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→C. Seeking Legal Counsel for Your Claim
=== 1. Contingency Fees===
Contingency fees usually range between 20 percent and 25 percent if the case is settled before trial, and 33 percent if the case goes to trial. Some are variable; some lawyers use a sliding scale, so that the fee increases as the trial date approaches. The Law Society of British Columbia imposes limits on contingency feesfor motor vehicle injuries, and the claimant is unlikely to encounter lawyers who charge more than 33 percent.33 per cent.
=== 2. The Contingency Fee Contract===
=== 3. Disbursement Costs===
Disbursement costs are the expenses incurred for photocopying, medical reports, transcripts of evidence, police reports, motor vehicle searches, etc. Most law Law firms will often pay these costs for the claimant, and collect them at the end of the lawsuit. Some law firms take a retainer fee for disbursements.
=== 4. Marshalling of Reports===
Over the course of the claim, the claimant’s lawyer will collect your medical records, typically for the period from 2 years before the motor vehicle accident to the period following the accident, and deliver them to the defence counsel. As a claimant in a personal injury action, it is important to be diligent in pursuing recommended medical treatment and visiting a family physician, as clinical medical records are typically only generated when a patient attends at an appointment. The lawyer for the claimant and for the defendant(s)/ICBC may also arrange for independent medical evaluations with specialized doctors over the course of the claim.
If there is a claim for loss of prospective earnings or cost of future care, the claimant’s lawyer may also collect and deliver economic briefs and reports by vocational specialists, accountants, actuaries, and other non-medical professionals. This will require the claimant to draft a letter granting their lawyer signing authorization. – this letter should address who is receiving the authorization (in this case, the lawyer) and for what purpose, related issues, or kinds of documents (in this case, disclosures) the authorization is for,
The claimant’s lawyer will also receive defence reports and expert summaries. All of this goes on behind the scenes. Claimants wishing to have a more active role in their file should not hesitate to contact their lawyers for periodic updates.