Why does a lawyer want to be paid a retainer fee?

A retainer fee is the payment of an hourly rate fee before it is earned. Lawyers normally request retainer fees from clients to assure payment. The retainer fees are kept in the lawyers trust account in the name of the client. It is not the lawyers money until it is earned. If the matter costs less than the retainer fee the difference is refunded to the client. How does a contingency fee work? In some cases, such as injury cases, a lawyer is paid only if the case has resulted in a recovery to you. The lawyer is paid a percentage of the recovery. The reason for contingency fees is so that injured people can hire qualified, experienced lawyers even though they cannot afford to pay a lawyer at an hourly rate. What if I cannot afford a lawyer? Talk to a lawyer before deciding whether you can afford a lawyer. You may be surprised. Some cases, like injury cases, do not require any money for lawyer fees at the outset. If you truly cannot afford a lawyer, you may qualify for low-income ...  more