Tag Archives: lawyer costs

How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawsuit Cost?

Posted on by

If you have been shopping around for a personal injury lawyer in Indiana, you have probably come across advertisements like, “You Don’t Pay Unless We Win”, or “No Fees if We Don’t Recover for You.” These statements are referring to the law firm’s attorney representation contract, or contingency-fee agreement.

As a recent victim or survivor who was wrongly injured in an accident, it is important to know the difference between personal injury fees and legal costs, including how contingency-fee pricing models work and how much you can expect to pay out of pocket for your impending or potential lawsuit.

Continue reading to learn more about contingency-fee agreements and the additional costs expected in a personal injury lawsuit, as well as who you can trust to obtain the maximum settlement for your Indiana accident case.

Indianapolis Accident Attorneys 317-881-2700
Indianapolis Accident Attorneys 317-881-2700

Facts About Law Firm Contingency-Fees

Under a contingency-fee contract, both the lawyer and the client are agreeing upon an arrangement. Basically, a personal injury lawyer is agreeing to represent a client without asking for any money or payment upfront, and the client is agreeing to pay the lawyer a certain percentage of their settlement or judgment they receive from their claim.

Generally, the most common percentage used is 1/3 of the total settlement. But the actual percentage varies among firms and can also depend on when the settlement is recovered. Some law firms even use a sliding scale that increases in percentage as the case progresses. Here is an example:

► 33.33% Fee for claims settled out of court.
► 36% Fee for claims that settle before trial.
► 40% Fee for claims settled at trial by jury.

Although some attorneys charge 50% Fee in certain cases, Craven, Hoover and Blazek, P.C. does not.  The part of a contingency agreement that is “contingent” or conditional, is whether or not the lawyer recovers a settlement for the client (either via settlement or court trial). If no settlement is awarded, the client does not have to pay because there is no settlement to pay from.

Attorney Fees Versus Expenses

Lawyer costs and lawyer fees are separate from one another. “Fees” are the payments made to lawyers for their services, which they only receive if they recover a settlement or win a trial. “Costs” on the other hand, are the expenses incurred throughout the legal process for the purpose of keeping the case going. These include document preparation costs, filing fees, court costs, expert witness imbursements, and more. It all depends on the length and complexity of the claim.

How to Cover All Legal Fees Without Feeling Any Financial Impact

So long as you hire a seasoned and skilled Indianapolis personal injury law firm to represent your case, you will not have to worry about being negatively financially impacted after winning your personal injury lawsuit. A skilled personal injury attorney will ensure that you receive the maximum settlement or verdict for your case. If you hire the right legal team, you should have more than enough compensation to pay your attorney fees and resulting legal costs, plus have a substantial amount of compensation left over.  Hiring the right attorney will allow you to obtain a full and fair settlement or verdict.

The bottom line is you will always be better off hiring an experienced attorney than not hiring one.

Are you looking for skilled personal injury attorney to represent your recent accident case in Indiana? Contact the Law Office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to meet with a seasoned Indianapolis Indiana accident attorney you can trust to recover the settlement you deserve. We represent victims all throughout the state of Indiana and Indiana residents injured in other states.

Related Posts:

Common Fee Arrangements for Legal Representation
Are Personal Injury Lawyers Expensive?
The Most Common Types of Damages Awarded in Personal Injury Lawsuits

Local Indianapolis Personal Injury Law Firm 317-881-2700
Schedule a Free Consultation!

What are Contingency Fees?

Posted on by

When you hire a lawyer, one of your first questions will likely be about fees. But the type of fee arrangement offered by a law firm will vary depending on several factors, including the type of law practiced, the individual preferences of a lawyer, the complexity of your case, and much more. Typical attorney fee arrangements include retainers, hourly rates, and flat fees, but for personal injury lawyers, the most common payment model used are contingency fees.

Continue reading to learn how contingency fees work and how much you can expect to pay attorney fees under this type of fee arrangement.

Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm
Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm 317-881-2700

Working on a Contingency Fee Basis

Lawyers who work on a contingency fee basis do not collect any type of payment upfront from a client. Instead, clients only pay their lawyers if they recover a settlement or judgment for them. Payments are conditional, or contingent, under this type of fee arrangement. So, if a lawyer does not win a settlement for their client, the client pays nothing to the lawyer for their services.

If a personal injury lawyer does recover a settlement for their client, the client will pay the initially-agreed upon lawyer fee, which is a set percentage of the total settlement or judgment value. In most personal injury cases, the industry average is about one-third/33.33% up to forty/40%.

Talk to Your Lawyer About Payments and Fees

Knowing the types of fees and prices for lawyers is an important part of choosing a legal team that fits your needs. It is encouraged to ask your lawyer questions about their fee arrangements and billing practices ahead of time so that you are better-prepared when the final bill comes and can fully-comprehend its charges. Also inquire about miscellaneous legal costs that might be expected.

A professional personal injury lawyer should always be fully transparent when disclosing payment and billing details to potential clients. Keep in mind that cheaper does not mean better when it comes to your legal representation.

Your Leading Indiana Accident Attorneys

Call Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Indianapolis accident attorney who can determine the best strategies for your Indiana personal injury or wrongful death case. Not only does our law firm offer free consultations, we never collect lawyer fees unless we prevail for you! Call 317-881-2700 to get started on your financial recovery, today.  We represent injured persons throughout Indiana, as well as the surviving dependents in a wrongful death case.

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700
Schedule a Free Consultation!

Are Personal Injury Lawyers Expensive?

Posted on by

If you are a recent victim of an accident, do not let your income or cash availability stop you from hiring a personal injury lawyer to represent you in your claim for fair compensation. Regardless of employment, income, and cash availability, anyone can afford to retain the services of a personal injury law firm. Furthermore, virtually all personal injury offices offer free, first-time consultations in order to have your case reviewed by a licensed accident attorney.

Continue reading to learn more about paying for a personal injury lawyer, including how much they collect for attorney fees and most importantly, how to get started as soon as today!

Indiana Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700
Indiana Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Lawyer Fees

Here in the United States, the most common payment arrangements used by law firms include hourly fees, flat fees, fee retainers, and contingency fees. When it comes to personal injury representation, the contingency fee is the most common fee arrangement used. Under a contingency-fee basis, a client does not pay anything upfront in terms of lawyer fees. Instead, clients only have to pay if a settlement is recovered for them. This is a great advantage for clients since they normally do not have the cash available, to pay the attorney fees, especially after a fall when a person is incurring medical bills and may be off work for a time.

Upon recovering a settlement or judgment for a client, a personal injury lawyer will collect a prearranged percentage previously agreed upon in the signing of the client-attorney contract. Commonly, lawyers retain around 1/3rd of the total settlement, but this percentage varies among firms. Always ask your personal injury lawyer about their payment arrangements and price tiers at your initial consultation. In fact, read our blog, “The First Questions You Should Ask About Your Personal Injury” to learn how to prepare for your first meeting.

What You Might Have to Pay For Yourself

Although personal injury lawyers work on a contingent basis, you might be obligated to pay additional fees related to your case. Such fees may include court costs, witness testimonies, expert panelists, filing fees, private investigation costs, background checks, and more. Most law firms will front these costs for a client until the time of settlement, at which point those fees/expenses would be paid out of the total settlement.  Fortunately, these costs usually do not amount to a lot, and tend to stay within an affordable price range; especially when you consider the settlement you are potentially recovering for your total damages and losses that resulted from your accident. 

How to Get Started on a Personal Injury Claim

Call the Law Office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to schedule a free initial consultation with a licensed personal injury attorney in Indianapolis, Indiana. Seasoned lawyers, Daniel Craven, Ralph Hoover, and Keith Blazek, are motivated to help you recover the full and fair compensation you deserve after being injured in a serious accident. Best of all, we only collect lawyer fees if we obtain a settlement for you!

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700
Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

How Much Does it Cost to Hire an Accident Lawyer?

Posted on by

It is always best to hire a personal injury lawyer to represent you or your family in an accident case, however, many people are hesitant to do so out of fear that they charge too much for their services. If you want to know how much an accident lawyer charges for their services, continue reading and review the several types of pay rates and price tiers that are common among law firms and independent attorneys.

Personal Injury Law Firm 317-881-2700

Personal Injury Law Firm
317-881-2700

Understanding Lawyer Fees

Law firms collect their fees in a variety of ways. It can depend on the type of case, the lawyer’s experience and more. Common payment arrangements used by law firms and lawyers include hourly rates, flat rates, retainers, and contingent fees. Flat rate fees are generally arranged for basic and simple legal services, like divorces and wills. Hourly fees are the most common payment arrangement for lawyers, and vary in price depending on the lawyer’s experience. Hourly attorney rates can be anywhere from $50 to $1,000 per hour! However, these rates vary from firm to firm.

Contingent Fees and Retainers

Retainers are used for certain cases and charged upfront before services are rendered. As clients are billed, the amount is deducted from the retainer as the case proceeds. Contingent fees are only collected if a lawyer wins a settlement for their client. This means they work on a contingent fee basis. This is most common for personal injury lawyers and law firms like ours.

Most personal injury law firms, including ours, offer free initial consultations to discuss your accident and assess whether or not it’s a valid claim. If it is valid, they will accept the case and move forward with the legal process upon your request, without ever collecting lawyer fees unless they win your settlement. So most often, no upfront fees are necessary, but this is not the case for all firms.

Recovering a Settlement

Once a settlement is recovered, there are different methods and price tiers of payment collected by lawyers. How they choose to collect or charge their fees all depends on the firm or the lawyer themselves. A certain percentage is deducted from the settlement amount and paid to the personal injury attorney for their services. But if the client does not win their case, the lawyer collects nothing. Generally, accident lawyers collect one third of the settlement recovered; however, these percentages vary among firms.

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Call The Law Office of Craven, Hoover, Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to schedule a free initial consultation with a licensed personal injury lawyer in Indianapolis, Indiana. They never collect attorney fees unless we win your settlement. They specialize in various accident cases, including motor vehicle accidents, slip trip and fall accidents, dog bites, workers compensation, and much more. Call 317-881-2700 to file a personal injury claim, today.

Common Fee Arrangements for Legal Representation

Posted on by

Understanding the framework for lawyer fees is an important part of preparing for legal representation. Learn how many lawyers charge for their services, and what to expect in terms of total out-of-pocket costs.

Personal Injury Law Firm 317-881-2700

Personal Injury Law Firm
317-881-2700

There are several different areas of law, both on state and federal levels. Accordingly, there are several different types of legal counselors who specialize in a particular type of practice. For instance, there are personal injury lawyers, divorce lawyers, criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, bankruptcy lawyers, immigration lawyers, and much more. Depending on the industry and the private preferences of the law firm, the type of fee arrangement they offer clients will vary.

Continue reading to learn some of the most common fee arrangements for lawyers, and how much your case will likely cost you.

Lawyers’ Fees

Contingency Fees. This is a common fee arrangement used among personal injury law firms. Under a contingency-fee basis, a client does not pay anything upfront in terms of lawyers’ fees. They may, however, have to pay for court and lawsuit related fees, such as court costs, witness testimonies, expert panelists, filing fees, and more. As for paying the lawyers, clients only have to pay if a settlement is recovered for them. If a settlement is recovered, the personal injury lawyers will collect a set percentage (usually 1/3 of total amount) that was previously agreed upon in the contract signed by the client. The larger the settlement, the more money the law firm makes.

Hourly Fees. This is the most common fee arrangement used among lawyers in most other fields of law. Under an hourly fee arrangement, clients agree upon an hourly rate presented by the lawyer at their initial consultation. From there, any time and work that the lawyer puts into the case is billed to the client. This can include phone calls, emails, document filing, and more. This is a very expensive fee arrangement, with common rates ranging between $200 and $300 per hour.

Flat Fees. Flat rate fees are generally used by law firms that deal with simple and direct cases. This may include divorce lawyers, bankruptcy lawyers, and lawyers who deal in wills, notaries, and similar legal services. In addition to the flat fee charged by the lawyer, clients may also be responsible for paying filing fees, court costs, and any other related fees surrounding their claim.

Retainers. Retainers are not necessarily a fee arrangement, but more so an additional fee responsibility to a fee arrangement. Many lawyers who charge hourly or flat rate fees may ask clients to pay a retainer as well. This is an upfront payment made to the lawyer as a sign of good faith that the clients are capable and willing to pay. They are also used to help jump start the financing of the case, including witnesses, investigations, and more. Lawyers often put retainers in a special trust account, and deduct their costs from them as they work on the case. Retainers are nonrefundable unless a court finds a retainer “unreasonable.”

Free Legal Representation

If a person is charged with a misdemeanor crime punishable by jail time, or a felony offense, the 6th Amendment in the United States Constitution guarantees the right to legal assistance. So if a defendant cannot afford to hire a lawyer, a court will provide one for them, free of charge. These lawyers are licensed and certified counselors referred to as public defenders. The state pays for the public defense, but defendants will still be responsible for paying additional court costs and legal fees, especially of they are convicted.

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Call The Law office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to file a personal injury claim in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our seasoned personal injury lawyers are eager to recover the full and fair compensation you deserve. Not only does our law firm offer free consultations, we never collect lawyer fees unless we prevail for you! Call 317-881-2700 to schedule a time with a licensed Indianapolis accident attorney, today.

How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?

Posted on by

Indianapolis Accident Lawyers 317-881-2700

Indianapolis Accident Lawyers 317-881-2700

Depending on the type of legal services and representation needed, legal fees and lawyer costs will vary. These kinds of costs also vary from law firm to law firm, and often times, depend on the complexity of a client’s case. Knowing the types of fees and prices for lawyers is an important part of choosing a legal team that fits your needs. It is encouraged to ask lawyers questions about their fee arrangements and billing practices ahead of time so that you are better-prepared when the final bill comes and you can fully-comprehend its charges. A lawyer should be open and more-than-willing to disclose payment and billing details to potential clients.

Keep in mind that cheaper is not better when it comes to your legal protection. Be prepared to spend a good hunk of money on effective and reputable legal services. A reputable law firm’s attorney prices should be high but reasonable. Continue reading to learn about common billing practices and rates used by attorneys and law firms in general, and then more specifically, personal injury lawyers.

Lawyer Rates

There are several different types of fee arrangements and rates attorneys charge for their services. Some law firms will use just one type of billing method, while another might use multiple in combination. The most common are hourly rates, flat rate fees, retainers, and contingent fees. Here is a basic description of each:

Retainers

A legal retainer is an upfront payment, given in advance, to a lawyer for their services. Retainers are usually accompanied with hourly billing. Paid retainers are generally placed in a special trust account, and then debited as legal fees accrue. It is important to monitor legal retainers and billing statements as representation continues to ensure proper invoicing. Keep in mind that retainers are not refundable, with very few exceptions.

Hourly Fees

Charging by the hour is the most common billing practice used by attorneys and law firms. A lawyer can choose to charge clients by the hour, based on all the hours they put into a client’s case. The hourly-rate is either pre-set or agreed upon between clients and lawyers. Hourly rates will depend on a lawyer’s experience, location, overheads, and more. It is important to retain the legal services of an experienced attorney.

Contingent Fees

Contingent fees are the most common form of billing practice used by personal injury law firms and attorneys. This payment arrangement works by not charging clients any retainers or upfront fees, but collecting up a percentage of whatever monetary settlement they recover for them. Personal injury claims are complex and vary from case to case, so the percentage collected upon judgment will vary among lawsuits.

Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C.

Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Personal Injury Lawyers 317-881-2700

Call 317-881-2700 today and speak with licensed personal injury attorney, Daniel Craven, about filing an accident claim in Indianapolis, Indiana. We offer free initial consultations and never collect attorney fees unless we prevail for you! Call 317-881-2700 for questions about personal injury lawsuits or to schedule a consultation with a seasoned Indianapolis personal injury lawyer you can trust.