Attorney Fees in Workers Compensation Case

ATTORNEYS FEES IN WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

As for attorneys fees, the fee applicable to workers’ compensation claims is always twenty percent of the benefits the attorney or firm may secure for you as the result of litigation or settlement. This fee is limited by law and is substantially less than the contingency fees charged for other types of injury litigation. I know of no workers’ compensation attorneys charging less. If there are any out there, beware. In short, we all charge the same. Therefore, when your claim goes into litigation or when you elect a negotiated lump sum settlement, you will pay a twenty percent fee to your attorney whether he is excellent or plain bad, whether the work is done by an experienced workers’ compensation litigator or a by a firm employing junior associates fresh out of law school. The question then becomes: who can you trust to make sure your claim survives and thrives to the point of obtaining that lump sum settlement? Who can you count on to make sure that the lump sum is the largest possible number? My advice: Look for a small firm where every success matters and where the firm income comes from skilled and personalized representation of each individual client, rather than from the mere volume of work and the low wages paid to junior associates. Look for a skilled litigator with a minimum of, say, sixteen years experience representing injured workers. Look for a solo practitioner who is a hands-on litigator and not a mere law office manager selling legal services to be performed by unseen others. Most importantly, look for someone you can really talk to and who really knows the law. Call me. I would love to meet you.