| One
of the first questions many prospective clients ask us is “how
much do you charge”.
Personal injury is an area of the law where
all people have equal access to justice. The reason for this is
the contingent fee agreement. When clients retain Marks &
Harrison the amount they are charged will ordinarily be a
percentage of the total amount of any recovery in their claim
whether that is by settlement, jury verdict, or some other
alternative dispute resolution procedure.
American courts have long recognized that without contingent
fees most citizens when injured lack the means to hire quality
legal representation. People desperately in need or being
compensated for their injuries usually have no recourse against
those who have harmed them if they have to pay lawyers by the
hour. With a contingent fee there is no attorney’s fee charged
unless the attorney is successful. The attorney’s fee, however,
is distinguished from litigation expenses which ordinarily
remain an obligation to the client. At Marks & Harrison our Firm
routinely advances litigation expenses while the case is pending
and those expenses are deducted when the client receives their
recovery at the conclusion of the case.
There are other methods by which personal injury attorneys can be retained to
represent injured people but at Marks & Harrison we feel the
advantages of the contingent fee agreement are numerous. The
greatest advantage to the client is the absence of any risks of
owing the attorney a fee if the case is not successful. People
who have been harmed who retain attorneys on a contingent basis
are able to retain attorneys who are qualified to stand toe to
toe with the attorneys retained by the insurance companies to
represent those who have harmed them.
At Marks & Harrison our interests are joined with yours
unlike attorneys who work on an hourly basis. Contingent fee
agreements provide motivation to the attorney to do his best
possible job for the client. When attorneys are paid on an
hourly basis there is no incentive for the attorney to be
efficient, effective, and work hard. The incentive is simply to
work long. At Marks & Harrison almost all of cases are handled
on a contingent fee basis. The percentage charged will be
discussed with you at the time you contact our Firm and will
depend upon the complexity of the matter and other factors which
will be reviewed with you at the outset of the representation.
Many litigation law firms expect to be compensated, even if
there's no recovery of money. Because we are confident in the
cases we handle, we share in the risk of no recovery and work as
a full partner on the case. We would hat it no other way.
Workers’ compensation and
social security disability
attorney’s fees are generally controlled by the Virginia
Workers’ Compensation Commission and the Social Security
Administration. We welcome your questions regarding personal
injury attorney’s
fees. We think it is important that there be an open and frank
discussion before representation is undertaken regarding the
attorney’s fees to be charged and it is important that the
client understand fully how they will be charged. |
