How are Fees Charged in Criminal Cases?

Answer:
In criminal cases, unlike personal injury cases, all fees are charged and collected in advance of entering the attorney’s appearance on the record. As a result, although a separate and often much lower fee can be charged for an attorney to represent a defendant at the preliminary hearing, for an attorney to represent you after the case is held for common pleas court, the entire fee must be paid in advance. Fees are determined by the nature and complexity of the charges, the nature and complexity of the pretrial motions, the number of potential witnesses and the expected number of trial days.