As with any service people have to pay for, a large consideration is often given to the cost of the services involved. As a Seattle eminent domain attorney, our fees are based on the amount of just compensation we get for you over and above the amount originally offered to you by the government. Typically our fee is 30% of the amount before the case goes to trial, 35% if the case goes to trial (a jury is sworn in) and 40% if the case is appealed. To many this seems high, but the percentages are a reflection of a few different elements that go into determining a fair fee for services.
First, there is the consideration of you, the landowner. Typically the landowner doesn't have the funds to hire an attorney based on an hourly fee (x dollars per hour), which is how a lot of civil litigation is paid out. And it can get very expensive very fast. Because we understand that many landowners don't have the resources to pay by the hour (and honestly we don't like it because we feel like it hurts our relationship with you - we should be more concerned with the expertise we are providing you than how long it takes us to solve your problem) an alternative fee arrangement, the one described above had been created. That way your eminent domain case can get the attention it deserves, you don't have to watch the clock, and we don't have to watch the clock.
Second, it takes into account the risk that we take as Seattle eminent domain attorneys in helping you. What I mean is, there is the chance that we might not make anything by helping you out. If, after working on your case a jury (or we) decide the government was right in evaluating your property, we wouldn't receive any fee at all (or a small one if the increase was small). The percentages reflect the risk we are taking to help and provide some motivation for us to get the most money for you as is possible (which you deserve).
Third, and finally, this fee arrangement still leaves you with a substantial amount of the money we earn for you over and above the initial offer. So you reap the benefits of our expertise by getting money you otherwise would probably not have gotten, and we receive a fair fee for providing our expertise and negotiation skills to the problem. Condemnation law is a very tricky area of the law, and expertise in it is a must. I got my expertise by working as the eminent domain attorney for a governmental agency. Doing that allowed me to glimpse into the minds of governmental agencies and understand how they view these problems. The money we get you is money you deserve, but a lot of work goes into getting it for you.
If your property is being taken by eminent domain in Washington, please give us a call today. We will talk to you for free, review your offer on the government's dime, and will work hard to get you the just compensation you deserve. Call us today at 206.452.5241 or to get help with your condemnation problem.
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