Comparing Contingency Fees To Other Legal Fees

Personal injury lawyers take pride in their fee schedule. That schedule caters to the needs of those that have suffered a misfortune, due to someone else’s negligence. Frequently, such individuals lack funds for legal help, which can be used to put their lives back together.

The noteworthy benefits attached to a schedule that charges a contingency fee:

• The client does not have to pay any upfront expenses.
• There is no down payment.
• The amount charged clients does not increase, if a case becomes filled with complexities. Still, such complexities could push a lawyer to favor a settlement, over the need to go to court.
• The amount charged a client does not reflect the type of relief sought.
• The amount charged the client does not increase, if the attorney must make use of special skills.
• The amount charged clients does not increase if a client’s case gets linked to serious legal questions.

There are expenses for which a lawyer’s office can ask to be reimbursed, even if the same office is charging a contingency fee. These include any money that has been spent on acquisition of specific certificates or on paying for long distance calls. Your lawyer will charge you for the costs associated with any efforts to obtain medical reports. The costs linked to obtaining some type of copy, whether it be material that was already copied or an item that needs copying.

One benefit missing from the contingency fee:

Unlike a retainer fee, the contingency fee brings no guarantee of the paid lawyer’s availability. A Personal Injury Lawyer in Ottawa that has been paid a retainer fee gets expected to respond to a client’s needs at any time, day or night. A personal injury lawyer does not make a great effort to retain clients.

That fact should not seem surprising, in light of the fact that the same attorney does not charge a higher fee, if a client has a complex case. If the client finds the lawyer’s skills to be insufficient, that same client can elect to seek legal advice from a different member of the legal profession. That unsatisfied client does not lose any money by making that change.

Still, all personal injury lawyers recognize the fact that an experienced attorney could have uncovered some valuable evidence, while investigating the details in a given client’s case. As a result, a client’s displeasure at the speed with which the investigation has proceeded could lead to a loss of certain materials.

In other words, a personal attorney’s desire to retain clients has not been demonstrated by the readiness to offer a retaining fee. Instead it has been highlighted by content posted on the websites of those members of the legal profession that have chosen to specialize in handling personal injury claims.