Questions worth asking
What is the realistic range of outcomes? What will it cost to reach each stage — answer, discovery, summary judgment, trial? Who will actually handle the appearances? What would make you decline this case? How collectible is a judgment against this defendant? A lawyer who answers these directly is more useful than one who promises a result.
Fee structures
Hourly billing suits unpredictable disputes. Flat fees suit discrete, well-defined work such as a demand letter, an answer, or a motion to vacate a default. Contingency arrangements shift risk but are limited to cases with a real money recovery. Hybrid structures — reduced hourly plus a success component — are common in commercial matters.
The engagement letter
New York requires written engagement terms for most matters. It should specify the scope, the rate, what expenses you pay, billing frequency, and how the relationship can end. Scope matters: an engagement for a Civil Court trial does not include an appeal, and disputes over scope are the most common source of client friction.
Being an effective client
Provide documents in an organized form early, disclose bad facts immediately, respond quickly to requests, and set a realistic goal at the outset. Clients who hide the unhelpful email cost themselves far more when it surfaces in discovery than they ever would have by disclosing it on day one.