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My name appeard in the list of students to be admitted to a University recently and I am going to study law there.So please I'm confussed on why %85 of lawyers become rich,how can one get more client and which type of law(as in civil,family,criminal laws etc) do lawyers get more case and clients?
That's incorrect, that number is way too high. The ones that do earn a large income are partners that do so by putting in an incredible number of hours per week which often has a detrimental effect on their social/married life and their health. An associate makes a comfortable living but sometimes has to put up with the personalities of the partners and a heavy workload.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheta
Yes far from rich, in the US those working for most public defenders office and those working for the DA are paid OK but not really considering they may have a 100,000 or 200,000 or so student loan to get though college and law school after 7 plus years of college and law school.
And many who go into some private practice, make OK, but they pay office, clerk and more, again seldom making enough to be called rich
Most lawyers are not rich. The "country lawyers" in small towns don't specialize in any type of law and are just "general practioners" practicing in just about every aspect of law just to survive. They sometimes have no staff to help them as they can't afford it.
The lawyers in big cities can strike it "rich" but they basically have to be in the right place at the right time. For instance, in South Florida many years ago during the "drug" years, the criminal attorneys would make out like bandits representing the drug dealers/drug kingpins charging outrageous fees and getting them. Those days are over now as there are 3 attorneys for every street corner there. (You missed the gravy train by a few years).
The personal injury attorneys have made out like bandits but again, they have to lay out a lot of money to take a case to trial in hopes they win a big settlement. For every personal injury case that's gone to trial 7 out of 10 don't win big, or don't win but lose period.
Bankruptcy attorneys were making out like bandits recently before the new bankruptcy laws went into effect. They are still raking in the dough but not as much now.
Basically, you should look into the different areas of law that interest you and not just the areas of law that you think where the $ is there. There is a reason I say this. The reason is that you will have to live, breathe, and eat this kind of law for years and get very expert in that area of law and if you don't care for that particular area of law, you'll get burned out real quick doing something you don't like just because you think you'll strike it rich.
Law is fascinating to put it mildly. Especially the part where the lawyer whips up a compelling motion in a case and persuades the Judge to see things his way. You need to also sharpen your writing skills as you will definitely need to be a good communicator on paper to make it as an attorney in the end.
Many thanks LisaB. I guess I worked for too many of them in my time and know them well...
Watch the A Civil Action of John Travolta. In the movie he said that they won't get paid unless they'll win and get something from someone they are suing.
A Civil Action (1998)
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Originally Posted by superk
You are talking about cases which are taken on contingency; OP is talking about all Attorneys and all types of cases.
Two different things.
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Originally Posted by Cheta
First they learn to punctuate and spell -
Many accident-related/personal injury cases are handled on a contingency basis. A contingency agreement is where the Plaintiff (person who initiates the lawsuit) pays nothing if the lawsuit is unsuccessful. However, if the lawsuit is successful, the client will pay the lawyer a fee based on a percentage of the amount collected.
An example of a contingency fee agreement would be that if the lawsuit is successful, the lawyer receives anywhere from 25% - 35% of the amount awarded.
The percentage the lawyer takes usually depends on if there is an out-of-court settlement, or if they must go to trial, or if they have to appeal a trial verdict.
If you are in Alberta, some applicable legislation for contingency fee agreements are in the Alberta Rules of Court. See sections 615 and 616 in particular.
You forgot about disbursements and filing fees which are paid by the client/Plaintiff whether he/she wins, loses or draws.
I am not aware of any type of accidental injury matter which is handled as a flat fee in the US. You say "many" are handled as a contingency matter so I would assume it's different in Canada.
As per the Alberta Rules of Court, section 616(2)(e)(iii), the contingency agreement must contain a statement about "whether the client is responsible to pay disbursements and, if so, a general description of types of disbursements likely to be incurred, other than relatively minor disbursements;" therefore it is conceivable that a client may not necessarily have to pay disbursements if the agreement so stipulates.
I think it's fair to assume that the OP is not from Canada.Quote:
Originally Posted by LEGALWIZARD
As Judy already stated, the law is different in the US and different again in other countries.
This site is world wide, so quoting Canadian law when the OP is not from Canada, well, that's not helpful.
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Originally Posted by LEGALWIZARD
Interesting - I am not aware of any Attorney in my area (NY) - or in the US, for that matter - who will accept a case totally contingent, agreeing to pay all filing fees and disbursements whether the client wins an award or does not.
Seems like very bad business to me, particularly when most cases are investigated and that is not inexpensive.
As I read the Section you have quoted and the background, the Section "appears" to have been written to advise Attorneys that they have to cover the question of payment of these expenses in the contingency agreement, undoubtedly due to problems with clients who did not clearly understand.
It is the same in NY - it's a printed agreement which both parties (client and Attorney) sign. It's not a document which is created fresh for each client. Because it is a printed document the disbursements/filing fees are covered.
Interesting.
As a side note - are you a practicing Attorney or a law school student?
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