California Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorneys

"Jackson & Wilson came highly recommended to us from a Superior Court Judge who is a good friend of ours. We were pleased with both the high level of professionalism and the constant concern for our best interest. We were always kept well informed of the status of our case. We feel highly confident in referring Jackson & Wilson to others."

-- Mr. Chris B (Local contractor and Laguna Niguel family man)

"Your firm helped me through one of the most difficult time of my life. You were all so gracious about any questions I had. The speed with which you brought my legal case to a fair and fast conclusion was so appreciated and I am sure I would not be in the position I am in if you hadn’t resolved it and got the monetary help for me."

-- Ms. Elaine A. (Retired and active senior citizen)

More Testimonials...

Case Results

Most of our new clients are referred to us by past clients and other attorneys in our community. Why? Because they know we "walk the talk" and have the experience and expertise to get solid results. Here are a few examples...

$5,000,000- Wrongful death and catastrophic injury

$3,347,000- Catastrophic injury and Insurance Bad Faith

$1,250,000- Wrongful death

$2,759,852- Catastrophic injury

$1,152,926- Malpractice

$1,000,000- Wrongful death

More Case Results...

All About Our Legal Fees- What you need to know and why!

Many people are interested in the answer to the following question, “How much will you charge me to represent me in my case?” This is a very good question and here’s our answer.

Did you ever hear the story about the plumber who fixed a clogged pipe with a hammer and then charged the customer $250 for two minutes of work? The customer demanded an itemized bill and the plumber wrote out the bill as follows: Hitting the pipe with a hammer- $5.00. For knowing where to hit the pipe with hammer- $245.

The old adage "you get what you pay for" rings true when it comes to hiring an attorney. Although lawyers use a different kind of "hammer", it's important to make sure that your lawyer knows not only how to hold his hammer, but where to hit it and how hard to swing. What many consumers don’t understand is that you only get one chance to protect your rights in a legal case. Once the case is resolved either by settlement, trial or appeal, it’s over. Period. No exceptions.

Before we discuss fees in detail, it’s important to know that we are very selective about who we agree to take on as a client. This selection process has been put in place for four main reasons.

First, we want to make sure that we are the right attorneys to help you with your legal matter. It’s important for you to have experienced counsel helping you with your case.

Second, we want to make sure we can give you all the time you deserve in order to make sure that your case is properly handled to your complete satisfaction. A legal matter takes a great deal of time and attention and there are only so many hours in the day to help a limited number of clients.

Third, we are at the point in our careers where frankly, we are in high demand and have many people contacting us each week asking us to provide them with legal representation. Referrals from past clients and other attorneys routinely seek our involvement either as primary counsel or as a legal consultant to review the work of other attorneys working on their file. For all these reasons, we normally agree to represent only a small number of these referrals.

Fourth, we do focus our efforts on major catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. This helps the clients that we do agree to represent because the insurance companies and their attorneys all know that the clients we represent are severally injured and entitled to substantial damages.

Having shared the above four factors with you, when we do agree to represent an individual or family experiencing a serious personal injury or wrongful death case, we normally agree to do so based upon a contingency fee basis.

Contingency Fees

What this means is that there is NO UPFRONT CHARGE TO THE CLIENT and that we do not get paid unless we obtain a favorable settlement with the client’s consent or receive a verdict in favor of our client. The tremendous upside to a client is that he or she is getting an experienced top-rated $500.00 or $600.00 per hour attorney without having to pay any money up front.

What we’ve noticed over the years is that a contingency fee agreement levels the playing field between an individual who may not be able to afford experienced (and yes, expensive legal counsel) and big corporate America who spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year on defense attorneys. In essence, the contingency fee agreement truly does open the courthouse doors for most Americans.

Depending on the type of case and controlling law, contingency fees normally begin at 25% of the total gross settlement or verdict for clients under the age of 18 and 33% for adults. Depending on whether litigation or trial becomes necessary (much more time and work is required by your lawyer), the contingency fees slide to 35% or 40%. The contingency fee agreements we use with our clients are all approved by the California State Bar.

What most clients are not told is the fact that they control whether or not a case is settled. If a client is not comfortable with a settlement offer and anticipated net recovery after attorney fees and litigation expenses are deducted from a gross settlement, then the client does not need to authorize a settlement. Whether or not a case is settled is the client’s final decision.

Keep in mind that most retainer agreements vary in their terms and conditions and so it’s always a good idea to carefully review and understand the retainer agreement before signing it. You may also want to have another lawyer independently review the agreement and give you a second opinion as to its fairness and whether or not it complies with California State law. Please note that we offer this service as a courtesy to any potential clients who ask. Simply email or fax the retainer agreement over to us and we’ll give you honest feedback on whether or not you should consider signing it.

Hourly Rates

In hourly cases which normally includes business litigation and criminal defense, our normal rate is $500.00 to $600.00 per hour with an initial up front retainer which varies depending on the particular legal matter. Considering the fact that our client’s receive the benefit of being represented by a top-rated Senior Partner with more than forty-four years of combined experience (there is no substitute for experience in our profession), you’ll quickly learn why we’re worth every penny we charge… and more.

While you can probably find a lawyer who charges about half our rate, what you soon may learn is that your “bargain priced” attorney takes three to five times as long to prepare a legal document or deal with a legal issue. So, after several weeks, months or even years of legal work and billing, you’ll actually end up paying twice as much!

Even more important is the fact that only with solid experience, reputation and resources can your lawyer get you the results you are looking to achieve. Whether you are drafting an important contract, litigating a critical business issue for substantial damages or defending yourself in civil or criminal court, do you really want to compromise your ability to get the outcome you are looking for by saving a few dollars (which you now know isn’t the case if you read the prior three paragraphs)? After all, anyone can hire a lawyer for $125.00 per hour but if you don’t win your case then I need to ask you, “what’s the point?”

When you need legal help, what you want and need on your side are Senior Partners who are "AV" rated by Martindale-Hubbell. This "AV" rating identifies a lawyer and firm with having achieved very high to preeminent legal ability and is the highest reflection of expertise, experience, integrity and overall professional excellence a lawyer can receive in the United States. You also want a law firm listed with the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers which includes the most distinguished and respected firms in America. Fewer than 5% of all firms qualify.

The bottom line is that we’re here to help and make a positive difference in the outcome of your legal matter. If we listen to the facts of your case and don’t feel like we can help you get the results you are looking for, we’ll tell you right away. So you have absolutely nothing to loose by giving us a call. Most initial consultations are free to call today!

Search Our Web Site (www.JacksonWilson.com) and Catastrophic Injury and Wrongful Death Blog (www.JWInjuryBlog.com)

Catastrophic Injury	Wrongful Death	Automobile Accidents
Animal Attacks	Brain Injury	Truck Accidents
Construction Accidents	Dog Bites and Attacks	Hazardous Products
Motor Vehicle Accidents	Paralysis	Pedestrian Accidents
Product Liability	Professional Malpractice	Railroad Accidents
Slip and Fall	Swimming Pool Accidents	Train Accidents
Motorcycle Accidents	Boat Accidents	Insurance Bad Faith
Personal Injury	Premises Liability	Bicycle Accidents
Spinal Cord Injuries	Burn and scars	Malpractice

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