Yes, some attorneys work on retainer, but a retainer is usually for a business or a person who has many legal issues for which they need regular legal work. This business or individual will pay an attorney (or usually a law firm) to work on retainer. This means that the law firm will be on call to provide a variety of legal services for that client.

Sometimes the word “retainer” is used for the term down payment. In other words, some high-profile family law attorneys will require a $5,000 retainer to handle a complex divorce. This means that the client has to put up $5,000 initially out of which the lawyer’s fees are drawn in the beginning. This will likely not be the total cost of the case but simply the initial monies that are paid to the lawyer to get the attorney–client relationship started.