Legal "fees" and legal "costs" are opposites of one another. Legal fees are monies the lawyer receives from his client for his work. Legal costs are monies the lawyer spends
to pay his client's expenses. Suppose a person who was injured in an
accident does not hire an attorney and wants to be paid for his/her
pain and suffering. Before the insurance company will consider the
claim, they will require the injured person to mail them a police
report and his/her medical records. When the injured person orders the
police report and these medical records required by the insurance
company, the injured person discovers something. The police report and
the medical records and report are not free. Instead, the
police department, hospital and the doctors' offices sell these papers.
As a result, the injured person is forced to pay the police department,
the hospital, and the doctor's office for the "costs" of those
papers, or simply give up, and close their case. The same is true of
the fee the doctor charges to write the special medical report that
determines whether your injuries qualify you to be paid, the filing
fees that the Clerk of Court charges persons who file court papers, the
fees that the court reporter (stenographer) charges the person taking
the deposition, the fee that the mediator charges the parties who show
up to discuss settlement, and so on. What all this means is that a
person who seeks money for injuries will incur legal "costs" on their
case with or without a lawyer. Thus, the lawyer does not
"cause" there to be legal "costs". Legal "costs" (what the police
department, hospital and doctors sell their papers for) is out of the
control of the lawyer (or the client).
For more information about Attorney Fees and Costs in Orlando contact Hanson &
Hanson, P.A. today at 1-800-426-7662 to schedule your free initial
consultation. More information about Orlando Auto Accidents can be
found in the practice areas section of our website.
