Unexpected circumstances will pop up throughout your life. Whether it be an accident, an injury, a mistake, or a major life decision, a lawyer may be someone to consider hiring to both advise and represent you through difficult times. The national average range to hire a lawyer is between $100 and $300 per hour, with an average cost being about $225 per hour. Legal expenses are expensive, right? Well, there are multiple reasons you may need to hire a lawyer: you are in trouble, you are hurt, in need of legal advice, or in need of help with a complicated legal process. Here are a few instances where legal expenses, mainly involving lawyers, will most definitely be encountered. Hiring a legal representative in these situations is not only advised but borderline necessary if you want to remain both financially and legally stable in your future.
You Need Bail Money
Okay, so you or a loved one made a bit of a mistake, and you need to post bail. Bail is essentially an expense that a defendant pays in order to ensure they will appear in their court proceedings. However, if you cannot afford to pay these legal expenses upfront, you can utilize bail bond services. These services allow defendants to become released from custody. There are two kinds of bail bonds: criminal and civil. Criminal bail bonds ensure the court that a defendant accused of a crime will appear in court and pay any fines held against them, while civil bail bonds are used to ensure the court that a defendant in a civil case will pay any fines held against them. It is important to understand this process and the financial options available to you no matter where you live because you never know when you will be in trouble in an unfamiliar place. From a legal standpoint, knowing your rights and options will allow you to be the most prepared and successful in the future.
You Were In a Car Accident
Unfortunately, car accidents are a common occurrence nowadays, whether it be because of you or someone else. Approximately six million car accidents occur every year. Distracted driving, driving under the influence, a changing traffic light, hitting an animal, or a common fender bender are reasons many of these car accidents occur. Whether it be a little or a lot of damage or a big or small accident, hiring a car accident attorney can help you in the long run, especially when it comes to paying fines, obtaining points on your license, or paying medical bills associated with an accident. In a scenario where you were in an accident and someone else was injured, you could end up in some major trouble; however, with the help of an experienced and specialized car accident attorney, your legal expenses will be worth your money when any charges held against are significantly decreased or even dropped. Something as seemingly small as hitting a deer can cause irreversible damage to your car or truck, and sometimes hiring a specialized attorney can win you more insurance money than you could have imagined. While hiring an attorney, especially a well experienced one, can be expensive, it is worth the cost of saving your privilege to operate a vehicle as well as avoiding higher fines or even jail time.
You Want to Adopt
Did you know that more than $12,000 is spent on a child in one year for the average family? Now, say you are thinking about starting a family, and adoption is something you are considering. However, have you thought about the many expenses associated with this process? While adopting from foster care can cost very little to nothing, adopting from a private agency in the United States or adopting from another country can cost upwards of forty thousand dollars, with an average of ten to fifteen thousand dollars spent throughout the adoption process for most families. While these expenses are steep, many individuals and couples (and maybe even you!) decide to move forward with the process. Another option is independent adoption. Whether you choose to adopt using an agency or independently, hiring an adoption attorney to assist in the adoption process is highly recommended, as they are a crucial person in making sure adoption cases are filed legally. Adoption attorneys protect the rights of and counsel those wanting to adopt, help with filling out and filing paperwork, and stay up to date on all legislation related to adoption and foster care. In less complicated cases, such as a stepparent adopting a stepchild, an adoption attorney would be the only necessary cost in the process, making your legal expenses much lower than typical adoption cases. While expensive, it is wise to hire a reliable adoption attorney who can help you start or continue the family you want.
You Are Filing for Divorce
Unfortunately, over two million divorces are filed per year. Already being a mentally tolling situation, you should have a professional handle the difficult legal aspects throughout the process. If you are seeking to dissolve your marriage, hiring a divorce attorney should be your first step. Divorce attorneys with much legal experience and expertise are important to hire because divorces can be both long and complicated, especially if a couple has children under the age of 18 and are fighting over custody and visitation rights. Some couples think can handle the process without lawyers, but sometimes that becomes messy. It may be best to hire a lawyer, in any case, to be sure things are done fairly and correctly. If a couple agrees on most everything, the process will be shorter; however, if it is the opposite, then the process can take much, much longer. Hiring a divorce attorney is essential in situations where the couple cannot agree on anything. Some common disputes between divorcing couples include the division of assets, property, and debt, relocation expenses, and spousal support or alimony, all of which will cost more throughout the divorce process. Despite these, divorce attorneys can cost between 100 to 400 dollars an hour, a major but very necessary expense in many cases. Fees associated with taxes, real estate, and child custody can add up as well. Yes, these legal expenses definitely add up. While divorce is not something most people expect or want to deal with in their life, both emotionally and financially, hiring a reliable divorce attorney could make the process a lot less tolling.
You Were in a Boating Accident
It is sweet summertime and you are enjoying a nice day out on your boat when, crash! Another boat slams into yours, causing damage to your beloved watercraft. Now, a boating accident can occur for a number of reasons. Drinking and boating, speeding, operating one’s boat recklessly, or boating in dangerous waters can cause a number of accidents. In 2018, about 633 deaths and 2,511 injuries occurred due to a boating accident. Most people are not aware of these unexpectedly high numbers, but it goes to show that they occur more frequently than we may think. Many people don’t even consider a boating accident to be something to remotely worry about, but the results of one can be very dangerous and even deadly. If you ever find yourself in these circumstances, hiring a boating accident lawyer could be your best bet. While it may seem like a lawyer specializing in car accidents would also work, watercraft laws are actually quite different. While you may think it unnecessary to hire a lawyer and rack up legal expenses for something like this, it’s important to understand that a lawyer who specializes in this particular field would be able to help you in the best ways possible.
You Were Injured at Work
You have probably heard of worker’s compensation, but you probably never expect to have to use it in your own lifetime. Every year, approximately 7 million work injuries occur. Freak accidents and even small injuries can cause you to lose your ability to work. One of the most common workplace injuries is a back injury. Many jobs involve heavy lifting, going high up in the air, and moving around in ways that strain one’s muscles every day. Unfortunately, workers can and will get hurt on the job, whether it be because of a slip, a trip, a fall, being overtired, or because of an unsteady or misused object or a piece of equipment on the job. A worker’s sore back can turn into an injury if not treated properly from the beginning. Fortunately, there are legal representatives with specific titles, such as a back injury attorney, a spinal cord attorney, or a neck injury attorney. Depending on your situation, one of these lawyers can be hired to help you through the workplace injury legal process. This process can become complicated and one where legal expenses can add up if not done correctly. A person injured on the job deserves an accurate amount of worker’s compensation, and a lawyer specializing in workplace injuries will provide the support and assistance you need in the difficult situation that is a workplace injury, especially ones that cost long-lasting damage or even paralysis.
You Are Bankrupt
So, you’ve hit a bit of a rough patch, and you are out of money. In other words: you are bankrupt. Surprisingly, bankruptcy is more common than you would think. In 2005, over 2 million bankruptcy cases were filed, equaling one in every 55 households in the United States filing. Seems crazy, right? But it’s something that could happen to anyone if it came down to it. This situation can come about for several reasons, the most common issues involving property, credit cards, loans, debts, repossessions, or family. Thankfully, a bankruptcy attorney is someone who exists just for a situation like this. Bankruptcy lawyers provide legal advice as well as representation for their clients throughout the process. While many of these lawyers provide free consultations, the legal expenses associated with hiring any lawyer is costly. Despite this, having legal representation throughout the rest of the process is still a better idea than not having any and putting yourself in more debt. It is smarter to hire a specialized bankruptcy lawyer rather than handle the situation on your own because mistakes can cause even further damage down the line both financially and legally for you and your family.
You Have a Business Dispute
Let’s say you are part of a large business or corporation, and someone did something wrong that causes you a part of your share in the company or say your contract with a company is broken. Now, obviously, this is something that would have to be handled by someone with expert legal experience, such as a corporate litigation attorney. Lawyers with this specific specialization provide legal representation in business enterprise civil lawsuits. Hiring legal representation in a situation like this is crucial. Oftentimes, people hire lawyers to make sure contracts and other documents are worthy of signing beforehand; however, in some unwise situations, this step is skipped. This can cause a major problem when it comes to contracts being broken. Is it legal? Is it illegal? Can the company get around it? You do not want these questions to have to come to mind. Instead, take the necessary steps throughout the entire process, even if the legal expenses associated with it may be pricey. It is better safe than sorry when it comes to business deals and large sums of money. Hiring a corporate litigation lawyer can truly help you in situations such as these.
Legal expenses can most definitely add up. While frustrating both emotionally and financially, it is important to keep in mind that lawyers who specialize in the fields described above have both the knowledge and experience to help you in the best ways possible. While you may not think you will get in a boat accident, get injured at work, get divorced, or want to adopt a child in your future, you never know. It’s safe to say that knowing your options and who can help you the most is important for you now and in your future.