Fees and Expenses

In most cases, our law firm represents clients on a contingency fee basis. This means that we are paid only if we are successful. It also means that we are able to represent people who ordinarily would not be able to afford a lawyer. If you have been harmed by medical malpractice, a defective product, nursing home abuse, or a serious automobile accident in Virginia, call us today for a free consultation.

MR. PETTY: One of the first questions that clients ask when they come in is about the fees. Anyone who's come to us, and called a lawyer because of an injury, has already had something horrible happen to them. Usually, it's devastating, not only physically, but financially. Often, it's taken them out of work; the medical bills are staggering. And the first thing people want to know is can they afford a lawyer? Fortunately, the way we work is that our fee is contingent on the result in the case. In other words, we don't earn a fee unless we are successful in either accomplishing a settlement, or getting a jury verdict. Fees are separate from costs. There are out-of-pocket costs that go along with pursuing these cases. And I have to tell people from the get go that it's extremely expensive to pursue a complicated personal injury, medical malpractice, or product liability case. We have to hire expert witnesses, there are filing fees, deposition costs, and it's not unusual to have costs certainly in the five figures, and sometimes even in six figures. That's one of the reasons we have to be so selective in the cases that we take, because often our client can't afford to pay that, and we're in a position where we have to advance those costs, come out-of-pocket as a law firm, not to mention the fact that we don't earn a fee, unless we're successful. A lot of clients know, coming in, that our fee is going to be contingent, but for people that are worried about it, who don't know about contingency fees, I find that when we explain that, there's often a big sigh of relief, that they don't have to go into their pocket right away, to hire a lawyer, that they can focus on the things that they need to do, and we can handle the case, and if we're successful, then we'll earn our living. And if we're not, then we share in the risk, and the client hasn't had to come out of pocket.