Do I have to pay my old lawyers a percentage of an old civil suit that was never collected on?

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Do I have to pay my old lawyers a percentage of an old civil suit that was never collected on?

I’m in the process of collecting some money awarded to me in a civil suit. I did have lawyers back then who helped me file the paperwork but they dropped the case after it was clear to them we wouldn’t see any money from the offender at that time. I have recently made contact with the offender’s parole officer and am in the process of getting his wages garnisheed. Do I owe my old lawyers anything?

Asked on November 17, 2010 under Personal Injury, Wisconsin

Answers:

S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 13 years ago | Contributor

The retainer agreement that you signed with the former attorney may contain language by which the attorney would have a lien on future recovery.  Most likely, this would not be a percentage, but would be an hourly rate based on the number of hours the attorney spent on the case prior to withdrawal as your attorney of record in the case.


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