updated: 12-Mar-10
Picture it: You are being wheeled into surgery for a delicate brain operation. A cockroach darts across the floor; you notice faint tomato sauce stains on the nurse’s scrubs. The surgeon saunters in, cupping his yawn with a dirty-fingernailed hand. The dingy operating theatre looks like something out of a ’70s B-grade movie. As the grubby curtains are pulled shut around you, you start to pray...
It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, does it? Would you entrust your life to someone you simply don’t trust? When it comes to your health, you certainly don’t want to take shortcuts or settle for second-best.
The same should apply to other critical issues affecting your life and wellbeing – such as financial and legal matters. You will find that trying to cut corners in the short term will usually come back to bite you in the long term, says Michael de Broglio of de Broglio Inc.
“People often complain that legal costs are high – that lawyers are rip-off artists,” says De Broglio. “Yes, some lawyers do charge exorbitant fees that exploit clients. But the unfortunate reality is that if you want quality service and, ultimately, peace of mind, usually you will have to pay for it.”
The reasons for this are manifold. Firstly, you are paying for many years of studying, on-the-job training and expertise. Secondly, to run a professional attorneys’ practice that is well situated, inspires confidence, and looks inviting and appealing to potential clients also has its price-tag. You want to feel at ease when you are consulting with your lawyer.
Practising law is a labour-intensive service industry, and attracting the most educated and skilled staff does not come cheap. You want people who know what they’re doing handling your claim or your case.
On the plus side, though – firms such as de Broglio Inc offer to take on Road Accident Fund claims on a contingency basis. This means that if they do not win the case for you, they will not charge you a fee. This eliminates the financial risk to you, as it is shouldered by de Broglio Inc.
If they do win your case – and they have an excellent track record – then they will deduct a percentage of your payout for legal fees. This system also serves as an incentive to the attorneys, as they know they cannot afford to be complacent with a case, otherwise they may not get paid. It’s a win-win arrangement that ensures service levels of the highest quality and professional standards.
In most other legal matters, you can bring down your legal fees by doing as much as possible yourself: furnishing the correct documents on time, cutting down on the admin your attorney has to tackle, and not quibbling over minor or insignificant details in divorce matters and the like.
In other words, be mindful of not running up your attorney’s fees unnecessarily. Ask detailed questions about the potential financial implications before you sign on, so you can arm yourself with the relevant information and not be in for any nasty surprises when the bill arrives.
In these difficult financial times, research has shown that consumers are being more careful with their cash but are intent on getting more bang for their buck and value for money. They don’t mind paying slightly more if it means the resulting service or product is superior and effective. This certainly applies to attorneys’ fees as well.
As De Broglio points out: “Rather be safe in the hands of experts than end up being sorry!”
Case results depend upon a variety of factors unique to each case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future case.