Cost of a Medical Malpractice Lawyer

Answer:

At Smith and Green, we are often asked, “How much does it cost for a lawyer? I don’t think I can afford a lawyer,” particularly as it relates to medical malpractice cases. We have to be honest and candid with you. Out of all of the cases that we litigate here in our office, medical malpractice cases are the most expensive to litigate because you have a number of experts that need to be involved. If you had a breast cancer issue, for example, and the reconstruction went wrong or the plastic surgery went wrong, you may need an oncologist. You may need a plastic surgery expert. You may need someone that deals with mammograms. There could be so many different variables that are involved, and experts are not cheap. What you want to do is sit with your lawyer and talk about these things that may be necessary. Every time these folks are deposed, there’s a cost associated with it. Please understand that, in Arizona, there are tools to help mitigate that. We have this thing called Rule 68, where you can file an offer of judgment against the person. If you go to court and you get more from a jury than what was offered in that offer of judgment, then they could be reliable for all the attorneys’ fees and experts fees, etc., so you have to make sure you have that fluid conversation with your lawyer. Most of the time, depending on the facts of the case, it could be that your case could be taken on partial contingency or some type of hybrid billing situation, but those are conversations that are case by case. We work with plenty of clients regarding their medical malpractice case, make sure they got skin in the game, we have skin in the game, and we go and pursue these claims. We’ve been very successful at getting some very positive outcomes for our medical malpractice clients. Call us, talk with one of our attorneys, and let’s see how we can help you with your medical malpractice claim here in the state of Arizona.