09/06/2018
What to Look for in a Personal Injury Attorney!!! Yesterday, I met with a potential new client, whom decided to "explore other options" before signing a contract with me. I was not offended as this is always a good idea and I offered some advice for choosing their attorney whether they decide to hire me or not:
1.) Contingent Fees. All contingent fees are not created equal. Make certain you read the fine print regarding your attorneys fees. While it is commonplace for personal injury lawyers to work on a contingent fee basis (meaning a percentage of the gross recovery), there are some attorneys (whom advertise widely) whom do not charge the more typical 33.33% but instead charge a flat contingent fee of 45%. While this may not seem like a huge difference, after paying the expenses, outstanding medical bills and/or liens, and then 45% to your attorney, said attorney could very well be pocketing a larger sum of your settlement than you do. There are also attorneys whose fee will increase from 33.33% to 40% if they have to file a lawsuit. Again, this sliding fee scale will end up affecting your bottom line.
2.) Access to your Attorney. During the course of representation, you will undoubtedly have questions. Some attorneys rely upon a large support staff of assistants, paralegals, and clerks. Unfortunately, sometimes a large support staff can result in your calls or messages being filtered and/or going unanswered. Make certain you talk to any prospective attorney about their availability. If you can't talk to your attorney directly when you need to, then this can breed distrust and/or contempt in your attorney/client relationship. The most important aspect of representation is communication.
