The Client of the Medical Malpractice is exempt from any payment
They are extremely expensive, since medical experts are needed, and the medical experts sometimes charge upwards of $1,000 per hour to review medical records and prepare their opinions. They charge $5,000 or more for depositions and $10,000-$15,000 to fly into town and testify at trial. Some cases have 4 or 5 different experts. Here’s how the costs can add up. Your case, for example, may need two experts. Let’s say an internal medicine
specialist and a radiologist.
By the time they’ve reviewed the records and provided a pre-suit affidavit of their opinions, the costs could be $5,000 each. Then, they need to review the depositions of your law. Then, they need to review the depositions your lawyer takes of the defendants, so there’s another $2,000 to $3,000. Meetings with your lawyer to prepare for their depositions and trial could be another $5,000 each, and the experts usually charge $7,500 to $10,000 per day for appearing at trial to testify. So, for experts alone in a medical malpractice case, we’re talking upwards of $50,000. Add to that costs for the deposition transcripts themselves-averaging about $800 each-and there being sometimes more than 10 depositions in the case, that alone would add another $8,000 to the costs. And that’s conservative. BUT, the contract with the client says the attorney advances all costs and then the client pays the costs only if there is a recovery by settlement or verdict.