ASK THE LONG BEACH WORKERS COMP ATTORNEYS:

How Much Do Attorneys Charge in a Workers Comp Case?

No Attorney Fees Unless You Recover

To begin with, the good news is that Worker’s Compensation attorneys are paid on a “contingency” basis. This means that your attorney will only get paid if they win your workers’ comp case.
So there are no “upfront” attorney fees in a workers’ comp case. In other words, attorney fees come out of your settlement, not out of your pocket!

Attorney Fees in Workers Comp Cases are Set by the Judge

The amount that an attorney can receive for representing you in a workers compensation case varies by state. Ths article applies to workers comp attorney fees in California only.

California actually has some of the LOWEST attorney fees in the country in worker comp Cases.

In California a judge can approve attorney’s fee of 10%, 12%, or 15%.

How much in attorney fees the judge sets will depend upon how complex your Workers Comp case is. More difficult or complicated cases involve more of the attorneys’ time – so they are compensated at a slightly higher rate.  But in no case will you be paying more than 15% in attorney fees in a California workers compensation case.

Judge Can Award Penalty Fees in Workers Comp Cases

Also, in certain cases, under limited circumstances, an attorney may be ask the judge to award additional money compensation beyond your workers comp benefits as a “penalty” to the employer. Circumstances where a judge might assess a penalty against an employer in a workers comp case are: discrimination under the Labor Code; serious or willful behavior; or an unreasonable refusal or delay of workers’ comp benefits.

Penalty awards are separate compensation from your workers compensation benefits and attorneys will usually earn fees of 33% on just the “penalty” portion of your award.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses in Workers Comp Cases

During the course of representing an injured client, an attorney will usually have to “cover” expenses such as medical records, work records, copying, postage, and even medical or psychiatric exams. The expenses which an attorney ends up paying are called “out of pocket” expenses.

The client is responsible to reimburse the attorney for these “out of pocket” costs – usually out of their settlement. Typically these “out of pocket” costs are no more than a few hundred dollars per case. It is permitted under the law to ask for money to cover these expenses “up front” – but our attorneys cover these costs for you until you receive your award.

Our Long Beach Workers Comp Attorneys Get Fast Results!

When determining if it is “worth it” to pay a small percentage of your settlement to an attorney to represent you, remember that workers comp applicants represent by an experienced attorney are likely to get more compensation – and receive it faster – than applicants without an attorney. Hiring an experienced law firm is a small investment – to ensure that you receive the maximum workers’ compensation benefits for which you qualify in the shortest amount of time possible.

Call Our Long Beach Workers’ Comp Attorneys: 562-622-4800

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