• A lawyer is subject to disciplinary rules if he terminates (or calculates or collects) an agreement on illegal or scrupulous fees. (Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 4-200.) An example of “scrupulous” fees can be seen in In re Silverton (2005) 36 Cal.4th 81, 93-94. There, a lawyer was excluded for a variety of reasons, including entering into a fee agreement with clients who had suffered bodily injury, which gave him the right to negotiate all medical privileges imposed against the client`s recovery and to keep the amount of the discount for himself. All agreements on contingency fee agreements under the Medical Accident Compensation Reform Act (“MICRA”) must comply with section 6146 of the Business and Professional Code. Contingency fee agreements allow families with limited financial resources to hire the best possible legal representation. This is important because insurance companies typically hire some of the most expensive and experienced defense attorneys to reject, delay, and defend illegal death. Article 6148 of the Business and Professional Code stipulates that a mandate agreement must clearly explain the basis of the remuneration: Indicate what are the percentages of fees, if the agreement includes an hourly rate component, legal fees or other expenses that a client must pay. (Bus. & Prof.C. Article 6148, subsection (a)(1).) Attorneys` fees for an illegal death depend on the agreement – usually a contingency fee agreement – that you sign with the lawyer when you hire them. That being said, it can take years to resolve an illegal death, and a lawyer will likely spend hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars in expenses on the case before getting paid. As a general rule, the more risky and complex the case, the higher the percentage of the success fee. Article 6147 of the Business and Professional Code sets out the rules applicable to contracts with contingency fees.
The article states that all conditional fee withholding agreements must be in writing and a copy of the signed contract must be provided to the customer. (B) Except to the extent permitted by subsection (A) of this rule or rule 2-300 [Sale of a law firm], a member shall not indebt, give or promise anything valid to a lawyer to recommend or secure the employment of the member or the member`s law firm by a client, or as a reward for a recommendation that results in the employment of the member or the member`s law firm by a client….