Quote:
Originally Posted by burn_this_city
I agree that soft tissue injuries are very real but settlements should be based on the amount of treatment required post accident. I also think they should *gasp* cap the amount lawyers can take on these settlements.. The average 30% is a bit much and I would need alot of convincing to believe otherwise..
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Lawyer fees are not added on to the award, and are negotiable. The settlements would be the same, whatever the lawyer's percentage. Lawyers might be reluctant to take cases if the contingency was lower (complicated cases can be a lot of work).
I think most injury lawyers charge a sliding rate, depending at what stage the cases settles. They take a lot of risk in opening a file - they might not get paid very much for the work they do in some cases. It is an unusual system, but necessary, where many Plaintiffs can't afford to pay a lawyer up front. There are not many professionals that get paid this way - can you imagine financial planners only getting paid when your investments increase?