You should hire a lawyer when you’ve been in a car crash, slip and fall, or endured any other kind of personal injury. They can maximize your chance of getting the compensation you deserve while you recover from your injuries.
It only makes sense that you may wonder how you’ll pay a lawyer for their services, especially if you’re financially strapped from the accident. The good news is that it will cost much less than you think.
Why Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney Is the Best Option
According to Brookhaven personal injury attorney Pendergrass, insurance companies want you to think that hiring a lawyer will cost a bundle. They often try these tactics to get you to take a settlement check. The sum printed on that check may be tempting, but only a personal injury attorney knows how to calculate the full amount of your damages.
In other words, you’re probably only thinking about the medical bills for your injuries. However, you may have missed out on pay by being unable to work. Your injuries may be so extreme that you have to pay for medical treatments for the rest of your life. You may also endure mental anguish or post-traumatic stress.
Hiring a lawyer will cost money, but most personal injury attorneys don’t charge by the hour. Instead, they get paid on a contingency fee basis.
What to Know About Contingency Fees
With a contingency fee payment structure, personal injury lawyers start working for you without any upfront out-of-pocket costs. In this model, if they win a settlement or a trial, they will get a certain percentage of the compensation you’re awarded. If they don’t successfully obtain a settlement for you or win a trial, they don’t get paid.
You have nothing to lose by hiring a personal injury attorney. Most of them also offer free initial consultations where they can give you their professional opinion and legal advice about your case.
How much will your lawyer charge in contingency fees? This will vary by attorney, and it’s a good question to ask during your initial consultation. You’ll want to know the percentage they will take from your settlement and if there will be any additional costs factored in. Keep in mind you will not pay a penny unless your personal injury attorney is successful. It’s standard for them to have a fee of 33% to 40% of the settlement.
Additional costs may come into play from the process of your case for investigators, expert witnesses, and research, to name a few. It is up to the lawyer as to how these expenses are charged.
Because every case varies, it is impossible for any lawyer to provide a set amount for the legal costs. As a rule of thumb, the longer a case takes, the higher the costs will be. However, if your personal injury attorney can get you maximum compensation for your damages, it will be well worth it to have that representation because you can come out on top.
Featured Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com
