Answered on Aug 25, 2015
An agreement with an attorney is like any other agreement, negotiable. In WC the fee is already somewhat watered down, as the Judge is required to approve for reasonableness any fee that is ultimately awarded. I honestly never saw a fee that low. I have seen a fee of 13% in a case (ultimately that attorney put in dozens of hours of work, won on medical and did not get paid a cent). I have provided discounts for Military, First Responders and Union members including in WC cases. This is especially common for Union members. There may be similar interest group discounts with some attorneys. That said, in my experience lowest fee does not always lead to best net award, if you have someone practicing in a quantity that permits nearly generic fees, the risk is that it will be reflected in the time and effort being put in the case. Also, an acknowledged injury does not always mean an easy case. The attorney may still be risking alot, in terms of medical evidence costs (sometime up to $10,000) and time (like the 13% attorney previously referenced) and not have a clear path to payment.