Many truckers wonder whether or not they should replace their lawyer with another simply because they are unsatisfied with the service provided. But could this change cost money? In most cases where an insurance company is involved, the attorneys charge a percentage of what will be obtained in the resolution of the case. However, if your party fails to win, they won’t charge anything.

If you decide to replace your lawyer, it does not mean that the new one will collect the same percentage as the previous lawyer. The total percentage will be distributed among the lawyers you’ve worked with throughout the case.

For example, if your case was closed for $10,000.00 and the lawyer charged you 33% then the total amount of money to be given to lawyers is $3,300. However, all the lawyers that have provided their service will have to divide that amount and must negotiate their portion based on time, work and the cost per hour that they have as wages.

Will a change in attorney harm the process of my case?

In most cases, no. But if the case is already in the last steps, perhaps it can. That is why it’s always recommended to not wait until the last moment to make that decision. At least, consult with another lawyer for free, since most lawyers do not charge for the initial consultation.

Sadly, in our years of experience in the sector, we have seen people finally make the decision to change attorneys when no change can be made in the case to obtain a better result.

What usually happens at the end of the case is that it’s too late to obtain more evidence about the case to improve the result, which means that your new lawyer would work with the same evidence as your previous lawyer. Because of that, changing to a different lawyer that late into the case wouldn’t help you at all. For example, if the doctor said you have 100% healed from an injury and you may not agree, it may be too late to get a second medical opinion to improve the outcome of the case.

How can I transfer my case to another lawyer?

In most cases, all you have to do is call the lawyer you choose to consult and decide that they will represent you. Then you will have to sign a form that authorizes the new lawyer to request the file from your previous lawyer.

Mark Sutton
lawyer