Clients & Fees
Questions about fees
Do you offer a 'free consultation?'
You bet. Your initial consultation, normally a half an hour, is free.
How much do you charge?
Personal injury cases are handled on a "contingent fee basis." This means that fees are collected from the gross settlement or judgment. This is usually about 1/3 of the total recovery. If the client does not collect anything, then the attorney does not get paid.
However, costs such as filing fees, deposition expenses, costs for medical records retrieval and expert witness fees are the client's responsibility even if there is no settlement or judgment collected.
What about other kinds of cases?
If your case cannot be handled on a continent fee basis, an "hourly rate" of $125.00 is charged. Hourly rates normally apply to "family law" matters such as divorce cases and in criminal defense cases.
The normal fee to file a personal bankruptcy is $900.00 which includes filing fees and other costs.
Read about some typical clients whose cases were handled by Kevin Hobbs
• Nurse badly injured by drunk driver
• Defective door shatters a young man's life
• Snow and ice causes a bad fall
• Defective sidewalk trips pedestrian
• Aggressive dog bites unsuspecting visitor
• Inattentive driver slams into another car
• Woman runs stop sign and man loses livelihood
Nurse badly injured by drunk driver —Return to Top
A nurse was driving home at night following her shift at the hospital. As she slowed to make a left turn onto her street, a Camaro slammed into the back of her small Suzuki Samurai. The driver of the Camaro was drunk and racing (approximately 80 mph in a 45 mph zone) against his friend. The Camaro crashed and the driver attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended by witnesses. The nurse suffered serious injuries because of the Camaro's high speed and the lightweight nature of her Suzuki. The insurance company offered to only pay for her medical bills. They refused all reasonable settlement attempts. A jury awarded the nurse 3 times the insurance company's offer.
Defective door shatters a young man's life —Return to Top
A seventeen year-old young man was following another person as they exited a glass door at a business. The door did not contain safety glass and had a defective closure that caused the door to slam with great force. The business owner had known for some time that this closure was defective. The glass in the door shattered and a large shard fell downward like the blade of a guillotine striking the young man in the neck and shoulder. The young man was lucky to survive. He ended up with deep layers of scar tissue in his neck and shoulder area that caused great discomfort and restriction of movement. Additionally, he had a grotesque crescent shaped scar that extended above the collar of his shirt. The insurance company for the business denied any fault and refused to pay anything. The young man obtained an attorney and the insurance company eventually agreed to pay a reasonable settlement amount.
Snow and ice causes a bad fall —Return to Top
A 58 year-old woman, who is a retired mail carrier, parked in the parking lot of a large local grocery store. The store had made no effort to clear the lot in spite of recent snows. This resulted in ice and snow buildup on much of the parking lot, which made for treacherous footing. The woman exited her car and with her first step her feet flew out from under her. When she hit the ground, the woman's hip was shattered. In spite of the treacherous footing and the woman's serious injury, the store denied any liability. The store took the position that snow is a common occurrence in Iowa. Therefore, it is the woman's responsibility to take enough care to avoid injury. The woman obtained legal counsel and the store eventually decided to be reasonable in settling the case.
Defective sidewalk trips pedestrian —Return to Top
A city failed to inspect its sidewalks in spite of an ordinance requiring them to inspect and repair annually. A very healthy woman in her 50's was visiting this city from Arizona and went for a walk one sunny day on this sidewalk. A section of this sidewalk had "heaved" and left a ridge between sections of nearly two inches. The woman could not see the defect in this section of sidewalk because it was located under a tree and the shade created a "mottled" pattern of camouflage on this section. The woman tripped on this ridge and fell on her shoulder damaging her rotator cuff. This injury required surgery and an extended recovery period. The woman requested that the city pay her medical bills. But the city denied liability, stating that the woman's injuries were her fault. The woman obtained legal counsel and the city eventually acknowledged their negligence for failure to inspect and repair a hazardous condition. The city paid her medical bills and a significant amount for her pain and suffering.
Aggressive dog bites unsuspecting visitor —Return to Top
A woman went to a friend's house for dinner. Following dinner, the woman and her friend sat on the couch for some conversation. The friend's dog (a rat terrier mix) sat near the woman on the floor. The friend left the room momentarily. The woman reached down to pet the dog. The dog suddenly, and without provocation, leapt up and bit the end of the woman's nose off. The friend knew that the dog had a history of biting people. The friend's homeowner's insurance company refused to pay medical bills stating that the woman was at fault for attempting to pet the dog. After the woman obtained legal counsel, the insurance company agreed to pay the medical bills and a significant amount for pain and suffering, future medical expenses and permanent disfigurement.
Inattentive driver slams into another car —Return to Top
A woman was waiting in a line of cars to make a left turn. Suddenly, a young lady driving an SUV slammed into the rear of the woman's car causing the woman to suffer injuries to the soft tissues in her spine. The young lady claimed that her brakes failed suddenly and without warning. However, she was ticketed for failure to stop in a safe and assured distance. Her insurance company hired an "expert" who provided a report (even though he never examined the SUV) verifying that the brakes had failed. The prosecutor dismissed the young lady's traffic tickets based on this claimed brake failure. The young lady's insurance company claimed immunity from liability because the equipment failure was beyond the young lady's control. The woman obtained legal counsel and began litigation. Certain facts came out during depositions that indicated the claim of brake failure was suspicious. The insurance company then agreed to settle the case for an amount that the woman found acceptable.
Woman runs stop sign and man loses livelihood —Return to Top
A man was driving his car down a two-lane highway on a clear day. A woman ran a stop sign with her car and entered this highway from an adjoining gravel road, slamming into the man's car. The man suffered numerous injuries including soft tissue injuries to his back and neck. The man was unable to continue working as a laborer as a result of his injuries. The woman's insurance company did not communicate with the man to discuss settlement. After the man obtained counsel, the insurance company agreed to pay a reasonable settlement amount.
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Did you know that people facing bankruptcy often believe that they will never get credit again?
That may have been the case in the past, but nowadays, so many people have filed bankruptcy that many banks are eager to tap into that market. In fact, you probably will find that you are able to rebuild your credit and borrow money in the future without great difficulty.
Hobbs Law Firm recommends that everyone try to live within their means and avoid borrowing money or obtaining new credit accounts except for large investments such as a car or home.
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