General Attorney FAQ
Is there an initial cost to meet with you?
Legal fees vary for different types of cases. Workers' compensation fees for example are set by the Workers' Compensation Commission. Workers' Compensation fees are based on a percentage of any permanent injury award. If there is no permanent injury award there is no fee. If a hearing is required to get you paid for your lost time from work, there may be a fee allowed of ten percent of any back benefits ordered.
In auto accident and personal injury claims the fee is one third of whatever is recovered. The fee is based upon the gross recovery. If there is no recovery, there is no fee. In addition you may be responsible for any expenses incurred on your behalf.
In criminal cases the fees can vary. Each case is different and the amount of work involved can vary substantially. Criminal fees will be quoted after the initial free consultation.
If you take my case, how is your fee determined?
Legal fees vary for different types of cases. Workers' compensation fees for example are set by the Workers' Compensation Commission. Workers' Compensation fees are based on a percentage of any permanent injury award. If there is no permanent injury award there is no fee. If a hearing is required to get you paid for your lost time from work, there may be a fee allowed of ten percent of any back benefits ordered.
In auto accident and personal injury claims the fee is one third of whatever is recovered. The fee is based upon the gross recovery. If there is no recovery, there is no fee. In addition you may be responsible for any expenses incurred on your behalf.
In criminal cases the fees can vary. Each case is different and the amount of work involved can vary substantially. Criminal fees will be quoted after the initial free consultation.
What are "legal expenses" and who pays these?
Legal expenses include the costs of obtaining police reports, as well as doctor and hospital bills and reports. In addition when cases are in litigation legal expenses include the filing fee for the court, court reporter charge for a deposition, doctor charges for testimony, video costs for video deposition of experts, expert fees for testimony and finally the costs of any private investigator or other expert needed in order to prove your case.
Some law firms charge for long distance telephone, calls, photocopies and research time, but I do not. The client is normally only responsible for the costs if we recover money in your accident or workers' compensation case. If there is no recovery then the client usually will not be responsible for those costs unless we agree otherwise.