Legal Fees

Multiplier

An amount that is added to an attorney's lodestar fee to compensate for time limitations and risks.

Costs

Expenses of one side of a lawsuit that a judge orders the other side to reimburse, includes filing fees, service fees, and recording fees.

Lawyer Hopping

Going from lawyer to lawyer for advice and representation.

Per Diem

Latin term meaning "by the day."

Portal-To-Portal

Of, or relating to, the time spent traveling from one place to another.

Flat Fee

One fee that is charged for an entire case, also known as a fixed fee.

Reasonable Attorneys' Fees

The amount of attorneys' fees determined by a governing entity to be reasonable.

Actual Cost

The true cost without consideration of a mark-up for profit.

Mark Up

To add a percentage on the cost of an item for profit.

Advance

To pay money before it is due, to loan money.

Hard Cost

A cost incurred for filing fees, service fees, deposition expenses, and so on.

Soft Cost

A cost incurred for photocopying, long-distance telephone calls, faxes, and so on.

Contingency Fee

A fee consisting of a percentage of the possible recovery from a lawsuit.

Extraordinary Fee

A fee that is awarded in addition to statutory fees and that compensates an attorney for extra work required by the circumstances of a case.

Value-Based Fee

A fee that is based on the amount of value the case had for the client.

Tort

A legal wrong done to a person; a civil wrong that is not based on a contract.

Charging Lien

A lien placed on a client's proceeds or judgment for payment of an attorney's fees.

Retaining Lien

A lien placed on property that belongs to a client and is in an attorney's possession.

Lodestar

A method of calculating an attorney's fee using the attorney's hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours worked on a case.

Bait-And-Switch Tactics

A tactic used in advertising to attract customers to a sale item and then switch that item with one that is not on sale.