Firstly, many people wonder (and rightly so) what the difference between a lawyer and an attorney is. In effect, all attorneys are lawyers while not all lawyers are attorneys.
Lawyers
Someone who has studied law and graduated from law school is considered a lawyer, regardless of whether they actually practice law and attend to lawsuits and legal proceedings. Lawyers who are not considered attorneys may act as legal consultants, such as in the case of many timeshare lawyers, however they are not empowered to act legally on your behalf.
Attorneys
On the other hand, an attorney is someone who practices law and takes an active role within legal proceedings. They will have sat their bar exams and are entitled to act on your behalf in a court of law. They not only interpret the law but they can represent you legally.
Timeshare
Like any business or corporation, timeshare companies will employ lawyers to work with them as legal consultants to make sure that their contracts and investments are sound. In this way, any dealings with a reputable timeshare company will be supported by a series of procedures that will protect your consumer rights. In the case of any specific legal action, such as owners’ failure to pay maintenance fees or any breach of contract, timeshare companies will then employ attorneys to represent them in a lawsuit.
A timeshare lawyer is required when a dispute between a timeshare corporation and a consumer comes to a dead end and legal assistance or litigation is the only solution. As a consumer, must plenty understand your rights and obligations as most timeshare contracts are agreements of perpetuity. Finding the best legal approach against the timeshare corporation is key to win or lose a case; therefore, your lawyer must know timeshare law in great extent.
Timeshare lawyers can help you fight against a timeshare company with the legal support you need. However, their hefty price tag dissuade most people from hiring their services. Another disadvantage is that the payment structure of lawyers in general, is by paying hourly fees in advance commonly called retainer.