Copyright © 2024 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.
If you have been in an accident that has resulted in a traumatic brain injury, securing skilled legal representation is crucial. The cost of a Maryland brain injury lawyer is relatively simple. In fact, the fee structure allows for anyone in Maryland to retain the best available legal counsel. This is generally untrue with most other fields of law. For example, in corporate law, law firms are known to require exorbitantly priced retainers and charge thousands of dollars an hour. The cost of a Gelb & Gelb Maryland brain injury lawyer, and many other personal injury lawyers in Maryland, is not accounted for on an hourly basis. We operate on a contingency fee basis. There are many advantages to this, which we discuss below.
When looking for an attorney, it is imperative to remember that the cost of a Maryland brain injury lawyer with 30 years of experience might be, at least in structure, the same as that of a lawyer with three years of experience. Accordingly, you should consider the merit of the lawyer himself rather than the cost. Any lawyer that discounts his services below the standard fee structure adhered to by the vast majority of personal injury lawyers may be compensating for the lack of one of the core qualities you should seek out when researching which firm to hire. This guide will explore the various factors that affect attorney fees, the standard fee structures used by brain injury lawyers, and tips on choosing the right attorney to handle your case.
If you believe you have a viable claim for brain injury in Maryland, contact our office immediately for a free case evaluation.
The cost of a Maryland brain injury lawyer depends on the compensation you recover and how you recover that compensation. Generally, the standard fee structure for Maryland brain injury lawyers is one-third of a settlement. Thus, the legal fee will be greater if there is a larger recovery. This is generally adequate as the lawyer almost always does more and better work if there is a larger recovery. Of course, if there is a smaller recovery for the plaintiff and client, the attorney should recover less. Additionally, this fee structure incentivizes the lawyer, more so than any other type of fee structure, to recover as much as possible on behalf of their client.
For a lawyer who works on an hourly basis, the attorney is not necessarily incentivized to do a better job on the case. They may feel compelled to communicate more with their client. However, this is not necessarily correlated with a larger recovery. In fact, the client may find it to be a nuisance. The client usually understands that the lawyer is being overly verbose in their communication. The client may also feel less inclined to ask questions of their lawyer, understanding that receiving an answer may cost hundreds of dollars. Fortunately, this is not the case with the typical cost of a Maryland brain injury lawyer who works on a contingency fee basis.
As mentioned above, the legal fee is one-third of a settlement. However, if the attorney does file suit on your claim, the fee typically increases to 40%. The exception to this 33%/40% fee structure is when there is a claim against the government. When this happens, laws may require that the attorney reduce their fee. Of course, this is an intentional disincentive by the government for claims to be pursued against it.
The cost of a Maryland brain injury lawyer depends on the ultimate size of the recovery. Thus, the cost of a lawyer when the recovery is $100,000 is larger than that of the attorney when the recovery is $50,000. To estimate the cost of your case, you must attempt to assess its value. Of course, this is impossible. Every case is different, especially cases relating to traumatic brain injuries. Here, we discuss factors to consider when evaluating the value of your case, which ultimately leads you to the cost of a Maryland brain injury lawyer.
If a case is more complex, this may mean it is more likely to go to trial. This is because a relatively simple case is more likely to be settled. When there is little room for interpretation, the case’s value is obvious to both legal teams negotiating its value. Accordingly, the settlement will quickly fall close to the case’s true value when effective negotiators are on both sides. This is less true with complex cases. For a complex case, reasonable minds can differ. This increases the probability of going to court and letting a jury determine the case’s value. However, when your Maryland brain injury lawyer files suit on a case, the legal fee typically increases from one-third to 40%. Therefore, if you have a more complex case, as brain injury cases tend to be, there may be a higher cost for your attorney.
The severity of the injury and its long-term impacts have a direct effect on the cost of a Maryland brain injury lawyer. These two factors also directly impact the value of your case. When negotiating a settlement, we consider long-term effects that you may struggle with as you adjust to life with a traumatic brain injury. This is known as “noneconomic damage.” While this intangible damage is harder to calculate as it is not as exact as a medical cost, it does have substantial value. Accordingly, the more severe your injury is and the more extensive the long-term impacts, the more your legal cost will be as the size of the recovery increases.
We now understand the standard fee structure most Maryland brain injury lawyers implement. So, how do you choose a lawyer while considering the cost of a Maryland brain injury lawyer? Given that the fee structure remains fairly consistent across law firms, you should seek an attorney with experience, who you trust, and who is effective and efficient. During your consultation, does the attorney seem to understand the extent of your injuries? Does he appear knowledgeable on the liability portion of your case? If you find it challenging to get in touch with the attorney, even during the initial part of your case, this is a bad sign, and it is unlikely that things will improve.
One thing that sets Gelb & Gelb apart from many other law firms is the service of our attorneys. A paralegal or secretary performs the initial case consultation and onboarding at many law firms. We believe that you deserve attention from a skilled attorney. When you reach out to a law firm, you expect the care and counsel of an attorney, not a paralegal. Accordingly, one of the most crucial things to look for is the attorney’s responsiveness and whether an attorney communicates with you.
Experience is just as important. At Gelb & Gelb, we have been handling brain injury cases in Maryland for over 70 years. Experience is critical in personal injury law.
Contact our office today to learn more about the cost of a Maryland brain injury lawyer or for a free case evaluation. Call our office at (202) 331-7227.
Copyright © 2024 Gelb & Gelb, P.C. All rights reserved.