Q: Can the lawyer change the percentage to 40% after you already signed for 33%?
Hi I had a lawyer in the beginning of my casea who made me sign an agreement for them to take 33% of my settlement once done. He got sick and had another lawyer take over the case and she is not charging 40% plus 5000 in court fees. I have a friend who is a paralegal and says this is wrong and that it should all be included in the 33% that we originally signed for.... she is trying to get over on us...is this true?
A:
The new lawyer should have had a new fee agreement. If they didn't they are bound by the old. You should get an itemized statement of costs. Generally, unless you are Limited Tort in a car crash case, standard fee is 33%.
If you can't work it out with the lawyer, contact the fee dispute resolution committee of your county's bar association.
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