I hired Bonnici Law Group as my personal injury lawyer after a traumatic car accident in October 2022. In October 2024, I made it clear that I wanted to pursue litigation. I understood that filing a lawsuit increased their contingency fee from 33% to 40%, and I agreed. During in-person meetings, I repeatedly stated that I was willing to personally cover expert witness fees, which they initially estimated at approximately $50,000. After filing, I paid thousands in litigation-related expenses and invested significant time and emotional energy preparing for trial. Six months before trial (March 2025), I received a letter from Dan and Josh stating that I should accept the defendant’s policy limits. They offered to reduce their contingency fee from 40% to 33% if I accepted the settlement. However, they also stated that if I refused, they would withdraw from representing me. In the same communication, the estimated expert witness costs increased from $50,000 to approximately $100,000 Given the trial timeline, I contacted multiple personal injury attorneys seeking a second opinion, but none were willing to take over the case so close to court date. Feeling that I had no viable alternative, I agreed to settle. During negotiations, additional funds beyond the policy limits were discussed. However, I later learned that accepting additional compensation would trigger their fee to increase back to 40%, which I had misunderstood under the new contract. The additional compensation final settlement structure changed from a 15-year payment schedule starting immediately to a 17-year schedule beginning in mid-2026. Throughout the negotiation period, I repeatedly asked about counter-offers, but I was strongly encouraged to accept the deal as presented. When I asked what would happen if the defendant failed to make payments, I was told I could pursue enforcement myself or hire the firm again for additional fees.
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