Settlement Rip-Off

massachusetts: while riding the bus, we got into an accident and i got hurt. i hired a lawyer and we agreed on 33% for his services. that third of the proceedswere to cover everything except the medical/therapy expenses. the settlement was for $20,000.00 when he gave me
his ''settlement statement’s addition to his 33% he took $500.00 extra for ''investigator, medical records, postage, etc. '' that statement shows that he was about to charge me an additional $250.00 for administrative fee. but he scratched that from the accounting report and he waived those. when i asked him about the extra $500.00 his answer was ''that's what is normally charged. and that because he is handling my wife and daughter's case (unrelated matter) he will gave them a discount. is this legal? if not, what can i do, or where should i go in order to get this money back.

You are not going to like this answer but it is the law. Everything depends on the words of the Attorney/Client Retainer Agreement you signed. If you didn't sign one, then the state and local bars will use general presumptions. One of which is that there is always a distinction between costs and fees. That $500 you are complaining about are for common costs associated with the handling/prosecution of a law suit or case. Costs are always allowed to be recovered unless the Retainer Agreement or the standard practice in that locality dictate otherwise. Therefore, based on what little you wrote, you have no right under the law to get that $500 returned to you.