Rarely does a lawyer carry out multiple tasks for any single client, without charging the same client for his or her services. Still, not every injury lawyer has gained expertise in the same area of the law. Consequently, an injury lawyer’s billing system tends to reflect the nature of that same injury lawyer’s cases.
Some lawyers charge a flat fee.
Generally, when members of the legal profession charge a flat fee, those same professionals deal with transactional work. Their clients include members of the public that want to write a will, plan for division of an estate, set-up a corporation or take part in a real estate transaction. Each such client pays a flat fee, and a part of that money covers the lawyer’s out-of-pocket expenses.
An injury lawyer in a firm might charge an hourly rate.
If you decide to work with a such an injury lawyer, you should stand ready to deal with the possible consequences of your decision. For instance, you might end up working with a junior lawyer, a younger and less-experienced member of the firm. You could find it difficult to obtain a reliable estimate of what you might eventually have to pay to the firm.
Finally, there is one other way that your decision could add to the growing number of uncertainties in your life. In addition to the money demanded, as based on an hourly rate, you should anticipate a request for payment of certain upfront fees. Those get added to whatever amount has been determined by calculations, using the hourly rate.
Some lawyers charge on a contingency basis.
Typically, an Injury Lawyer in Burlington that deals with clients that have filed a personal injury claim uses that type of billing system. In such cases, each of the injury lawyer’s clients pays the fee when the settlement money has been received. The lawyer takes an agreed upon percent of that settlement money.
In Ontario, which is part of Canada, personal injury lawyers must charge an additional fee. It is referred to as the HST charge. The money to cover the HST charge gets taken out of the funds that have been designated as the contingency fee.
Regardless of the fact that clients do get hit with an HST charge, those same clients do have a chance to enjoy a no-cost consultation. Personal injury lawyers offer a free consultation to prospective clients. During that consultation, the prospective client considers the lawyer’s experience and credentials.
At the same time, the possible client considers the nature of the client’s case. The nature of that case reflects the specific allegations made against the defendant. The personal injury lawyer’s mind should focus on the strength of those particular allegations, during any planned consultation.
