Personal Injury Lawyer
When dealing with a personal injury, the last thing that you want to think about is spending more money than you have to. Most people who suffer significant injuries already have to deal with high medical bills, lost wages, and other costs associated with the accident. How are you supposed to hire an attorney on top of that? What you need to know, that might ease your mind is that most personal injury lawyers work for a contingency fee.
Do You Pay Upfront?
Most people who file a lawsuit do not have a lot of money on hand. While some may be able to afford a lawyer, many are too busy paying money on behalf of the injury. This can lead to a lot of stress. You need money for your bills, but you need a lawyer to ensure that you receive that compensation. Fortunately, you do not have to pay upfront. Contingency fees do not work like that. A lawyer receives his or her contingency fee at the end of the case. It is based on how much money you are awarded if the lawyer wins the case. You never have to pay upfront costs to the lawyer.
How Much Are You Responsible For?
Contingency fees are an agreed upon percentage of the recovery. The standard is that the lawyer will receive about one third of your damages. The lawyer’s fees always come out of the money that you receive at the end of the trial. If you lose the trial, then neither of you receive money. You are not responsible for paying the lawyer for his or her work. However, this does not mean that you are responsible for no fees at all. You may have to pay for court filing fees and the costs of witnesses, whether you win or lose the case.
When you are dealing with a personal injury and all of the costs associated with it, you may feel hesitant to seek out a lawyer at first. After all, you are already trying to afford your medical bills. The idea of affording legal fees on top of that may be daunting to most. The truth is that you don’t have to worry about that right away. When you hire a personal injury lawyer, he or she does not receive payment except for after the case is won.