Hi, all -- thanks. No, he wasn't warned about the sorts of side effects he has experienced. This is helpful advice. We totally get that it is reasonable/appropriate for the lawyer to get us to commit because of the contingency payment model, and we certainly want to be able to commit once we are, well, committed (i.e. we're not looking to shop around/jump ship once we've picked a lawyer). It just feels weird to make that commitment when we know pretty much nothing about the firm. Will try to use the information you've provided to learn a bit more and make a decision.
Ah, okay, your question was very confusing.
It sounded like you wanted to go with this law firm, but were questioning whether or not it was reasonable to sign the contingency agreement.
What you are actually asking, I think?, is how one should shop around for a good lawyer?
You just shop around like you would for anything else. Do a bunch of online research, like seeing if you can find firms that have already been involved in and won settlements specifically for this product.
Talk to multiple firms, compare and contrast what they seem to be able to offer, and as someone else said already, lawyers are the best resource for evaluating other lawyers, so if you know any lawyers, ask them if they can help you ferret out who is really good for this work.
Lastly, lawsuits are very stressful, so make sure you sign with someone you really feel you can trust. Whether you like them or not, make sure that they make you feel like you have total confidence in them, because you do not want to go through this process, a deposition, etc, with any doubts about your lawyer.