IF I SUE SOMEONE IN COURT, CAN I GET BACK MY LEGAL FEE?

 Hello All! Good evening! 

Being a law practitioner for more than 12 years now, the above is the one of the most common question I am asked by clients.

To answer the question, you need to first understand the terminology and ubderstand the difference between professional legal fees  and court awarded costs at the end of a case. 

Legal Fees are what you pay your lawyer to carry out the work for you.

Court Costs are what the court usually award you when you succeed with your claim or defence. The losing party pays the winning party. Court Costs are supposed to reimburse you for expenses incurred in your case in court.

The idea is that you are entitled to be reimbursed since were successful in your claim or defence.

However, Court Costs only cover expenses incurred related for court related matters only.

You may have spent a great deal in investigating and preparing for the court proceedings, but not all the expenses incurred for preliminary work done can be claimed.

Generally, you do not get to recover the legal fees you paid when you successfully sue someone in Court. Instead, what you receive is Court Costs. Court Costs almost always never equals the Legal Fees you paid your lawyer.

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