Top Vestavia Hills, AL Sports Law Lawyers Near You

Are You an Athlete?

If you are an athlete you may deal with being courted by colleges and universities, pursued by companies that want you to represent their products or perhaps you were injured during a game or suspended from play due to accusations of doping. All of these issues have legal consequences and you should call a Vestavia Hills today to discuss how to protect your legal rights as an athlete.

Athletes Have a Wide Range of Legal Matters

Sports law, or athletes law, covers legal issues that arise in amateur and professional sports, including labor law, contract law, and tort law matters such as defamation and privacy rights. Today’s athletes face many challenges off the field and may have to confront legal issues of doping, contract disputes, game-related injuries that are not properly treated, and tax issues.

How an Attorney Can Help

An attorney can often resolve your particular legal issue faster and better than trying to do it alone. A lawyer can help you navigate the legal system, while avoiding costly mistakes or procedural errors. You should seek out an attorney whose practice focuses on the area of law most relevant to your issue.

What to Expect from an Initial Consultation

• Seek to determine whether the attorney can represent you. There is no one-size-fits-all legal solution and it may turn out your needs are better served by an attorney in a different specialization.
• It’s important to find a legal ally who is both competent in the law and someone you can trust to protect your interests.
• Discuss how the practice’s billing works and discuss possible additional charges or fees that may arise during or after the resolution of your case.

An attorney consultation should provide you with enough information so that you can make an informed decision on whether to proceed with legal help.

How will an attorney charge me?

A reputable attorney will be very upfront about how he/she will charge you. The three most common fee structures that attorneys use to charge for their services are:

• Bill by the hour
• Contingent fee agreement
• Flat fee agreement

Depending on your specific legal situation, it’s possible that only one type of fee structure is available. For instance, criminal defense attorneys almost always bill by the hour. In a flat fee arrangement, an attorney accepts a one-time payment to help you resolve your issue. With a contingent fee agreement, the client pays little to nothing upfront and the attorney receives a percentage of the money recovered if you win your case.

Common legal terms explained

Affidavit – A sworn written statement made under oath. An affidavit is meant to be a supporting document to the court assisting in the verification of certain facts. An affidavit may or may not require notarization.