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Posted on 5/19/2012Man Found in Road Following Apparent Bensalem Pedestrian Accident
Posted on 5/18/2012Morrisville Car Accident Claims Life of 1, Injures 2
Posted on 5/16/2012Philadelphia Car Accident Leaves Two Injured
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Posted on 5/8/2012Three Injured in Philadelphia Car Accident
Posted on 4/17/2012Store Employee Injured in Bensalem Car Accident

Saile & Saile LLP’s First Fee Agreement Makes Contingent Fees as Fair as Possible

In Pennsylvania, there is no law limiting the percentage of case recovery that a personal injury lawyer can charge his or her clients. Depending on the law firm's policies, clients could be charged a large percentage-sometimes up to 50%--of the money they are awarded in a settlement. Such a policy is unfair to clients, especially if a case settles early and the lawyer had to do very little work. You may think that a firm's policies are fair if they agree to charge only contingent fees, but this may not be the case. Saile & Saile LLP's First Fee Agreement makes contingency fees as fair as possible for Bucks County and Philadelphia residents.

A contingent fee is charged for legal services if and only if there is a favorable result for the client. If he or she loses the case, no attorney fees are charged (there is a distinction between fees and costs). If he or she wins the case and receives a settlement, the attorney is paid a percentage of the settlement. This percentage is decided upon by the attorney and client prior to the settlement process.

In some states, like New Jersey, the contingency fee percentage is limited. In Pennsylvania, attorneys are unlimited when it comes to contingent fees, and could charge up to 100% of the case recovery, which is very rare. In most cases, personal injury lawyers in the Bucks County area charge between 25-50% of the settlement awarded in an injury case. This can still be very unfair to the client if the case settles early. Lawyers should only be paid for the extent of the services they perform, but if their cases settle early, they will often be paid much more than they have actually earned.

The Saile & Saile LLP First Fee Agreement was created to ensure that our clients do not overpay for legal services if their case settles early. The agreement states that our personal injury clients will be given a discount on contingent fees if their case settles early. We believe it is highly unethical to charge our clients more than we actually deserve if their case settles early. We created this agreement to ensure that our Philadelphia area clients are treated as fairly as possible.

If you have been injured in a Philadelphia accident and you're sick of the trend of high contingent fees for cases that settle early, contact the personal injury attorneys at Saile & Saile LLP. Our Bucks County firm believes our clients should be treated fairly during the settlement process. Download a FREE copy of our PA Car Accident Book for more information on injury claims and the best way to choose a personal injury lawyer.