I once had a client who arrived at my office with voluminous docs as part of a large file, that were neatly organized.  I was able to resolve her matter in less time and for less cost because she had performed much of the paperwork organization herself. And no one knew the history of those documents better than her.

Another time, a client showed up at my office with two (2) large bags of documents that were unorganized to say the least, including private and personal information, most of which was not relevant to his need for my service.  Unfortunately, we had to bill him an additional $55.00 per hour (our paralegal rate) for 3.5 hours of time that was spent simply preparing the documents for use in court and redacting his personal and private financial information and data.

Clients should invest some time in preparing their case up front for the attorney. Practice your presentation to your attorney and organize all your paperwork. Investing time up front may reduce your legal expenses throughout the litigation, for example during the discovery phase.

Taking your attorney to lunch is more than just a cheap date

Asking your attorney to go to lunch is always a good idea if you both have the time. Too often clients will skip these opportunities to communicate with their lawyer – off the clock. After all, attorneys have to eat lunch too, why not use that time to your advantage? Here are some tips how –

Choose the proper content for the conversation
Lunch may not be the best time to bring a mountain of documents to go over. It is, however, a good time to get to know your attorney, and more importantly – to get them to know you. Business litigation is often emotional and elements of your case can have personal background information that can help your legal team craft a better strategy. Lunch is a good time to give your attorney information about your history of the case from a more personal standpoint. Come armed with a handful of questions you want answered as well, which means bring a notebook and pen.

Choose an inviting venue
While you shouldn’t waste your money on a 4 star meal, do choose a moderately priced place close to the attorney’s office. If it’s the type of place that’s popular enough with the business lunch crowd to require reservations but doesn’t have steep prices (you’ll find there’s plenty of options, especially in metro areas) it fits the litmus test for an attorney-client lunch date. And while choosing a popular or trendy place may be more compelling to the lawyer you invite, you also want to be mindful of how noisy it is. Having strained conversations where one has to yell across the table makes sensitive conversations that much more difficult.

Pay the tab
People will remember who paid the bill. And for 45 minutes or so of an attorney’s time that usually goes for anywhere from $160 – $320 an hour, it’s money well spent.