Compared a lawyer vs a paralegal for a simple traffic thing and saved $300

Honestly got a speeding ticket out near St. Albert last month and figured I'd just call a lawyer like everyone says. First quote was $650 flat fee plus court costs. That felt steep for going 15 over. My buddy owns a tree service too and said he always uses this paralegal downtown Edmonton near the courthouse for his company trucks. I was skeptical but figured why not. The paralegal charged $350 and handled everything. I just showed up once signed a paper and the ticket got reduced to a no demerit fine. Same outcome the lawyer would have gotten me but for half the money. Has anyone else tried paralegals for smaller stuff like this or is it risky for bigger cases?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron_ellis4219d ago

Damn that's a really solid point. It's wild how much lawyers charge for stuff that's basically routine when a paralegal can do the exact same work for way less. I've heard so many people just automatically go to a lawyer without even checking if a paralegal could handle it first. It's like we're conditioned to think bigger title equals better outcome when really it's just more expensive for the same result in a lot of these smaller cases. Good on you for saving that money, seriously.

miller.avery19d ago

Depends on the situation though. Some legal stuff has way higher stakes than people realize until it's too late.