Ballston Spa, NY asked in Foreclosure for New York

Q: The Initial retainer fee for the foreclosure defense would be $3000 and a monthly payment of $500 after 4 months.?

If there are costs such as filing fees, you would be expected to pay them at the time they are incurred. Based on the informaton on the docket, you likely will incur an RJI fee and motion fee totaling $140 if you want a motion made for permission to amend your answer. (alternatively we offer a straight hourly retainer but you would receive bills every month and it would be expected that you would pay them in a timely manner. Most of our clients prefer the certainty of the monthly payments which presuppose an average of 1.25 hours/month on the case.). If you only hire us for the foreclosure, then we will do no work on the partition.

The initial retainer for the partition action would be $5000. It would be credited at $400/hour for out-of-court services and $475/hour for in-court services rendered. We would also require you pay an additional $500 for filing fees.

Does this appear near standard? What about a counteroffer?

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3 Lawyer Answers
Carl Nelson
Carl Nelson
Answered
  • Foreclosure Defense Lawyer
  • Rye Brook, NY

A: I personally would not opine on the fees and fee structure of an attorney your are considering to represent you, especially in a legal Q&A forum like this where we would not have all of the facts surrounding your case and the firm. If you are not comfortable with the fees, you could speak to another firm to compare costs. In terms of a counter offer, law firms do have substantial costs and fees charged are typically what it costs to run a law practice in the foreclosure defense area. Having said that, it does not cost you anything to inquire.

Liu "Margaret" Yang
Liu "Margaret" Yang
Answered
  • Foreclosure Defense Lawyer
  • Plantation, FL
  • Licensed in New York

A: If you would like to compare different attorneys' fees, perhaps you should schedule a few more consultations.

Leonard R. Boyer
Leonard R. Boyer pro label Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
Answered
  • Foreclosure Defense Lawyer
  • Clifton, NJ

A: The fee you were quoted was dirt cheap. We cannot quote fees on this website, however, I can tell you to remember one rule. Choosing a cheap attorney can often lead to expensive mistakes and/or irreparable harm, so just save yourself some aggravation and money by picking the best attorney you can afford. Never forget that a cheap lawyer is rarely ever good, and a good attorney is rarely if ever cheap. With modern technology, there are no geographic boundaries to prevent you from getting the best possible attorney.

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