Fees
Lawyers are expensive - it's just that simple, and for the most part, I represent people who don't have any money. Most of my clients have either been so seriously injured in accidents that they can't work, or their health has deteriorated to the point where they'll never be able to work again. If they still have their health and are able to work, their hours have been cut, they have been laid off altogether, or they have suffered some sort of economic injustice that is pushing them towards financial ruin.
To help make legal services affordable to you, all initial consultations are free. I will sit down and talk with you for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to give you the opportunity to decide whether you want to use me as your attorney. This also gives me the opportunity to decide whether your case is right for my office. Regardless of whether we make an arrangement, our discussions will be strictly confidential, and any legal advice you get in the course of the initial consultation is gratis.
In the course of your initial consultation, I will decide whether your case should best be a contingency case (No Recovery-No Fee case), a whether some other payment arrangements should be made. Most cases except bankruptcy cases are taken on contingency. Follow the links below for more information about fees in these types of cases.
From personal injury and Social Security disability to workers' compensation and bankruptcy, call 855-818-6974 or contact me online.
Contingency Fees (No Recovery - No Fee)
We charge contingency fees in personal injury, Social Security disability, and workers compensation cases.
You have probably heard of the "contingency fee," or the No Recovery - No Fee arrangement between lawyers and their clients. You may have heard some attorneys advertise that they don't get paid unless you get paid. That is common practice, and its what we do in most cases other than bankruptcy cases so that ordinary people can afford justice.
Attorneys for banks, insurance companies, and other large corporations normally get substantial retainers up front, which are deposited in the attorney's trust account, and against which the attorneys bill as cases progress. Most of my clients could not begin to pay those amounts up front. That is why I charge a percentage of the total recovery at the end of the case if there IS a total recovery, and nothing at all if there is no recovery.
This creates a risk for me that I may not get paid, but it also creates the incentive for me to maximize the amount of money that you recover.
The percentages of total recoveries are fairly standard. The percentage I charge for personal injury and business tort cases ranges from one third of the total recovery to 40% in most cases. Special regulations govern contingency fees in Social Security and workers compensation cases because of the administrative nature of those proceedings, but the important thing is that you have pay nothing up front, and you never have to pay anything if there is no recovery.
It is also important to note that "Contingent attorneys' fees" refers only to the money that I charge you for my legal services. It's what you pay me for my work. The contingency fee does not cover litigation expenses. Litigation expenses are the costs that I pay out-of-pocket like travel expenses, court filing fees, court reporters' fees, and expert witness fees. Medical records can also be expensive, and I pay for the these for you out of my own pocket. In contingency cases, you do not have repay your litigation expenses until you get your financial recovery and have money available to pay me back. Again, if I don't get anything for you, I normally absorb your litigation expenses as a business loss.
(For ethical reasons, contingency fees are disallowed in some types of cases -- typically divorce and criminal cases.)
For personal injury, Social Security disability and workers' compensation and bankruptcy, call 855-818-6974 or contact me online.
