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!
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!