VARIOUS PAYMENT SCHEMES

THE ATTORNEYS PAGE
"Committee For Judicial Ethics"

VARIOUS PAYMENT SCHEMES

There are Various Payment Schemes being used here in Johnson County and elsewhere.

Standard Billing – this is where you send a bill at the end of the month and you expect the client to pay the bill. This usually works, but can create slow paying clients.

Pay Half – Many attorneys are now using a new half pay scheme for billing; For example: If at the end of the month the total legal fees comes to $800, the client pays $400. If the client is ever late or doesn’t pay the entirety, then no discount. This is a good way to raise your rate while the customer feels that he is getting a discount. More and more attorneys are doing this.

Drugs – Some attorneys will accept drugs or marijuana instead of actual money. This is very dangerous as the client can now have the upper hand over you and threaten to turn you in. Just make sure that you don’t get so ‘high’ that you burn your own house down. Or your son gets caught using your weed, twice!

Sex – Some attorneys have used sex to bargain with. Again, like drugs above, this is very dangerous as the client can have the upper hand over you and threaten to turn you in. If you do engage in this type of activity make sure there are no cameras, tape recorders, witnesses, or evidence left behind. I guess you could claim this as Pro bono work, no pun intended.

How long or how much you allow your client to get into debt from you is up to you. Obviously if you have limited clients, you might allow a client to ‘slow pay’.