If you were contemplating hiring the services of a Grand Junction Medical Malpractice Lawyer, the foremost concern would be about the cost of the lawyer. You should rest assured that the answer would be relatively encouraging for several patients who have suffered injuries due to sub-standard healthcare.
The major reason would be medical malpractice lawyers often offer a free consultation. They would like to discuss the process of filing a claim along with the chances of success. If the lawyer is willing to take up the case, they would not need any payment unless the case has been resolved successfully. The claimant would be awarded a settlement or an award from the jury.
Let us discuss the common fee arrangements between the lawyers and the patients, the legislative efforts, and the important considerations for patients to alter medical malpractice fee arrangements.
A majority of medical malpractice lawyers would take up your case on a contingency basis. It implies that the contingency fee of the lawyer would be paid a percentage of the award or settlement in the case. Therefore, if the claim goes to trial and the patient loses, the lawyer would not be paid at all.
The portion of the award that goes to the lawyer as fee could vary largely. However, the most common contingent fee has been approximately 33% of the total award or settlement. A majority of arrangements may use different numbers for different circumstances. The lawyer would settle for 33% of fee before the case goes to trial and 40% if the case goes to trial.
Yet another consideration would be the person paying the cost of litigation. You should rest assured it could be substantial. These costs would be inclusive of hiring an expert witness, cost of obtaining medical records, court fee, and any other cost associated with the claim. Most lawyers would agree with the claimant about the lawyer paying the costs of litigation initially.
