Response

If any lawyer asks for money for even the first consultation, then make enquiries about his reputation before spending money on him. You might even try to find out what he will charge for the case Ðin case you decide to engage himÐ before you go for the first meeting, but such efforts do not always yield results. Such is the nature of the Beast.

Not that normally only very good lawyers ask for money for the first meeting. This is done to weed out financially unsound clients and clients who are unwilling to pay, and is done at the first stage itself as you can see. Call it a sort of lawyers’ substitute for face control. This can be waived by many of them if you go via any of their former clients Ðthe reasoning being that former clients are unlikely to recommend undesirable clients.

A very common question from readers is to ask about the cost / fees for litigation of various types including inter alia expected legal fees for anticipatory bail, divorce cases, mutual consent cases, criminal trials, civil claims, writ petitions, etc.

There is no fixed answer for such questions but a general rule of thumb can be stated. The greater the competence, knowledge, and experience of a lawyer, the greater the demand for him; the greater the probability of winning, the greater the fee.

Reference: Indian Penal Code, 1860

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