(May 1, 2018 at 1:15 pm)Joods Wrote:(May 1, 2018 at 12:58 pm)KevinM1 Wrote: Except, it hardly ever happens that way. Typically, a potential client will contact a lawyer. The lawyer will then decide if the potential client has a case worth pursuing. If so, then the lawyer will attempt to get the best settlement possible from the other party. Why? Because going to court is the last thing any competent lawyer wants to do. It's expensive for the client, and chances of success are far less likely because you're relying on the opinions of others. Sometimes it's a judge, other times it's a jury, but usually the result is less than what a settlement would garner.
No lawyer will tell you up front "It's going to cost you $X" simply because they don't know. They'll tell you their hourly rate, sure, but the final cost is dependent on what the other side is willing to do, and how far/stubborn the client is. And the lawyer will always give their client a choice when it gets to the tipping point - do you want to take the offered settlement? Do you want to proceed with court? Do you want to go it alone?
Actually, in cases like car accidents, a lawyer generally gets 1/3 of the settlement amount, regardless of the amount of time spent on actually doing any work pertaining to the case. That's the standard.
But it's 1/3rd of X until X is solved for. That was my point. No lawyer is going to say "You're going to get $50k, and it's going to cost $30k to get it." They don't know that. It depends on the mitigating circumstances of the case itself, as well as what the other side is prepared to give (even if there's a standard formula in play), and how much hardball they play during negotiations. Even for something as rote as a car accident.
A lawyer may be able to estimate the cost, if it's something like a simple car accident. But for a case with moving parts? Nope.
