Don't Choose a Lawyer Until You Talk About Legal Fees

Whether your lawsuit is a personal injury lawsuit, medical malpractice, workers compensation or any other legal action, you want to get the best lawyer possible. You also know that legal fees vary and that a good lawyer can cost a bundle of money. But, did you know that in some cases, you can reduce your legal fees, fund the lawsuit or postpone paying your fees until your case is settled.

Here is some information you may find helpful:

First, you should know that most lawyers charge by the hour. More experienced lawyers charge more than inexperienced lawyers and a law firm partner or senior attorney fee is higher than a junior attorney, or a legal assistant.

When your lawyer charges you for consultation time in his office or over the phone, you may be charged at a different hourly rate than he charges for the time he spends in court on your behalf, or the time he spends in conference with judges or other attorneys.

Ask your lawyer about lawsuit funding and legal fee structures and find out what is going to work the best for you, given the nature of your case and your financial situation.

If you are filing a lawsuit for personal injury, or workers compensation or medical malpractice you have a better chance of having an attorney accept a contingency fee.

A contingency fee is based on a percentage of the lawsuit settlement amount. In other words, your attorney takes a piece of what you get in your settlement instead of you paying upfront. She will decide whether a contingency fee is appropriate based on the strength of the case you have against a defendant, company or other entity, and whether she can win the lawsuit.

If your attorney loses the lawsuit she gets nothing under the contingency fee structure. If you win the lawsuit, she will get her percentage of your settlement total.

See if you can get your lawyer to agree on accepting a lower percentage of your settlement total if she negotiates an out of court settlement. She will have less work to do, since she does not have to prepare for a trial, so she may agree to this lawsuit funding strategy.

If your lawsuit entails filing a suit against an industry or company who failed to disclose the hidden health hazards of working in an industry or handling a certain toxin or material as part of your job, you may be able to look for class actions on that issue. Illness like mesothelioma, asbestos related respiratory disease, or damage to your health from toxins are usually prime candidates for a class action.

If a law firm is already pursuing an action for others in this situation, you'll find strength in numbers!

The law firm structures the lawsuit funding and attorney legal fees for a class action settlement that may be in the millions and they will therefore get plenty of compensation. You will usually pay no legal fees until the case is settled and then the attorney fees are taken out of the total class action settlement before the settlement is distributed to the plaintiffs in the class action suit. That's you!

If none of these examples fit your situation, get references for good attorneys and interview all of the possible candidates before you decide. Be honest about your financial situation and see what lawsuit funding or legal fee structure each attorney will suggest to help you with financial strain until there is a settlement.

If you don't win your lawsuit, you need to be prepared to pay fees, so consider how you will do that, whether that means taking a second mortgage on your account or cashing out CDs, etc.

If your suit is in the civil rights or discrimination arena, you may want to contact agencies or organizations that deal with these issues. See if they can help you fund your lawsuit or help you raise funds to pay attorney fees through their connections and network.