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Auto Accidents and Car Wrecks
Hard Fought Case Shows Value of Contingent Fee
A decision we received Friday from the Court of Appeal in a motor vehicle accident case illustrates the enormous value to consumers of the contingency fee agreement - at least the way it works with our personal injury firm.The lead lawyer in this case was Pamela Taylor. Our client's injury was a leg broken by a careless driver. He was riding a bicycle. He was a high achieving graduate student who was delayed in obtaining a university teaching job as a result of his injuries. An important issue in settling the case was, how to value the loss represented by delayed entry into the workforce?
The defendant offered about half what we thought the claim was worth, so we went to trial. Sometimes you go to trial the sake of justice. Our client received a trial judgment for twice the amount of the defendant's formal offer, the total judgment being $118,098. The Court of Appeal thought the judge should have deducted money earned as a graduate student from the $60,000 award for loss of future economic opportunity, and reduced this by $22,719, an amount the Court of Appeal called "a relatively minor change to the total damages award": Jarvis v. Treberg, 2009 NLCA 51.
The point of significance to the issue of consumers and contingency fees, is that as Mr. Treberg's lawyers we were willing to expend about twice the amount of the money judgment, measured by the reasonable value of our time, to recover this money judgment for our client. Twice what the judgment was worth - but the client got twice the money the insurance company was willing to pay.
Rarely does an accident and injury client have to go to trial to get justice. But if you do go to trial, as this example shows, your contingent fee lawyer "subsidizes" the trial in all but the very largest cases. We do it because we believe in justice.
At Ches Crosbie Barristers, contingent fee agreements protect the consumer and provide access to justice. Which is the way it ought to be.
General
The Shocking Truth About Wrongful Death - Part 14
Your Lawyer Doesn't Get Paid Unless You Do
Most of us don't have to hire lawyers very many times in our lives, so there's an understandable apprehension. One source of anxiety is the fear that hiring a lawyer will cost too much money. In a wrongful death case though, that shouldn't be a concern. The vast majority of lawyers handling cases like these will work on a contingent fee basis. That means that the lawyer's fee is covered through the settlement proceeds or court judgment.
The benefit of this type of arrangement is that the client doesn't have to pay the lawyer a big retainer up front, and in cases of need, the lawyer will cover the numerous expenses involved in a wrongful death case. Litigating cases is an expensive endeavor. Most people would never be able to come up with enough money to pay a lawyer by the hour for these time-consuming cases, let alone cover the big-ticket items such as payments to medical experts and the creation of complicated exhibits. Under a contingency fee agreement, family members who lost a loved one don't have to be rich to get their day in court. The contingency agreement provides access to justice - the keys to the court house.
The lawyer takes on considerable risk with this arrangement. If the case has flaws that cause it to get dismissed before trial or the claims can't be proven in court, the lawyer doesn't get paid. That's why most lawyers will be careful about what cases they decide to take on. That's good for everyone. The lawyer doesn't want to waste time, energy, and money on a weak claim. And prospective clients don't want to get their hopes up when there may not be a case.
In most situations, the lawyer's fee will be 25-33.3 percent of the gross settlement or court award. In some situations, the lawyer may set the contingent fee at 40 percent if the case is difficult and may have to go to trial, to cover the additional time, expense and risk required to take a case that far. The likely size of the money damages is also a factor in setting a fair contingency fee. In the event of a settlement or court award, the case expenses are taken from the client's portion of the recovery.
If the client has a concern about the reasonableness of a fee agreement, she has the right to have it reviewed by a court officer.
When you meet with a lawyer, you will have to sign a contract that specifies how the lawyer will be compensated and how the expenses will be paid. Make sure that the contingency fee arrangement is clearly spelled out. If you don't feel comfortable with the contract, don't sign it. If you have questions, make sure you get answers before you sign the document.
St Louis Bankruptcy Blog
What Is An Attorney Only Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Payment Plan?
Date: 09/03/2010Missouri Injury Blog
Everything You Need To Know About Motorcycle Helmets
Date: 09/03/2010Personal Injury Attorney News
What Car Accidents are Costing You
Date: 09/03/2010Personal Injury Attorney News Portal
Pedestrian Injured in Bus Accident
Date: 09/03/2010Pedestrian Injured in Bus Accident is a post from: Personal Injury Attorney News Portal
Personal Injury Lawyer News
Fullerton Car Accident Injures Three
Date: 09/03/2010Fullerton Car Accident Injures Three is a post from: Personal Injury Lawyers News
Personal Injury Lawyer Report
Pedestrian Injured in San Diego Car Accident
Date: 09/03/2010Pedestrian Injured in San Diego Car Accident is a post from: Personal Injury Lawyer Report
Personal Injury Lawyer Journal
San Diego Hit-And-Run Collision Injures Pedestrian
Date: 09/03/2010San Diego Hit-And-Run Collision Injures Pedestrian is a post from: Personal Injury Lawyer Journal
Personal Injury Questions and Answers
Woman Injured in San Diego Hit-and-Run Car Accident
Date: 09/03/2010California Injury Blog
Motorcycle Accident Causes Major Injuries
Date: 09/04/2010
A motorcyclist sustained serious personal injuries after an accident on the 5 Freeway in Mission Viejo caused by a pallet dropped on the roadway. According to a news report in The Orange County Register, the motorcyclist was northbound on the freeway near Oso Parkway on August 27, 2010, when he struck the debris and crashed. He has been hospitalized with major injuries. California Highway Patrol officials are investigating this incident.
I sympathize with this motorcyclist, who has apparently suffered severe injuries because of someone else's negligence. I pray he recovers quickly and completely from his injuries.
This is a post from BestAttorney.com - BISNAR | CHASE California Personal Injury LawyersVirginia Wrongful Death Blog
video answers most frequently asked question
Date: 09/03/2010Frequently Asked Questions - Virginia Accident Cases
California Personal Injury Blog
Pasadena Hit-and-Run Crash Injures Elderly Pedestrian
Date: 09/03/2010Pasadena Hit-and-Run Crash Injures Elderly Pedestrian is a post from: BestAttorney.com - BISNAR | CHASE California Personal Injury Lawyers
Halifax Personal Injury Blog
Traumatic Brain Injury a "Disease" not an "Event"
Date: 09/02/2010Traumatic Brain Injury Claims
New research published in this months issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma advocates treating traumatic brain injury as a chronic disease process, rather than an isolated event.
As a brain injury lawyer, I wholeheartedly agree with the conclusions reached in the article.
Brain Injury the Beginning of a Process
The authors of the study, Brent E. Masel and Douglas S. DeWitt from the Univesity of Texas Department of Neurology state that:
The purpose of this article is to encourage the classification of traumatic brain injury (TBI) as the beginning of a chronic disease process, rather than an event or final outcome. Head trauma is the beginning of an ongoing, perhaps lifelong, process that impacts multiple organ systems and may be disease causative and accelerative.
The authors review how a brain injury is often the start of a degenerative process that may cause further injury, even death, months or years after the initial trauma. The conclusions reached by the authors no doubt will be supported by brain injury survivors, their family's and those that advocate for survivors.
Chronic traumatic brain injury disease should be reimbursed and managed on a par with all other chronic diseases. Only then will the individuals with this condition get the medical surveillance, support, and treatment they so richly deserve. Only then will brain-injury research receive the funding it requires. Only then will we be able to truly talk about a cure.
Virginia Car Accident Lawyer Blog
video answers most frequently asked question
Date: 09/03/2010Frequently Asked Questions - Virginia Accident Cases
Halifax Sexual Abuse Claims Blog
Priest Sexual Abuse Class Action Filed in Montreal
Date: 09/02/2010A new class action has been filed in Quebec alleging sexual abuse by priests.
The class action names the Community of the Clerics of St. Viateur in Montreal and the Raymond-Dewar Institute (also known as the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb) as defendants.
The representative plaintiff, Serge D’arcy says he was a victim of sexual abuse by priests while attending the institute between 1967 and 1972. D'arcy states that he was subjected to physical and sexual abuse by priests who were members of the religious group who taught and worked at the Dewar Institute.
I applaud Mr. D'arcy's courage in coming forward on behalf of himself and other victims.
I am pleased to see that class action legislation is being used as a tool to help more victims of childhood abuse. I had the pleasure of being invited to present on this issue at The Canadian Institute's 9th Annual summit on Institutional Liability for Sexual Assault & Abuse.
Ron Martin's sexual abuse class action against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish was a groundbreaking claim. The landmark settlement achieved in that class action will provide accountability, closure, and fair compensation to victims who would never be able to speak publicly about what happened to them.
Halifax Medical Malpractice Blog
Doctor Sues to Silence Patient
Date: 07/28/2010I read blog post today by my colleague Catherine Bertram, a medical malpractice lawyer in Washington D.C. that I thought was interesting.
Dr. Sues Her Patient
She has posted about a California physician, Dr. Kimberley Henry, who has sued one of her own patients who posted a negative review about Dr. Henry online. I wonder if Dr. Henry is opposed to online rating websites generally or just the ones that say bad things about her? Keep in mind that Dr. Henry has signed up for some of these webites and posted her profile.
Gag Orders
Last year I posted about a similar issue Doctors Forcing Patients to Sign Gag Orders .
Catherine's post indicates that some doctors are becoming more aggressive about trying to prevent patients from exercising their right to freedom of expression.
Coming to Canada?
I'm not aware of any similar suits here in Canada, but the online doctor rating sites like Rate MD are a great resource for Canadians. Is it only a matter of time before we start to see doctors suing their own patients?
What do you think? Let me know by posting a comment.
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Accidents and Injuries
- I was injured in a car accident and the insurance company of the person who hit me is telling me I have to use my own accident benefit coverage (Section B) to pay for my physiotherapy treatments before I use his coverage. Why is this?
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- I slipped at a department store about 4½ hours ago. I didn't fall, but I definitely pulled muscles. I don't know if I should wait until tomorrow to see if that is all it is or if I should seek medical attention tonight. Should I go to the emergency room or should I contact the department store and ask them if they have a physician I should go to?