How We Match You with a Lawyer — Methodology

Last updated: 2026-05-15

HurtCallMax is a referral service. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. We connect injured Albertans with experienced personal-injury law firms that work on contingency. This page explains exactly how that match happens, who is on our short-list, and what we do — and do not — do with your information.

1. What happens when you call or submit a Free Case Review

• You give us a brief description of what happened, where, when, and how you are hurt.
• We confirm two basic eligibility points: (a) the incident happened in Alberta or involves an Alberta party, and (b) you are within Alberta’s two-year personal-injury limitation period under the Limitations Act, RSA 2000, c L-12.
• We screen for conflicts (we will not refer you to a firm already acting for the at-fault party).
• We match you with a firm from our short-list whose practice area, capacity, and geographic reach fits your case.
• The firm contacts you for a free, no-obligation consultation. There is no charge to you for this introduction.

2. How firms get on our short-list

Every firm on our short-list must satisfy all of the following before a single call is routed to them:

• Active practice and good standing. Lawyers must be currently licensed by the Law Society of Alberta with no active suspensions or restrictions on practice.
• Personal-injury focus. At least 50% of the firm’s caseload, or one dedicated partner, must be personal-injury plaintiff work. General-practice firms that “also do PI” are screened out.
• Contingency-fee model. The firm must accept files on a written contingency-fee agreement under the Alberta Rules of Court and the Law Society’s contingency-fee rules — no hourly billing for the matched file.
• Disbursement funding. The firm must front disbursements (medical reports, expert reports, court fees) so the client pays $0 out of pocket while the file is open.
• Trial capacity. The firm must be willing and equipped to take the matter to trial, not just to settle on the courthouse steps. Insurance defence reads the difference.
• Disclosure of fee percentage upfront. The firm must quote the contingency percentage in writing at the first consultation, before any retainer is signed.

3. What disqualifies a firm

• Any active Law Society of Alberta discipline or suspension.
• A pattern of client complaints about responsiveness, fee surprise, or unauthorized settlements.
• Refusal to put the contingency percentage and disbursement-funding terms in writing.
• Boilerplate retainer that hides costs (e.g., “office overhead” line items, undisclosed referral fees).
• An undisclosed financial relationship with the at-fault party’s insurer.

4. The $0 promise — what it actually means

Every firm on our short-list works on a written contingency-fee agreement. That means:

• You pay nothing upfront. No retainer, no hourly bills.
• If your case does not produce a recovery, you owe no legal fee.
• If your case does produce a recovery, the firm’s fee is a percentage of that recovery, agreed in writing before you sign.
• Disbursements (medical reports, expert opinions, court filing fees) are also funded by the firm and reimbursed from the recovery — not billed to you as a surprise.

This model is regulated by the Law Society of Alberta and the Alberta Rules of Court. The percentage is negotiable. If a firm proposes a percentage you are uncomfortable with, you are free to decline and ask us to introduce you to another firm.

5. How we are paid

HurtCallMax is paid a flat marketing fee by the law firms we refer cases to. We are not paid by you. We do not collect a percentage of any settlement or judgment. The marketing fee a firm pays us does not change the contingency percentage the firm quotes you — that is fixed by the firm’s standard rate card.

6. What we do with your information

See our Privacy Policy for the full version. The short version: we share the case description you give us only with the law firm we are matching you to, and only after you give us permission. We do not sell, rent, or broker your information to insurance companies, marketers, or other third parties.

7. What we don’t do

• We do not give legal advice. Anything you read on this site is general information, not advice on your specific case.
• We do not represent you. The lawyer you are matched with does, once you sign a written retainer.
• We do not guarantee outcomes. No lawyer in Canada can ethically guarantee a result, and any service that does is not following the rules.
• We do not charge you for the match, the call, or the lawyer consultation.

8. Questions or concerns about a match

If a firm we referred you to has not contacted you within one business day, or if you are uncomfortable for any reason, call us back at 780-900-6022 or email info@hurtcallmax.com and we will route you to a different firm. There is no charge for re-matching.

See also: Editorial Standards · Corrections Policy · Privacy Policy · Disclaimer.