We received determination from civil rights commission that my husband was discriminated against for being disabled at his college. They told us we have a mediation in Sept and to get a lawyer. We called lawyer and found one to do it on contingency. Is this good? any advice?
2007-08-09 05:59:48 · 4 answers · asked by SunValleyLife 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
This is good, as well as common. Make sure you sign an agreement that you are comfortable with. A contingency means that the attorney's fee will be taken out of a percentage of the total award as opposed to an hourly rate or any other fee arrangement. Costs will be taken out of the award or paid as incurred, by you. You may interview other attorneys or seek out organizations specializing in discrimination before you decide to hire another attorney. Best of luck.
2007-08-09 07:02:20 · answer #1 · answered by Tara P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yea, that sounds good, that means the attorney doesn't get paid until you do, and since it looks like you have a good case, it shouldn't be too hard. Just make sure that your attorney has all of the relevant information he or she needs, because any additional costs for research, etc., will be charged to you in the end. Other little things like coming into the lawyer's office to sign a document -- instead of having them overnight it to you and have it overnighted back -- will also save some money from being deducted out for costs at the end.
In mediations, victims are more likely to get a settlement than in a trial or arbitration, because the mediator works hard to make sure both sides come out happy. Just keep in mind that the attorney's contingency fee and costs will be deducted out of whatever amount you settle on.
2007-08-09 06:32:48 · answer #2 · answered by Hillary 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes, contingency fee is the norm for this type of case. Since you had a favorable result from the commission, I would negotiate a lower %. some agreements vary the % the attorney gets depending on the stage that the case is resolved (before action filed, before trial, after trial).
This arrangement will allow you to get a better attorney than you could afford if you had to pay by the hour. You don't get as much from any award. However you are more likely to get a larger award with an attorney than without.
2007-08-09 06:07:22 · answer #3 · answered by hensleyclaw 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What that means is:
If you don't win, you don't pay. It could be an indication that your case is a strong one. However, it could also mean that the attorney is just being nice because he/she thought you were wrong.
My advice is that you not speak about your case to ANYONE. Only talk to your attorney. People regularly lose cases because they talk. Period. So don't say a word about it to anyone but your attorney. It really can cost you the whole case.
2007-08-09 06:05:28 · answer #4 · answered by cyanne2ak 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋