Signing An Attorney Agreement

In a criminal case, a “retainer agreement” is the contract that will govern the terms of the attorney/client relationship during your case.

The agreement will be tailored to your case in several ways.

The consulting attorney will go over the entire agreement in detail with you.

You should always read an agreement before you sign.

Signing the agreement attests your consent to be bound by its terms.

Do not assume that you will have room to negotiate further after you have signed.

If you think something is not covered by the agreement you should say something.

It is not unheard of for the attorney to make necessary or reasonable changes to the proposed agreement after meeting with a client.

Once signed the retainer will become effective according to its terms which usually calls for a payment to be made.

Now having signed the contract and having paid the retainer fee the representation becomes official.

You have just retained counsel.

Related Links –

American Bar Association Sample Retainer