“Alternative” Arrangements for Paying Your Attorney

This is one of a series of posts describing different fee arrangements offered by attorneys.

I’ve laid out for you a variety of ways that lawyers commonly ask for payment. However, there’s nothing that says that those are the only ways you can pay. There are others; you just need to be creative and brainstorm a little. (There are also illegal ways to pay, but I’ll leave them alone for now.) These suggestions are not for the faint of heart, but they might be helpful depending on your circumstances.

If you are looking to start a business, and you need an attorney to do certain work for you, you may be able to pay the lawyer using a percentage of your business, or a certain amount of stock. In addition, you may be able to barter other services that you can perform, especially if those services are related in some way to the lawyer’s line of work. The key is to be flexible and creative, and to make sure that you aren’t going to end up paying too much simply because you can’t afford an up-front retainer. Also, it pays to stay informed and put into writing exactly what it is that you’re willing to do in order to make the exchange work.