Nov 02, 2016 · Plaintiffs’ lawyers performed 527,081 hours of legal work for the benefit of the two BP classes. (That’s distinct from the hours lawyers worked for their own individual clients.)
Dec 30, 2015 ·
Oct 27, 2016 · In weighing the award against local billing rates, Barbier said it would be the equivalent to an average $450 per hour legal fee, after being weighted for the intensity of effort involved in the...
You want a lawyer who knows the subject matter of your legal problem inside and out, charges reasonably, treats you with respect, and with whom you...
Most disputes between lawyers and clients are over money -- specifically, over how much money the client owes the lawyer. Some states avoid these p...
No one wants the shock of a hefty bill from a lawyer’s office at the end of the month, but it can happen. Here are a few tips to help keep your leg...
A few months after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, BP announced that it had set up a $20 billion escrow fund that's primarily meant to compensate businesses and workers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas whose financial livelihood has suffered as a result of the BP oil spill disaster. Claims can also be filed for injuries and health problems linked to the spill, though the process for those kinds of claims may take longer (and claims for mental health problems caused by the spill likely won't be covered by the fund at all). For in-depth information on filing a claim with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (the independent administrator running the claims process), see Nolo's article BP Oil Spill: Filing a Claim With BP's Compensation Fund.
A few months after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, BP announced that it had set up a $20 billion escrow fund that's primarily meant to compensate businesses and workers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas whose financial livelihood has suffered as a result of the BP oil spill disaster.
Families and individuals in the Gulf region worried about the health hazards posed by the chemicals used to disperse and clean up the oil. And, with its dubious distinction as the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history, the BP oil spill inflicted immeasurable devastation on the Gulf's coastline, wetlands, wildlife, and ecosystems.
Transocean, which owned the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig (and which was found partially liable for the spill in a 2011 report by the federal government) Halliburton, the well contractor (which was also found to share liability in that same 2011 report), and. Cameron International, the company that manufactured the underwater well's blowout ...
Department of Justice to pay $18.7 billion in settlement over the spill and its effects.
In the months after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, it's estimated that almost five million barrels of oil gushed from the seabed and into the Gulf, making it the worst oil spill in history.
Legal funding, also referred to as lawsuit funding, litigation finance,or legal lending, is a type of financing that was specially developed by legalexperts to help both attorneys and their plaintiff clients thrive economicallywhile waiting on decisions to be rendered or paid out in long-lasting legalbattles.
Voucher Funding is a typeofadvance that is available only to attorneys who have been hired by stategovernments. An Attorney Line of Creditis atype of funding that does not follow the guidelines set out above; structurally,it is similar to a bank line of credit, though it is customized to benefitattorneys.
You want a lawyer who knows the subject matter of your legal problem inside and out, charges reasonably, treats you with respect, and with whom you can communicate. Though no lawyer is cheap, you probably can find lawyers all over the price spectrum who can meet your needs.
From your point of view, a contingency fee is a good deal when the attorney must take a significant risk, but not so much when little risk is involved—unless you agree on a much lower percentage, of course. Avoid security interests.
A written agreement should include: 1 Retainer. If you must pay a deposit in advance (often called a "retainer"), the contract should state the retainer amount and when you must replenish it. 2 Hourly fee. The agreement should state the hourly rates for everyone who might work on the case; how often the lawyer will bill you; how much detail the bill will include; how long you have to pay the bill; discounts for early payment; penalties for late payment; and how to dispute a charge. 3 Contingency fee. In a contingency fee case, the lawyer takes a percentage of the client's winnings. The agreement should state the contingency percentage (some lawyers collect a higher amount if the case goes to trial) and the collection process. 4 Costs of suit. The agreement should also explain how litigation costs—such as court fees, fees charged by expert witnesses, private investigators, process servers or stenographers, copying costs, travel expenses, or messenger fees—will get paid. A lawyer in a contingency fee case might agree to front costs and get reimbursed if the client wins, but a client who loses has to pay costs back to the lawyer. Other attorneys require clients to pay these fees and costs as the case progresses.
Many personal injury lawyers will charge a contingency fee for the case. This may prevent the costly legal fees others pay for the entirety of the case. Arrangements to pay contingency fees will deduct other fees from the settlement once the case is a success. The additional amounts deducted may include other expenses the lawyer pays ...
A Contingency Fee. Many personal injury lawyers will charge a contingency fee for the case. This may prevent the costly legal fees others pay for the entirety of the case. Arrangements to pay contingency fees will deduct other fees from the settlement once the case is a success. The additional amounts deducted may include other expenses ...
This is an amount that will be owed by the opposing party to the client. The amount awarded by the court may be more or less than the amount that you already have agreed to pay your attorney.
As stated above, a client must realize when considering a lawyer’s fee that many factors, such as time, ability and experience, may determine an attorney’s fee. Fixed fees or flat fees.
A lawyer’s overhead normally is 35 percent to 50 percent of the legal fees charged. A lawyer’s services normally involve research, investigation and case preparation. Most of the work is done after the client leaves the lawyer’s office and can be very time-consuming.
A lawyer’s services normally involve research, investigation and case preparation. Most of the work is done after the client leaves the lawyer’s office and can be very time-consuming. As a result, the client is often unaware of the amount of time a given legal matter will actually take.
Your lawyer will deposit advances on fees and costs into a special bank account called a trust account. A trust account is a separate account that a lawyer maintains specifically for clients’ funds. A record of the costs in your case will be kept by your lawyer and is available to you for examination.
A retainer is a special fee that is payment for the lawyer’s availability to a client for legal matters. You must give written consent that you agree to be charged, if any part of the fee is not refundable. Nonrefundable fees and retainers are earned by the lawyer on their receipt and are not held in a trust account.
Contingent fees. In certain types of lawsuits — such as personal injury, collections and auto damages — the lawyer who represents the person suing may agree to accept a part of the money the client recovers as the fee for services. This is called a contingent fee.
As mentioned above, plaintiffs can get compensation for certain types of damages related to their injuries. Essentially, personal injury lawsuits are filed to seek compensation, also known as “damages,” for the harms plaintiffs have suffered.
A personal injury settlement occurs when your attorney and opposing counsel come to agreement on the damages you’ll get to cover medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses. Your actual settlement amount will vary depending on a host of circumstances, including your level of injury, the type of accident, your employment situation, and what sort of bills you’ve incurred as a result of someone else’s negligence. Your attorney will fight for you at no upfront cost with no hourly fees, but will take a reasonable fee from your final recovery.
Motor Vehicle Accidents Accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and other vehicles are among the most common type in the United States. Often, these personal injury claims stem from another motorist’s negligence. Whatever the cause or whomever was negligent, these accidents can have lifelong impacts.
In some states, you have as little as a year or two after your accident to file a lawsuit. If you wait too long to file, then a personal injury law firm can’t take your case and you won’t be able to pursue compensation ...
Settlements in a personal injury lawsuit aren’t taxable under state or federal law. There are some exceptions depending on the nature of the claims — if an emotional injury claim didn’t arise from a physical injury, for example. Your attorney will help you clarify specific tax questions.
A legal team handling slip & fall lawsuits will use evidence such as photos, video, and medical records to prove that negligence caused your injuries, thereby getting you compensation.
Dog/Animal Bites Dog bites and attacks have the potential to be far more serious than they may seem. If someone’s pet attacks you, then you might be able to file a lawsuit against the animal’s owner and, if applicable, their homeowners’ insurance.
You might regard the legal fees as capitalized or as a selling expense to produce the income. Thus, the new “ no deduction” rule for attorney’s fees may encourage some plaintiffs to claim that their recoveries are capital gain, just (or primarily) to deduct or offset their attorney’s fees.
In statutory fee cases, a statute (rather than a fee agreement) creates an independent liability on the defendant to pay the attorney’s fees. If the statutory fees were not awarded, the plaintiff may not be obligated to pay any additional amount to his or her attorney.
The above-the-line tax deduction is for employment, civil rights, and whistleblower legal fees, and is more important than ever. Qualifying for it means that in our example, at most you are taxed on $600,000.
You might think there would be no tax issues in physical injury cases, where damages should be tax free, but section 104 (the tax exclusion section for physical injury recoveries) applies only to compensatory damages, not to punitive damages or interest. What if a case has some of each?
If your recovery is capital gain, you arguably could capitalize your legal fees and offset them against your recovery. You might regard the legal fees as capitalized or as a selling expense to produce the income. Thus, the new “no deduction” rule for attorney’s fees may encourage some plaintiffs to claim that their recoveries are capital gain, just (or primarily) to deduct or offset their attorney’s fees.
Some defendants agree to pay the lawyer and client separately. Do two checks obviate the income to plaintiff? According to Banks, they do not. Still, separate payments cannot hurt, and perhaps Forms 1099 can be negated in the settlement agreement.
The Form 1099 regulations generally require defendants to issue a Form 1099 to the plaintiff for the full amount of a settlement, even if part of the money is paid to the plaintiff’s lawyer. Even so, a defendant might agree to issue a Form 1099 only to the plaintiff for the net payment.