Lawyer Fee: How Much to Pay Former Attorney?

We represented Catherine and just secured a $55,000 settlement for her auto crash. She had a long legal battle – but not because of
the Burger Law team. She had a prior lawyer who she hired who did not do much. He signed her up in 2013 and she
completed her medical care shortly thereafter.

She had called me over the years about the delay in her case – and I would call the lawyer and ask him to work quicker
on the case. She is the sister of my client Brenda (for whom we got a $305,000 settlement read more here).
But he didn’t speed up the process.

His records show he only worked on her case less than four times over 3 plus years. She finally called and fired him and
hired me. Right after she fired him they offered 30,000 to settle the case. That lawyer is asserting a 1/3
lawyer fee of the $30,000 offered a couple days after he was fired.

He waited over a year from when she finished her medical treatment before trying to settle the case with the insurance
company. And then another year to follow up to get a settlement offer. He then waited another three months before
responding. This three-year delay with no results really impacted the client.

I am interested in any feedback I can get about how to treat the lawyer. I think I should pay him the expenses he paid
out of pocket but don’t think he should get a fee. What do you think? Email me and let me know.

Gary Burger

Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO

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