowledge, experience and academic titles as well as the clients served.
What are the details of our Law Firm's price list?
The Law Firm's price list for individual clients
Price list of legal services for companies
How much does it cost to prepare an appeal by a lawyer or legal advisor?
The cost of preparing an appeal by a lawyer or legal advisor usually ranges from PLN 3,000 to PLN 7,000. Factors such as the stage of the trial and the type of case - whether it is a dispute over damaged shoes or life imprisonment - have a significant impact on the final price.
Another issue is availability - usually when a client contacts us Law Firm regarding the preparation of an appeal, the statutory deadline for its preparation is already running. Commissioning the preparation of an appeal by a (new) lawyer or legal advisor is associated with the problem that such a lawyer quickly wastes a lot of time. To find such time, a lawyer usually has to share some of his scheduled work with colleagues and work overtime - often on weekends and at night. This translates into a higher cost of writing an appeal compared to the costs of preparing a lawsuit.
Of course, you can look for a lawyer who does not have any other orders at that time. However, the reports of many clients, as well as the principles of logical reasoning, show that this strategy of choosing a lawyer - based on preferring those who have few orders - generally does not work well :)
The lawyer who has handled the case so far has an advantage in preparing the appeal because he knows the files and circumstances of the case. Therefore, the price for preparing an appeal offered by the lawyer currently handling the case is usually slightly lower. On the other hand, it is sometimes worth entrusting the case to someone who will have a new, fresh perspective on it.
How much does it cost to prepare a lease agreement by a lawyer?
The cost of preparing a lease agreement for a commercial premises, as a rule, rarely exceeds half of the planned monthly rent. The detail of the agreement, and thus the cost of its proper preparation, should depend on the value of the goods to be protected. After all, we use a different safe (case) to keep PLN 5,000 and a slightly different one when we need to keep PLN 10 million. The same is true of leases and other contracts. The detail of the contract is adjusted - according to the value of the leased object and the risks involved.
Example I: Preparation of the flat lease - this usually costs between £900 and £1,400.
At our law firm, this is the rate for 2.5h to 4h of our work. There is no universal model lease agreement that gives an adequate level of protection to every landlord. In fact, it is only by adapting our model leases to the very specific expectations of the client and the arrangements of the parties that an appropriately high level of legal protection can be guaranteed. A good suit is usually not the one hanging on a hanger in a supermarket, but the one selected in a suit shop, and preferably tailor-made. Or even tailored by a tailor.
Similarly, a safe lease agreement is not one from the old template from the Internet, but one that is well suited to the specific arrangements of the parties and the condition of the apartment - which may be furnished or unfurnished, in need of renovation or refreshment, rented for half a year, or for 10 years, people with or without pets, etc.
Example II: Preparing a template lease agreement for a commercial premises - for example an office, commercial or catering premises - costs from PLN 1,200 to PLN 4,500.
Similarly, it costs a fair amount of money to analyse the model rental agreement already sent to the client by the other party and to amend it accordingly. The large price range is due to the fact that a completely different level of detail and comprehensiveness of contractual solutions is required for a two-month lease of a souvenir stall in a seaside shopping pavilion, and a completely different one for a contract intended to comprehensively secure the interests of both parties to a lease agreement for two floors of a high-rise building or 400 m2 of premises in a shopping centre. Yet another task requiring a broader view is the preparation of a comprehensive model contract for such a facility, which will meet the needs of different tenants.
How much does it cost to have a contract reviewed by a lawyer?
Example III: Checking the contract by a lawyer - or to put it more elegantly: verifying the content of the contract proposed by the other party - is one of those legal services that clients often come to the law firm for the first time. Usually, the price for checking the draft contract by lawyers at our law firm is PLN 120/page. If necessary, we also price the cost of contract analysis at hourly rates. However, both models usually lead to similar conclusions.
Accepting settlement for each page is a method that usually corresponds to the actual workload. Of course, there are exceptions, especially where contracts concern narrow, less popular areas of law. A car or apartment rental agreement is checked differently than a 130-page lease agreement for space in a shopping mall or a sales agreement for a pharmacy. Some contracts require detailed knowledge, e.g. in the field of pharmaceutical law and its interpretation, and often, preferably, in addition to knowledge, several years of experience in the field and industry. The lawyer's goal is always to provide the client with a contract of the highest quality, i.e. to check the contract and introduce modifications to it.
In our law firm, we have extensive experience in real estate lease agreements, supply agreements, construction works contracts, agreements regarding the sale of shares in companies and the sale of enterprises, including agreements regarding pharmacy sales, employment contracts, management contracts, b2b contracts, advertising contracts, event contracts, NDA contracts, framework contracts, IT implementation contracts, partnership contracts, franchise contracts. There's a lot of it - but these are the problems with which our clients most often come to us.
How much does it cost to have a lawyer check the real estate purchase deed before purchasing?
Example IV: Professional legal support for the purchase of a flat, a plot of land or a house is one of the basic services to be used when planning the purchase of a chosen property. It is advisable to contact us, if possible, before concluding a loan agreement with a bank, a reservation or preliminary agreement or a development agreement. A good quality service, consisting of verifying draft contracts and the legal status of the property, usually costs around 0.5% of the transaction value. By limiting the scope of services, this price can be reduced somewhat, but at the price of not verifying certain issues.
The purpose of the service for individual clients is to check a specific property, as well as neighboring properties, plans, administrative and legal issues, as well as drafts of preliminary, final and loan agreements. The total cost depends on the number of documents and the complexity of the case.
For a commercial retail or office property, the cost of conducting due diligence taking into account significant risks is usually around 1,25% of the transaction value.
How much does it cost to have a lawyer write a request for payment?
Example V: Preparation of a request for payment by a lawyer in our law firm costs approximately PLN 700. This is a task that requires analysis of the case, including the analysis of documents and evidence. After all, when making a request, we must be sure that our client is legally entitled to the amount for which we are requesting payment. Such analysis and preparation of the letter takes at least 2 hours - hence the cost from PLN 700 upwards. In our office, we prepare summonses that explain very precisely, step by step, why the party we represent is right. Thanks to this, we are much more likely to encounter the case being taken seriously, payment made or the debtor entering into negotiations.
The final cost depends primarily on the complexity of the case, the amount of evidence, the required legal specialization, the need to obtain additional documents, etc.
How much does it cost to write a lawsuit?
How much does it cost to have a lawyer write a claim for payment?
Example VI: Preparation of a lawsuit for payment in a civil case - this costs between 2% and 10% of the value of the case, i.e. the amount claimed. As a rule of thumb, due to the necessary workload of a minimum of 6 hours, the minimum cost for the preparation of a lawsuit in a civil case is approximately PLN 2,000. This rate is taken as a starting point by most professional lawyers.
The final cost depends primarily on the complexity of the case, the amount of evidence, specialization, the need to obtain additional documents, etc. In accordance with our company's policy, the client knows from the beginning how much he will pay - we determine the cost of preparing the lawsuit together during the initial consultation.
How much does it cost for a lawyer to write a response to a lawsuit? How much does it cost to write objection to the payment order?
Example VII: Preparing a response to a claim for payment in a civil case - the cost ranges from 2% to 15% of the case value, i.e. the amount claimed. Basically, due to the necessary workload of at least 6 hours, the minimum cost of preparing a response to a lawsuit in a civil case is approximately PLN 2,000. Most professional lawyers treat this rate as the starting rate.
Preparing an objection to a payment order (containing a response to the lawsuit) or the response to the lawsuit itself usually involves a similar cost to preparing the lawsuit. In accordance with the relevant regulations, it is assumed that the material necessary to prepare by both parties and the related workload are the same. Therefore, the information on the factors influencing the valuation specified in the previous example remains fully justified.
How much does it cost for a lawyer to prepare a rent reduction petition?
Example VIII: Preparing a lawsuit for the court to shape the real estate lease relationship in a different way than it was included in the fixed-term contract - most often for a reduction of the rent for the rented premises or termination of the lease contract - costs PLN 3,500 + VAT
We provide such a service only after analyzing all the documentation (lease agreement, annexes, correspondence of the parties), preparing a summons to the landlord and conducting negotiations with him (which in our package costs PLN 1,750 + VAT). Termination of a lease agreement or obtaining an effective rent reduction requires proof that in relation to a specific premises and a specific agreement there has been an extraordinary change in economic relations, resulting in the fact that the performance of the agreement will now involve a significant loss.
How much does it cost for a lawyer to prepare a lawsuit regarding the termination of an employment contract?
Example IX: In our law firm, preparing a lawsuit on behalf of an employee regarding the termination of an employment relationship and the legality of such a termination costs from PLN 2,000 to PLN 5,000, depending on the complexity of the case.
How much does it cost to prepare a lawsuit for adverse possession?
Example X: In our law firm, preparing a lawsuit in a case regarding adverse possession usually costs from PLN 2,500 to PLN 7,500, depending on the complexity of the case.
Is it worth using the services of a lawyer to handle my case?
Using professional legal assistance from a legal advisor or lawyer, even if it costs a little, in almost every case, ultimately helps you save significantly. Hiring a lawyer to handle a given case is like making an appointment with the dentist. This is never a small expense and is often postponed, but the sooner a professional deals with the matter, the greater the chance that the final cost will be much lower.
This is why big companies and rich people use lawyers for even the smallest matter. As a result, it is cheaper that way. Paradoxically - it is precisely because these clients can afford it that, by using professionals frequently, they are far less likely to make seemingly minor but potentially very costly mistakes.
Is it really worth spending this money to have a lawyer prepare the letter? Or maybe I'll write myself a letter?
Some people make an attempt to ask a question about the case in some legal forum and prepare a letter, a statement of claim or a statement of defence themselves, because "after all, it can't be difficult...".
The law is difficult, tricky, full of procedures and pitfalls. Ultimately, of course, the decision is yours. However, experience shows that in absolutely every case it is most economical to use the services of the best possible lawyer at the earliest possible stage. Most often, it turns out that acting "on your own" brings much more losses than benefits. The same as entrusting the case to non-professionals.
Sticking to the metaphor from the earlier question - when a tooth starts to hurt, should one make an appointment to see a dentist or first try to treat it with a root canal drill on one's own? In the vast majority of cases, acting on one's own will produce similar results.
On average, one in three people or companies who come to our law firm already find it very difficult to help, precisely because they have either previously acted on the matter on their own or simply come to the lawyer far too late.
Does it make sense to hire a lawyer to write a contract?
Using a lawyer's help at the stage of preparing a contract or negotiating its terms is best compared to buying a car with headrests in the seats. Expanding on this idea - theoretically, of course, you can try to buy a slightly cheaper car without headrests. Millions of people used to drive such cars and still live today. The problem, however, is that quite a lot of people paid a very high, and often even the highest possible, price for the lack of these headrests. The situation is similar with people who have not used professional legal services before, but sometimes they manage to (survive) happily without it. However, it often ends very badly - unfortunately, we see clients who come to the lawyer too late even several times a day.
Should you use the services of a lawyer in Warsaw, Krakow or a smaller city?
We have offices in both of the mentioned cities. However, do the prices of legal services depend on the place of provision of the service? It seems that in a small town the prices of legal services may be slightly lower. However, due to low competition, quite often the opposite happens. It may be more cost-effective for the client to choose a lawyer in a larger city, where there is high competition on the legal services market. This most often also has a positive impact on the quality of these services.
In 2023 - in at least 40% cases, we will provide services from start to finish online, enabling our clients to very easily join teleconferences from a computer or telephone, exchange files by e-mail, etc. Therefore, the town where our client comes from no longer has any practical significance.
Is using professional legal services profitable?
If you are still afraid that using professional legal services will significantly burden your wallet, after many years of experience we assure you that you will certainly spend much less on providing professional legal services than on covering the financial losses that you will most likely incur when using legal assistance. you won't benefit.
The real cost of professional legal services for a case, depending on its complexity, is usually within a few to several percent of their actual value. Using professional legal services is one of those things that makes the rich richer. In turn, acting on one's own, i.e. not using professional legal assistance, in the vast majority of cases makes less wealthy people even less wealthy.
Take the following authentic story from one of our clients as an example:
One day, an entrepreneur renting several different premises came to our office and ordered us to prepare a commercial premises lease agreement, for which he paid approximately PLN 1,800. A few months later he called again and asked to adapt it to completely different conditions negotiated with another client. It completely changed the nature of the rented premises and the business profile. We then offered a remuneration of PLN 600 for introducing changes and corrections. The client did not take advantage because he thought the cost was too high - "Sir, I am not a large company to be able to leave PLN 600 with a lawyer each time." A few months later, with the fourth tenant, he came back with a contract to write - and with a problem in the form of second and third contracts with subsequent tenants, which he revised on his own. Unfortunately, there was too much help in these matters, the contracts were clearly incorrectly prepared, and the client unfortunately acted to his own detriment by making the changes. In this case, the client, acting on his own, lost a total of approximately PLN 180,000, Well, he saved a total of PLN 1,200 on lawyer's fees. The large companies he mentioned are large companies, among other things, because they usually do not save where it is not profitable. This means that they simply professionalize their activities and do not make such mistakes. The expense for a lawyer is always much smaller than the potential losses resulting from not using professional legal assistance.
Summary – how much does it cost to hire a lawyer or legal advisor? How much does it cost to have a lawyer write a letter?
Each lawyer has his own rates and valuation methods - we have described those used in our law firm above. We hope that the above article will make the answer to the question you were asking yourself before reading it a little easier and, above all, that you will decide to entrust your matters to a professional, i.e. a lawyer or a legal advisor. We do not want to impose our offer, as there are many different law firms on the market. Our satisfied customers provide us with a lot of work through their recommendations.
Below we present once again links to the Law Firm's price lists:
Price list of the Legal Advisor's Office for individual clients
Price list of legal services for companies
And simply put - how much does a regular legal advice from a lawyer cost?
The initial legal advice lasts 90 minutes and costs PLN 500 - at least in our Office. It usually takes place with the participation of the lawyer leading the Office. Of course, with each lawyer the cost of such an initial consultation is different.
Sometimes such a short initial consultation, i.e. initial legal advice, ends the whole case.
Just as often, however, the preliminary advice is only a prelude to the preparation of a legal opinion, a statement of claim or an answer to a statement of defence, or other form of entrusting the entire case to our Law Firm. Our aim is to provide such a comprehensive legal service of the case entrusted to us that you do not have to worry about it anymore. We have an excellently prepared team of lawyers, having studied at the Jagiellonian University - the best law university in Poland, who are willing to undertake the most difficult challenges.
Of course, if we have appropriate time resources at a given time, we conduct and take over cases at every stage: pre-trial, court and appeal.
If you want to obtain an individual estimate of the costs of handling a specific case, send its description to the following address: wyceny@klodzinskikancelaria.pl – free of charge or book a date for a (paid but inexpensive) initial consultation, which can take place in our office in Warsaw, in our office in Krakow or online.