Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 117
Nothing is free...
11/24/2018 at 12:26 PM
...nor should be. This is their JOB. They have the right to make money at their job like everyone else.
Do you work for free?
Injury attorneys (in the U.S. especially) will often give free consultations or even “We don’t get paid unless we win money for you” cases (if they don’t think they’ll win they won’t take the case) because the potential payouts are much, much higher (Canada has laws limiting judicial findings) and the attorneys will take as much as 50% of any findings or settlement... and often then also charge billable hours.
Also it is EXTREMELY hard to sue people in Canada.
(We have a misconception because of the U.S. and tv)
I wanted to sue the hospital & Doctor in the wrongful death of my spouse. DEATH.
The injury attorney gave me a free consultation. Canada’s laws limited potential findings to the loss of income only. Punitive damages are almost unheard of in Canada.
It was decided that $3,000,000 would have been the potential damages based on age at death and yearly income. The lawyer wanted hourly rate, 50% of any findings, plus costs. We did not proceed because of the actual legality of proving the case.
I did successfully sue a previous employer for wrongful termination. It was very easy to prove the lies that got me fired. We settled through arbitration. I had to have a lawyer. Not one second of the lawyers time was free. Not a phone call. Not an email. Nothing.
Legal costs were part of the settlement. I received the maximum settlement I could sue for based on Canada’s laws.
The lawyer got more money from the whole thing than I did.
I sued out of principal because it was all lies.
I wish you luck but it will be difficult.
Edited by OutinBrandon, 2018-11-24 12:54:43