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I get 5-10% once the money comes in. 50% on personal referrals. Don't listen to the other guys. Commission is the norm in this industry if they dont do commission it's a red flag.
Yeah im confused why theyre so confused. Commission is why i am even trying to do plaintiff pi
I think average would be about a year. Less if you have all the medical records and are ready to send a demand and don’t have to end up in litigation. If you go to litigation, i would say be prepared for 2+ years. When I did this, I also had a super low base salary and relied on commission to survive. I also had auto accident cases though and those wrapped up more quickly. Slip and fall cases usually fight harder on liability, so they take longer, but in the end can have a good result
Glad to see someone who actually read OP's question! (Key word "when"). I was curious myself.
What do you mean commission? You can earn a fee if you bring the case into the firm. Otherwise it is up to your employer as to if you get paid for individual cases you work on. What were you told when you were hired ?
I think AP1's point is the term "commission" is usually reserved for sales, not legal work. A plaintiff firm's fee is usually a "contingency" fee. The assigned attorney may or may not earn a percentage of that fee, and it may or may not be dependent on whether the assigned attorney brought the client to the firm.
At my current firm I get 50% attys fees and a quarterly bonus which is related to how many cases we settle during each quarter (more of a volume firm)
At my old PI firm: lead attorneys got 4% commission for every case settled, assisting attorneys got 1% (usually cases were high dollar amount)
Woah 50%? You must be one of the partners
I’m a personal injury attorney. You may get referral fees for cases you bring in. You should speak with the partner beforehand to know what their referral fees are.
That’s precisely how it works in plenty of PI Plaintiff’s firms that I know of.
The timing and calculation of your compensation should have been spelled out clearly, preferably in a written employment contract, when you were hired. It should state what your base salary is, what your percentage of any settlements is, and even how/when you'll be paid those. If you've never gotten any clear indication of what your commission percentage is, then I would expect none, and that your base salary is all you'll be making. If all you were given was vague, non-specific promises of bonuses, then that is completely discretionary on your employer's part. I would definitely clarify with your employer how this is going to work if you're not clear on the details.
It’s all there. Thats not my question. My question is whether slip and fall cases resolve quickly enough to expect any commission for the first year
Do people in pi (plaintiff) do draws to add onto the base salary because it’s low? Draws meaning essentially borrowing an amount in advance and paying it back as you get commission.
Yes
How about thinking looking for a way to decrease expert cost, getting knowledgeable medical knowledge quickly and with a low cost. Know what the needs would be in the future with someone aware of medical ongoing needs. Someone who is looking out for you and not protecting the profession. Who will take the time to make you educated in your presentation or when talking to that expert witness. There are professionals that can help increase those settlements and decrease the time and money spent
You used to do corporate? Why did you switch into PI?
Generally pi is more money. Not small shops tho. Big ones.
The time it takes for a slip and fall to resolve is going to depend on a few things. First, the extent and amount of the alleged damages. The more straightforward you can keep it, the better. Many Defendants will pay for some medical bills close in time to the fall, pain, etc. pretty quick. But if you’re going to allege that the fall made the person dizzy for weeks, which resulted in her falling, causing her leg to break that culminated in its amputation, that’s going to take probably pretty extensive discovery to flush out. Second, you have to remember that almost every slip/trip and fall case has some amount of contrib. Depends on how your jurisdiction deals with that, but obviously that matters for settlement purposes. If there’s video of your client doing something stupid and there’s a decent chance a jury could find they are more than 50% at fault, which in my jurisdiction means they get nothing, then the settlement value is quite low. Third, have a good working knowledge of liens, rights of reimbursement, and subrogation interests. Because of the contrib. issue, you may need to settle the case for less than a lien. Know your jurisdiction’s laws on how to deal with those so that you and your client get paid some money while also satisfying those liens. Fourth, manage client expectations. I am not saying underplay the value of the case from the beginning to help facilitate an early lowball settlement. But make sure they understand the risks - both legal and financial - with proceeding with litigation.