When selecting an attorney, there are a number of important
factors to consider. This article focuses on one: is the
attorney you have contacted a “referral attorney”? Referral
attorneys are attorneys who advertise to attract clients, but do
not represent clients themselves. Instead, they forward the
client on to another attorney. A typical referral attorney takes
a fee as a percentage of the total recovery.

Is my attorney a referral attorney?

This is a simple question to answer – just ask them. A referral
attorney will always, at some point, have to disclose that they
will not be the primary attorney on your case. They will
eventually be forwarding you on to another lawyer. Generally, if
your attorney is advertising on television or has run ads
seeking victims of injuries caused by a specific product (Vioxx
cases, asbestos or mesothelioma cases, diet drug cases, or other
class action lawsuits), then they are probably a referral
attorney.

Will it cost me more money if I have contacted a referral
attorney?

Generally, no. The typical agreement between a referral attorney
and the actual lawyer working on the case grants the referral
attorney a percentage of the actual lawyer’s fee. Instead of
coming from the client, the money comes from the lawyer who
eventually is the attorney on the case. However, you should make
sure that this is what your actual agreement is. A typical
contingent fee case costs the client one third of the recovery.
If you have contacted a referral attorney, ask what the ultimate
percentage will be.

Why even bother with a referral attorney if I’m going to someone
else anyway?

If you know an attorney who is an expert in the field or who is
handling that kind of case, there is generally no reason to.
However, many people have absolutely no knowledge of the legal
industry. They simply can’t find an appropriate attorney on
their own. A referral attorney usually only makes money if you
win, so he will have an incentive to forward your case to a
competent lawyer. Just make sure that you aren’t being charged
more for a referral – it’s not worth paying extra to get it,
especially because many other lawyers would be eager to point
you to competent counsel for a cut themselves.

Teve Torbes is the proprietor of http://www.airmattressinfo.com,
an air mattress and air bed buyer’s guide. He also wants a link
to http://www.thedeprogrammers.com, a web directory that is
totally awesome.

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