Colorado employees seeking workplace lawyers may search for what sometimes is called no win, no fee arrangements. This is a less fancy way of seeking out workplace lawyers who work on contingency fee agreements. Under a contingency fee agreement Colorado workplace lawyers receive pay as a portion of recovery, if there is any. There are reasons why Colorado employees might want to hire workplace lawyers on a no win, no fee basis; however, it may not be right in every situation. Your decision to hire a workplace lawyer in Colorado may rely upon several factors including fee structure.
Colorado workplace lawyers no win no fee agreements
No win, no fee agreements, or contingency fee agreements, mean the workplace lawyers only receive pay if they succeed in settling your case or taking your case to trial and winning. Under these agreements the attorney shares the risk of success with the client. In exchange for sharing risk with the client the attorney often takes a large portion as a contingency fee. It is not unusual in Colorado for workplace lawyers under a no win, no fee agreement to take 40% of recovery as a fee. (Some fee agreements may even raise the contingency fee to 50% if the case is appealed.)
This percentage may seem unreasonably large but keep in mind that the Colorado workplace lawyer will likely put significant time in your case and if you paid the lawyer on an hourly basis you might not pay significantly less. Workplace lawyers taking on no win, no fee agreements also have to factor in the risk of nonpayment for work. These factors often justify the fee agreement.
Why Colorado employment lawyers might not take a case on a no win, no fee basis
Workplace lawyers in Colorado do not take all cases on a no win, no fee basis. When workplace lawyers take on a case on contingency they typically assess the case during a consultation and gauge the probability of a favorable settlement. Difficult cases that may be meritorious but will require significant resources or deal with complex employment law issues may not be a good fit for all no win, no fee workplace lawyers. They might see the case as requiring more work than the case is worth to them.
Additionally, some labor law and employment law cases are not a good fit for this type of payment arrangement. Some employees need legal advice or representation in a situation that does not result in monetary compensation that the employment lawyer can recover against. These include situations such as:
- Reviewing severance agreements and noncompete agreements
- Providing legal counsel on a labor law or employment law situation where a lawsuit is not yet necessary
- Reviewing employment contracts
- Representing the employee or employees in negotiations with an employer
- Writing demand letters instructing the employer it must comply with the law to avoid a lawsuit
In these and similar situations it is more likely that the Denver employment lawyer will need to charge a fee on a flat fee basis or hourly basis.
If you believe you need a workplace lawyer in Colorado you should schedule a consultation as soon as possible. Discuss your situation with the attorney and let him or her advise you on the fee structures available and what may be best for you.