It’s impossible to give a definitive answer. Attorneys set their own fees, which vary according to a number of factors:

The complexity of a case.

Most attorneys charge more for felonies than for misdemeanors because felonies carry greater penalties and are likely to involve more work for the attorney.

The attorney’s experience.

Generally, less-experienced attorneys set lower fees than their more-experienced colleagues.

Geography.

Just as gasoline and butter cost more in some parts of the country than others, so do lawyers.
A defendant charged with a misdemeanor should not be surprised by a legal fee in the neighborhood of $3,000-$5,000; an attorney may want $15,000-$25,000 in a felony case.

Most criminal defense attorneys want all or a substantial portion of the fee paid up front. Contingency fees (where the lawyer gets paid only if he wins the case) are not allowed in criminal cases.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 5:22 pm and is filed under Driving Under the Influence. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.