When clients who have suffered work-related injuries consult with Powell, Zero, Mundy for the first time, they commonly ask about the cost of a lawyer in a workers’ compensation matter. After suffering a work-related injury, an injured employee must meet many mandatory requirements to be deemed eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The assistance of an experienced and knowledgeable workers’ compensation attorney may prove essential to a successful finding of benefit eligibility.

Powell, Zero, Mundy’s attorneys, as well as most Pennsylvania workers’ compensation attorneys, are paid on a contingency fee basis. An attorney who assists an injured worker in obtaining benefits receives a percentage of a workers’ compensation award, whether the claim is litigated or settled. If no benefits are recovered by one of our workers’ compensation clients, the client is not required to pay any fees to Powell, Zero, Mundy. Properly litigating a workers’ compensation matter so that injured workers receive all the benefits to which they are entitled is the first and foremost priority of the experienced workers’ compensation attorneys at Powell, Zero, Mundy.

Any legal fees in a workers’ compensation case must be approved by a workers’ compensation judge, whose benefits award contains provisions detailing the approval and payment of legal fees. If the case is settled, the settlement agreement will also contain provisions related to the approval and payment of fees. Any settlement agreement must be approved by a workers’ compensation judge.

It is important for clients to remember that they are required, win or lose, to pay the costs of the case. These costs include copies of records and reports; photocopies and other office expenses; legal research costs; court costs; filing fees; fees for depositions; and fees for investigators and expert witnesses.