What is a ‘retainer’?

January 30, 2017

A “retainer” is an agreement between the client and the lawyer, whereby the client retains the lawyer to represent him or her in the family law matter. It also involves the client paying the lawyer a ‘retainer’, which is an advance on services that the lawyer will be rendering and disbursements that will be incurred on behalf of the client. This retainer is held ‘in trust’ by the lawyer and remains the property of the client until the lawyer renders an account, at which point the lawyer draws money from trust to pay the lawyer’s account. The amount of the initial retainer depends upon such matters as my assessment of the complexity of your case, immediate time to be committed to your file, whether your matter is proceeding to or already in court, etc.