Lawyers fee can add up very quickly. At the start of a litigation, sit down with your company’s attorney and outline a time frame and a budget for every aspect of the case.

• Insist that your minimum billing unit be the smallest time frame possible. For instance, if you are billed at a minimum rate of a quarter hour, then every 3-minute phone call you make to your attorney (or he makes on your behalf) will be billed for one full quarter-hour.
• Insist on frequent bills if there is an active case currently being worked on.
• Control your costs by not paying if a junior partner or intern is "helping" on your case for his own experience. Unless he actually contributed, don’t pay for his education.
• Keep a log of all contact you have with the attorney’s office and compare it with your bills.
• Bills should detail specifics of each duty being billed so you can check for double-billing, even if accidental on the firm’s part. Don’t be afraid to ask for more details about something.
• Be sure to ask about and compare all your options. Flat fees, contingencies, retainers and value billings are terms you should have your attorney explain in detail before agreeing on your costs and how you will pay.
• Suggest that your law firm hire an outside company to do their legal research at a rate much lower that it can be done in-house.

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