I work on what is called a contingency fee basis. That means that the only way that I get paid is if I recover money for you. If we do not recover money, I do not get paid. Virtually all lawyers who work on personal injury cases work on the same basis.
My contingency fee is 33 1/3% of the total amount that is collected in your case, plus gross receipts tax must be paid by you on my fee to the State of New Mexico, just like for nearly any services or goods you purchase in New Mexico. Many lawyers now charge 40% for the fee plus gross receipts tax, and some even increase that further for trials and appeals, but I believe that is excessive and a sign of greed by those lawyers. For nearly 30 years, I have charged the same amount. That can be a tremendous difference to you and thousands of dollars more to you at the end of the case and should not be overlooked.
Many lawyers also charge their clients for normal business expenses such as copies and postage and even make a profit from the copies made in their offices. I only charge for copies and postage for unusual times when large amounts of documents are involved. I have never charged for any copies made at my office or for normal postage of letters, etc.
The law requires that you are responsible for the "costs" of a lawsuit, if one is filed, at the end of any case. These "costs" are items such as deposition fees, filing fees and expert witness fees. However, depending on the facts of the case, I generally pay all of the costs throughout the litigation, and those costs are deducted from any settlement or jury verdict that we gain at the end.
(505) 883-6300
501 Wyoming Blvd SE
Albuquerque NM 87123
Copyright © Robert Pidcock 2020