The Written Fee Agreement
When you hire a criminal attorney make sure you have a written fee agreement. Sometimes people may be in a hurry and will verbally go over what the fee covers and verbally agree. But should issues crop up, a verbal agreement is very hard to enforce. The written agreement is good solid proof of the terms and very enforceable. The written agreement will state the items the attorney will cover and may state the expectations that the client should cover as well. It is okay to verbally discuss the agreement, and verbally agree, but never hand over the fee without the agreement written up in easy to understand terms. Once you verbally agree to accept their offer, they will have the agreement typed up. This is your receipt and proof of what is expected from both client and attorney.
There is a basic contract law where it is allowed to verbally come to an agreement, a sort of “meeting of the minds” type of thing. The offer and the acceptance will be clearly spelled out in the contract. The written contract serves to protect both client and attorney. Only do business with an attorney if you have a written contact that clearly states what is required of them and of you. Be sure to read through the contract before you sign it and hand over the retainer fee. If you don’t understand something ask them to explain it. The same is true of any document they present you with, always read through it before you sign anything.