Florida and Georgia Nursing Home Abuse Cases are Handled on a Contingency Fee
We Handle All Cases on a Contingency Fee Basis
The MattLaw® team of personal injury/wrongful death lawyers handle all of our cases on a contingency fee basis.
Both in Florida and Georgia, we are paid for our legal services an agreed upon percentage of the money you receive, only if we win your case or settle your case out of court.
This means our payment for our legal services is “contingent” upon you receiving a monetary recovery in your case from a settlement or verdict. If there is no monetary recovery in your case, then there is no fee for our legal services.
Contingency Fees and Lawyer Advertising
Contents
Florida and Georgia Lawyer Fees
Chapter #24: Advertising Legal Services in Georgia
Georgia Bar Rules on Advertising
Chapter #25: Florida Bar Rules on Advertising
Advertising Rules in Florida for Legal Services
Florida and Georgia Lawyer Fees
Chapter #23: Contingency Fees are Designed to Allow People Who Could Not Hire a Lawyer Up Front to Have Access to the Courts
Contingency fee contracts help to level the playing field between the wealthy and those unable to pay attorney’s fees up front by the hour. Contingency fees are allowed because many injured persons can’t afford to pay the high costs of litigation against a corporation, or other defendant, who has insurance who funds the defense, and pays their lawyers by the hour.
These costs are only reimbursed if a recovery is obtained at the end of the case. This eliminates the need for our clients to have to pay for such costs until the case reaches some resolution.
In the event that there is no recovery, you don’t pay us anything.
Contingency Fees are designed to allow people who could not hire a lawyer up front to have access to the courts.
Our courts realized long ago that hiring a lawyer was expensive and difficult for those who could not pay a lawyer in advance. The Constitution was written to provide all people access to our court system. Our legal system realizes that when a person has been injured due to the neglect or abuse of another, hiring an attorney may not be feasible. Therefore, the laws protect victims and allow the victims to hire a lawyer on a contingency fee basis. This assures that everyone can talk to a lawyer, and if their case has enough merit, fault, damages and collectability, then a lawyer may accept the case and be paid upon winning the case.
At MattLaw® we offer a free consultation to talk with you about your nursing home or ALF abuse case.
If we can accept your case, we do so on a contingency fee basis.
You pay us nothing up front, and if we are able to make a recovery for you, then we will be paid a portion of the case as our fee.
We will also pay the reasonable costs of litigating your claim, and if we are able to make a recovery for you, then we will be paid our costs back in addition to the attorney fees.
We carefully screen all of the potential cases before we accept any case. Obviously, we have to make sure the cases we accept on a contingency fee basis have a good foundation, which will allow us to make a recovery for you. Otherwise, we would waste your time and our resources if we accept a case without a reasonable chance of winning the case for you.
If you have any questions about a wrongful death or serious injury nursing home abuse case, call MattLaw® today at 813-222-2222 for a free confidential consultation.
Advertising Legal Services in Georgia
Chapter #24: Georgia Bar Rules on Advertising
The Georgia Bar Rules on attorney advertising are included under Georgia Rules of Professional Responsibility 7.1 through 7.5, and you may review those here.
Pursuant to Georgia Rule of Professional Responsibility 7.1(5), anytime an attorney or law firm advertises the fact that they handle cases on a contingency fee basis then they must also include the following disclaimer in their advertisement:
“Contingent attorneys’ fees refer only to those fees charged by attorneys for their legal services. Such fees are not permitted in all types of cases. Court costs and other additional expenses of legal action usually must be paid by the client.”
Likewise, pursuant to Georgia Rule of Professional Responsibility 7.1(6), anytime an attorney or law firm advertises that there is “no fee unless you win or collect” or uses similar phrases such as there is “no fee for our services unless we recover compensation for you” or “we are paid an agreed upon percentage of the money you receive for our legal services only if we win your case or settle your case out of court” or “if there is no monetary recovery in your case then there is no fee for our legal services”; or uses any similar phrase, then the attorney or law firm must include the following disclaimer in their advertisement.
[The phrases] ’No fee for our services unless we recover compensation for you’ and ‘we are paid an agreed upon percentage of the money you receive for our legal services only if we win your case or settle your case out of court’ and ‘[i]f there is no monetary recovery in your case then there is no fee for our legal services” [all] refer only to fees charged by the attorney. Court costs and other additional expenses of legal action usually must be paid by the client. Contingent fees are not permitted in all kinds of cases.”
However, at MattLaw® the costs are also contingent upon our recovering compensation for you.
Access to lawyers is a fundamental right in Georgia, the regulation of advertising is important to maintain the integrity of our profession.
As a client you have the right to know that if we accept your case on a contingency fee basis and we are unable to make a recovery for you, you will not have to pay us any costs or any fees, because we only get paid if we make a recovery for you.
Advertising Rules in Florida for Legal Services
Chapter #25: Florida Bar Rules on Advertising
Florida Rules for Legal Advertising by lawyers regulates what can be said by lawyers, and what information must be included in any legal advertisements.
One important aspect of advertising for nursing home abuse cases is if the lawyer intends to refer the case out to another lawyer to handle the nursing home abuse case, they must state this in the advertisement.
At MattLaw®, we handle nursing home abuse cases and gladly accept referrals of nursing home cases from other attorneys. The only time we refer a nursing home case to another attorney is if it is in a state other than Florida or Georgia.
In Florida, it is improper for a lawyer to say that they are board certified in an area of law unless they are able to objectively verify their claims of specialization through their training, education, experience, or substantial involvement in the area of law.
Matt Powell is a triple Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, certified by both the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Matt Powell is a specialist in civil trials.
Legal Advertising and Contingency Fees
Hiring an attorney is an important decision for you and your family. Advertisements only give you so much information. Before you decide on hiring an attorney, do your research. Find out if the law firm you may hire will actually commit to taking your case all the way to trial, or do they usually refer out the case to another lawyer or law firm to work up the case, or even more importantly, take your case to trial.
If you have questions, don’t wait. Call us at MattLaw® for a free confidential consultation. 813-222-2222
Contingency Fees Level the Playing Field for Victims of Nursing Home Abuse
Hiring a lawyer for you or your family is one of the most important decisions you may ever make. You may be concerned about being asked to pay up front for fees or costs.
At MattLaw®, we handle nursing home and assisted living facility neglect and abuse cases on a contingency fee basis. This means we only are paid if we recover money on your behalf.
We pay all the investigation and filing fees out of our pocket, and we only get our expenses back if and when we make a recovery for you.
When it comes time to select the best attorney for you and your loved ones, ask about:
Board certification and specialization
ask about:
Trial experience
ask about:
When was the last time the lawyer took a case like yours all the way to trial?
ask about:
What is the likelihood of settlement of my nursing home case without going to trial?
When you get straight answers to these questions, you will feel comfortable about hiring the right attorney for your case.
I hope you call me,
Matt Powell – Triple Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer by the Florida Bar
