Explain how pretrial conferences are used by judges prior to the court system hearing a case. ...

Ans. to #1

Pretrial conferences occur in the chamber of a judge. Judges try to have the parties to a lawsuit focus on one or two specific issues, or emphasize information that has arisen during the discovery process, to encourage settlements prior to a case being heard in a court of law.

Ans. to #2

For contingent fee cases, the plaintiff is still required to pay any expenses the attorney incurs but the attorney does not receive any profit on a case unless they are able to recover damages. The profit an attorney will realize on a case depends on whether a case is settled before it goes to trial or a trial is required to obtain a settlement. If a settlement is negotiated by an attorney before trial they usually receive 25 to 35 of the settlement. If a trial is necessary to receive a settlement then an attorney receives 35 to 50 or possibly more of the settlement.

Ans. to #3

Legal aid attorneys are lawyers that provide services to citizens who are not able to afford regular attorneys fees due to their economic circumstances.