Internet Lawyer: Hourly Billing

Okay, you are ready to hire an Internet lawyer. The billing for an Internet lawyer is usually hourly. The calculation of what time is billable will have a big impact on the actual rate you pay. The first thing you need to understand is what increment of an hour the Internet lawyer is billing. The smaller the increment, the less expensive it will be for you. Expect to see a minimum billable increment. Dozier Internet Law bills a minimum of .2 of an hour for all billable work, and then we bill in increments of 1/10th of an hour. Don’t expect your lawyer to bill you .1 of an hour for an activity or event or action, but pay particular attention to the agreement you sign to make sure the billable method is explained in advance.

Next, consider the rounding practice. In other words, some firms bill to the next highest increment. If the firm bills at a minimum of a quarter hour, which is pretty common, then if the firm is rounding up, 16 minutes will be billed as .5 of an hour (30 minutes). Dozier Internet Law bills to the nearest 1/10th, so if we put in 16 minutes, you would be billed 3/10ths of an hour. And if we put in 20 minutes, since we would be rounding down, you also will be billed for 3/10ths of an hour. Over time, this approach balances out and you are often paying for nearly the exact time to the minute put into your case. In this example, Dozier Internet Law put in 36 minutes and you have been billed for .6 of an hour (36 minutes!). For the firm billing up to the nearest quarter hour, you will have been billed a full hour for the same amount of time spent on your case.

It’s a dirty little secret that some firms don’t want to bring up or acknowledge. But as you can see, the hourly rates may look the same, but the actually amount billed can be almost double using the rounding up, quarter hour approach. Take a look at your Internet lawyer retainer agreement (hiring contract) and see if this is spelled out. If not, you may want to find out how the billing really works.

Internet Lawyer Fee Deposits

Internet lawyer Fee Guidance:

Know what you are paying. Most Internet lawyers will charge a sum up front. Usually this is ethically required to be a fee deposit, or a deposit against fees, from which the Internet lawyer can get paid his fees. Unused funds are refunded. Simple as that. But the funds deposited are often referred to as a “retainer”, when in fact a “retainer” is a sum paid in advance to a lawyer as an earned fee for handling a matter.

Why is this important to you when hiring an Internet lawyer? Because while the two terms (deposit and retainer) are often confused, you need to know which applies to the handling of your fees. If you are paying an Internet lawyer on an hourly basis, there is no reason to be paying a “retainer” in the earned fees sense. Only work with an Internet lawyer who requires a “fee deposit” and you understand that this is not going into the lawyer’s general operating account as fees earned but is going into his escrow account to be maintained on your behalf. Make sure this is understood in advance.

And, in case you are paying a set fee for some work, your Internet lawyer should only deposit those funds into his general account as earned fees as and when the work, or parts of it, are complete. Yes, there are many rules that govern the handling of attorney fee payments. Don’t be afraid to ask the right questions and require that this issue be clearly addressed in the written contract you should sign with the lawyer.

Internet Lawyer: Fees

This is a continuing series on the process of hiring an Internet lawyer. Once you get around to discussing fees, be prepared to get what you pay for. The hourly rates range from $150 per hour to $800 per hour or even more. This is where you can really save some money. If you have a simple matter, you may not need a high powered Internet lawyer. If you are in serious trouble, have a Federal lawsuit to deal with, or the FTC is knocking, price should be irrelevant. Find the best Internet lawyer and hire him. But don’t pay $800 per hour for a contract to be drafted or a corporation set up.

At Dozier Internet Law, John W Dozier Jr’s hourly rate is presently $390 per hour. The other attorneys and e-commerce specialists range from $125 to $325 per hour. We are located in Richmond, Virginia, a low cost of living area. Mr. Dozier’s peers with comparable experience and expertise typically bill $650 to $900 per hour in the big cities.

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Internet Lawyer: Hiring Tips

We’ve covered the first two tips on how to hire an Internet lawyer. You’ve searched for an Internet lawyer on the search engines and found both advertising and natural results. We’ve told you in general terms not to go hunting elephants with a BB gun, and don’t swat that fly with a sledgehammer. Now for the next one:

Number Three: Expect a short, complimentary introductory telephone call. But don’t expect to set up an appointment with an attorney to do so. The top Internet lawyer is extremely busy. He will be faced with dozens upon dozens of calls from prospective clients each week. Be prepared to spend on average five or ten minutes with a top Internet lawyer but understand that if he booked appointments, it would take up several hours each day, and an internet lawyer works on an hourly basis. So his time is all that he has to sell. During that call, you should be able to get a feel for how the internet lawyer would approach your situation at a very high level. Usually the first step once an internet lawyer is hired is for him to conduct an analysis of your situation and come back to you with his findings and recommendations.

Internet Lawyer Defined

Internet lawyer definition continued….

It sure seems like there is many an Internet lawyer available online. But reality tells us that most are young, inexperienced and recent law graduates just getting their feet wet. One day they may make a great Internet lawyer. The bad news is that they are not ready for prime time, down and dirty, high stakes, bet the business types of issues, or frankly not even more basic or seemingly standard legal disputes. But they are great resources for basic contracts, and if you are in a pinch financially they are almost always relatively inexpensive. In fact, I refer work to them all the time because they can handle certain types of work just as well as Dozier Internet Law for much less money.

Rule number one: When hiring an Internet lawyer take time and try not to overhire or underhire. You lose money if you overhire.

Rule number two: It’s better to overhire than underhire. You lose the case if you underhire.

Rule number three is coming soon.

Internet Lawyer Definition

Internet Lawyer. What does that really mean? A lawyer on the Internet? Or is an Internet lawyer someone who went to law school and got a law degree in Internet Law?

Actually, none of the above. An internet lawyer is a lawyer who specializes in the web and most of the legal principles and laws that govern the web. An internet lawyer most often is an intellectual property lawyer because the most common issues relate to copyright and trademark, both big parts of the law of intellectual property. But many, many issues don’t center upon intellectual property. So a background and deep understanding of contract law is helpful. And considering the number of disputes and contentious situations that arise online, a strong trial background (not just a litigator who has handled discovery and pleadings and all the preliminaries to trial) is very helfpful.

In the end, though, an ideal Internet lawyer should have a broad range of legal experience over many decades, but is also a technologist or online marketing expert or internet business industry veteran. The experience on the business side is essential. You won’t feel like you need to lead your lawyer through all of the finer points of the technology or business. And you’ll sleep much easier at night.

Food for thought.