Low Cost Legal Aid

(Page 3 of 3)

September/October 1970
By the Mother Earth News editors 
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•Uncontested adoption: $25 to $350; highest in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Ohio, lowest in Nebraska and Tennessee.

RELATED CONTENT

• Uncontested divorce: $75 to $600 in most places, except certain affluent California towns, where it can cost as much as $1,000.

• Buying or selling a house: $50 to $200, or .5% to 1% of the total price of the house.

• Examination of abstracts: $10 to $75; in New York State, this fee can go as high as $125.

•Clearing title to property: $100 to $500, depending to a very large extent on the size and value of the property.

•Trial practice: $75 to $300 a day; less in a few states, depending on the time the lawyer is required to spend in court on the case.

•Organizing a business corporation: $150 to $400, though sometimes based on a percentage of the corporation's assets. This, however, does not include other charges made by the state for incorporation papers.

•Contingency fees: 20% to 40% of the amount collected for an accident, condemnation, or other award; there is no charge if you lose the case (other than lawyer's disbursements for bonds, court fees, etc.).

YOU CAN SOMETIMES save money by discreetly shopping around for a good lawyer whose fees are reasonable. Such shopping is easier in large cities and for certain services, such as probating a will and administering an estate. Also inquire about paying a lawyer a straight hourly charge for the actual work performed when his fee would otherwise be based on a percentage of the total money involved. According to Murray Teigh Bloom, author of the recent best seller, "The Trouble With Lawyers" (available in a $1.25 paperback), paying a lawyer an hourly fee to handle a simple estate, for example, often will cost much less than the usual legal charge which is based on a percentage of the total estate. On the other hand, remember that a good lawyer can be worth many times his fee in terms of the time, trouble, and dollars he can save for you.

A final tip: There are two specially good books that explain, among other things, what lawyers can and cannot do for you. They are: "The Legal Encyclopedia for Home & Business" by Samuel G. Kling (95¢ in paperback), and "How To Avoid Lawyers" by Edward Siegel ($6.95 at bookstores).

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