After succumbing to an injury, the first thing any prudent person will do is to find an excellent personal injury lawyer. In this situation, the person has to make simultaneous arrangements to manage various medical expenses, bills, and wonder about the fees of the personal injury lawyer. For those who are unaware, it is the norm of the industry that the lawyers deal with personal injury fees on a contingency basis.
Precisely speaking, the lawyer’s fee will be deducted only after a successful settlement of the case. Given that, the lawyer representing the injured person fails him getting a favorable outcome, the lawyer cannot charge a fee. However, some personal injury lawyers can have hidden costs. Thus, it is imperative to ask them the following:
Ask whether the lawyers have charged a flat fee per hour.
Verify, if their services include any upfront costs.
Do the lawyers plan to change their fees before going for a trial or other situations?
Lastly, know if they charge for any fees separately.
Understanding the contingency fee percentages
Generally, the contingency fee agreements assure the personal injury attorney a percentage of between 33 and 40 percent. However, you have the option to negotiate and reduce the abovementioned percentage rate. Generally, the attorney will stick to the forty percent rate or even increase it to a whopping 60% if the case goes to trial. Presently, an increase in the competition in this profession is making the fee to nosedive. Some lawyers are ready to represent you in as low as 15%.
The other cost and expenses
Understandably, there will be additional costs, and the personal injury lawyers will cover them up as and when they surface. Among the costs and expenses, medical records, postage, filing fees, police reports, trial exhibits, and many more can add up to the charges. In the most unlikely situation, a personal injury lawyer will ask for the expenses from their clients while the settlement procedure is ongoing.
The personal injury lawyer receives the settlement check
When the injury lawyer is successful in providing a favorable outcome, the settlement is a norm sending the settlement check to them. As already mentioned, the lawyer will deduct the amount, presenting the client with an itemized list of the total expenses incurred during the procedure. In certain circumstances, clients can complain of discrepancy in the charges. In such cases, the lawyer will place the disputed amount in a trust account, and it stays there until the issue is solved.
The lawyer may not charge at all
In certain instances, the personal injury lawyer may not charge anything at all. The lawyer in this situation collects a reasonable hourly fee from the losing side. Individual states have this rule. Thus, the injured person should understand the laws where they live.
As a rule of thumb, a personal injury lawyer of a good reputation will never hesitate to discuss the fee structure with their clients. Putting the best foot forward in finding the best lawyer should help ward off the worries of the injured person.
