WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE

Whether you choose to hire my firm or not, remains entirely your decision.

Naturally, you always want the best and most cost-effective representative to handle your case, especially if that case is big or deals with complex issues.

The first step should be assessing your budget. Can you afford a representative that charges fees as you go, or charges by the hour? Or is your case one where the representative stands to make money on the case and as such, charges a contingency fee?

A contingency Fee is a fee that is only payable or “contingent” on something happening. In legal cases, that “something” means your settlement or pay adjustments. Some firms charge both a fee for every stage of your case PLUS a contingency fee when you win, while some only charge a percentage of your award if the case succeeds.

My firm doesn’t take money up front or as you go. My agreements with my clients are simple. Pay me when we win.

The next thing you want to research is the actual representative or the firm you intend to hire. Have they argued cases like yours in the past? How experienced are they? What is their general assessment of my case? Don’t use the internet for this. The only way you can really get these answers for yourself is to book a consultation. Use that time to also interview your prospective representative and ask relevant questions about your case, and their track record.

It’s easy to look up the prospective representative these days. Simply head over to Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) and type in the representative’s first initial and complete last name in the document text field to get a view of how many cases that representative has argued at the highest level of the Administrative Tribunal. You can then go through those decisions to see how they have fared in the past.

If you want to go a step further, you can also search your issues to see if that representative has experience in arguing them at the highest level.

Remember, a representative claiming to have 30 years of experience but barely any hearing or Tribunal experience, is probably not arguing their own hearings.

You want someone experienced to navigate these difficult waters. Personally, I have over 400 appearances at The Tribunal.

Avoid representatives that use terms like “sure thing” or “we rarely lose” in regards to any situation or case. Seasoned professionals know that law, and workplace insurance law is never cut and dry and despite a representative’s best efforts, even the best ones know that anything can happen in an appeal. Remember, you want a confident representative, but not an arrogant one.

Avoid representatives that don’t offer clear explanations on what a case is potentially worth and how much you will be out of pocket if the case proceeds all the way to the final appeal stage.

These days it’s also easy to check online to find out what sort of fees you can expect to face for your legal issues. If you want to avoid being scammed or overcharged down the road, choose a representative, whether it be a lawyer or paralegal, who has a good track record for the work they do and a great deal of experience so you don’t end up overpaying for their own time-wasting mistakes.

At TCI WORKERS COMPENSATION LEGAL SERVICES we offer FREE CONSULTATIONS and in most cases you pay ZERO fees unless we get you a result. I have almost 30 years of experience in the industry and over 400 Tribunal Hearing Appearances over my career.

Book a Free Consultation Today. 905-660-1577