Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Lawler Brown is located at 1600 West Main Street, Marion, Illinois 62959

Lawler Brown’s business hours are between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Additional hours can be made available as required.

The best way to find out if you need a lawyer is to talk to one. Lawyers can provide advice on a number of legal matters of importance and significance to you, your family or your business. Lawyers advise people every day on issues ranging from personal matters (wills, estates, buying a home) to business matters (contracts and leases) to formal legal disputes before a court.

To see a list of practice areas in which Lawler Brown can assist, click on “SERVICES”. You can also call our office and tell the receptionist you would like to speak to a lawyer about your specific problem (such as personal injury, contract issue, probate). The receptionist will take your information and direct your call to the attorney to determine if he can assist you.

You can always call our office during business hours at 618-993-2222 and speak to a lawyer. You can also contact Lawler Brown by e-mail or by submitting an intake via our website.

You should expect to have your legal questions promptly answered in such a way that you can decide how to proceed with your particular legal issue. Lawyers give legal advice, they do not make ultimate decisions for you. You can also expect that your discussions with a lawyer will remain confidential.

It depends.

Sometimes, an attorney may charge a “contingent fee.” In such cases, primarily personal injury lawsuits, the attorney agrees to be paid a particular percentage (usually 33.3%) of any ultimate recovery. In such cases, the client remains responsible for costs of the case such as filing fees, expert fees, etc. In these types of cases, the contingent fee must be documented by a written contingent fee agreement.

Attorneys and law firms are a business like any other. Generally, at Lawler Brown Law Firm the attorney will be the work at a certain dollar amount per hour. The amount charged “per hour” will be discussed by the attorney before any work is done on your case. Every month you should receive a bill from your attorney showing what was done on your issue or case and the time the attorney has spent on it.

Attorneys may also charge a “flat fee” for particular work. Such work might include drafting a will or attending a real estate closing. These types of fees are usually charged for work that an attorney believes will not require extensive research or time.

Lawler Brown may ask for a “retainer fee.” A retainer fee is really nothing more than paying legal fees in advance. A retainer fee is an amount of money that you will be required to pay at the beginning of the representation that the attorney will put in a trust account. You will still receive monthly bills, but as work is performed on your case the bill will be paid out of the money held in the trust account. If more time is spent on your case than you have paid as a retainer fee, the attorney may ask for additional fees or may just bill you on a monthly basis. If your case concludes (or you decide for whatever reason you don’t want to proceed) any money in the trust that has not been used to pay fees will be returned to you.