Any client in the process of choosing a Baltimore Maryland DUI attorney has to be knowledgable about many things. It almost seems like as much hard work as being the lawyer yourself (I’m sure the lawyers are all scoffing right now). But if you want to make the right choice, especially when it can determine your ability to stay out of jail or hold down a job, then you need to know your stuff. And one thing you need to know in order to avoid bankrupting yourself is how payment schemes will affect how much you pay.

Now, there are two main different payment schemes which you’ll see when hiring a Baltimore Maryland DUI attorney. If you have a case that will probably take awhile, need a lot of research–a difficult one, in other words, then you need to hire a lawyer who allows you to pay a fixed fee. There are two different ways of doing this. One lawyer may offer you a fixed fee for all of his/her services, and a different lawyer might do a fied fee too–but split in two pieces, part for the time leading up to your court date, and the rest for actually representing you there.

The second main payment scheme is an hourly charge. These can be $200, $100, $50…whatever they are, they aren’t cheap, but it’s not like a lawyer will be cheap either way. Still, they can be cheaper than a fixed fee if–and only if–the case is pretty simple and doesn’t require a lot of preparation or a long time in the courtroom.