Rates and Fees:
Attorney Sullivan will come to an agreement with you regarding legal fees. She offers many different options including:
- Free initial consultation
- Hourly or flat-rate fees based on the nature of your case
- Fee-caps: no matter how many hours she spends on your case the total will not exceed an agreed upon maximum.
- In appropriate situations, asking the court to have the other side pay your legal fees.
- Limited Assistance Representation
What Is Limited Assistance Representation (LAR)?
With Limited Assistance Representation, an attorney represents or assists a client with part, but not all, of his/ her legal matter. The LAR attorney and the client enter into a detailed agreement defining what tasks the attorney will be responsible for and what tasks the client will be responsible for. LAR is available for Probate and Family Court, Housing Court and for some types of cases in District Court. With LAR, the client is considered self-represented, and the attorney’s appearance in the case is limited to what the client has retained him/ her to do.
The Benefits Of LAR:
The current economic crisis makes it difficult for many individuals and families to pay large retainers and fees for “soup to nuts” representation by a lawyer. There are also many individuals who, with some assistance and preparation by an attorney, feel competent to represent themselves in certain legal proceedings. As a service to her clients, Attorney Sullivan is trained and court-certified to offer her clients LAR.
LAR has been useful in expanding access to justice by providing individuals with an opportunity to hire an LAR certified attorney, such as Attorney Sullivan, for assistance on a limited basis, without incurring the expenses of full legal representation for the entire case. For example:
- If you would like to represent yourself in court, Attorney Sullivan can assist you in filing paperwork, draft documents for you. She can also prepare and coach you on what to expect at the court hearing including what the applicable law and rules of procedure are.
- If you decide you want a lawyer to be in court with you, Attorney Sullivan can represent you on one or two the issues or for only one day or one event, e.g., pre-trial hearings, temporary orders, modification of orders.
- Without the necessity of filing a general appearance with the court for your case, Attorney Sullivan can negotiate an Agreement or review an Agreement you have reached with the other party.
- If Attorney Sullivan provides you limited representation, she will not require a large retainer up front.
How To Decide If LAR Is The Best Choice For You:
LAR is not the right choice for every case or every person. At the outset, Attorney Sullivan will assist you in determining if LAR is the best way to proceed with your legal matter. Please email or call (617) 461-7331 for a complimentary consultation.
Things You Can Do To Minimize Your Legal Fees:
- Collect relevant documentation and information on both parties.: phone numbers, social security numbers, leases, other contracts, previous court orders etc.;
- Provide a secure e-mail address where Attorney Sullivan can send you copies of all documents she prepares. She can also scan documents and send them to you.