A personal injury lawyer is an expert in the field of personal injury and possesses extensive knowledge of the best practices. Although there might be numerous lawyers, some of them are the industry’s best in their sector of expertise. Different lawyers or law firms offer different ranges or quality of services, which makes the cost difference between them. The personal injury lawyer cost totally depends on the nature of your case.
Every case is different, with different circumstances and situations embedded in them. But the plaintiff or the victim doesn’t need to worry since most personal injury cases are paid on a contingency fee basis. Personal injury claims are subject to a contingency fee, but there are also several other hidden or in-direct expenses. We have carefully organized this article to inform you of the average cost of a personal injury lawsuit.
Why Consult A Personal Injury Attorney?
Due to the complexity of legal procedures, many prefer to consult a Personal Injury Attorney rather than representing the case themselves. Accidents don’t come with a warning, and most people aren’t prepared for the outcomes or damages cost by these unpredicted incidents. This creates several branches of factors to consider while filing a personal injury claim. From properly recording the evidence to presenting them in the most productive manner, a personal Injury lawyer will manage everything.
While you might be suffering and going through immense trouble due to a personal injury, the insurance companies might deny your claims or try to reduce the proposed compensation rate. This will pose a great obstacle for any common person, especially filing against a well-built corporation. Personal injury lawyers come as a saving grace in these situations, with their expertise built from continuous back and forth in these matters. Expert lawyers will also handle negotiations with insurance or opposing companies and discredit their attempts to devalue your claim.
Read more about what personal injury lawyers do?
There is also a matter of injury cases that concern damages to intangible losses that are directly non-economical. Cases revolving around pain, suffering, distress, emotional trauma, and such aren’t easy to convert into an economic figure for compensation. A personal injury lawyer excels in such areas; the intensive knowledge and experience they have on such matters play a vital role in winning the case. But the personal injury lawyer cost may vary if the case is too complicated or is extremely hard to represent.
How Do Contracts For Contingency Fees Generally Operate?
Contingency fees allow people who may not have the financial resources to pay for legal services. In a contingency fee arrangement, the lawyer receives payment only if the case is won, and the personal injury lawyer cost is just a percentage of the settlement. This fee structure was developed to make the legal process more accessible to everyone.
Most people do not own the financial resources for the costs associated with a trial, especially for unplanned ones. This type of payment is particularly useful for individuals who cannot afford the high hourly fees to pay the lawyers, unlike large corporations that can easily afford such prices.
This payment method also prevents the filing of baseless lawsuits, also known as frivolous lawsuits. Lawyers who work on such a fee basis don’t take on cases that have a low success rate or very less legitimacy; doing so will drastically reduce their chance of getting paid unless their client wins. This serves as an additional safeguard against meritless lawsuits and saves time as well as resources for both court and the lawyer.
The contingency fee aligns with the interests of the client and the lawyer. This typically leads to better representation for the plaintiff since the lawyer has a strong motive to win the case. In addition, as the lawyers invest their own resources to represent the case, it discourages any delays or misuse of time. When all parties have an interest in resolving the case efficiently, everyone can save time and money, including the court system, the plaintiff, and the lawyer.
What Percentage Do Attorneys Take In A Personal Injury Case In Terms Of Contingency Fees?
Personal injury cases often have a contingency fee basis, meaning that the cost of the case depends upon its results. The victim or the plaintiff is only required to pay some part of the overall compensation received. This is if the law firm or the personal injury lawyer wins the case in favor of the plaintiff. The average personal injury lawyer cost is somewhere between 30% to 40% of the overall compensation received through the claim; while this is the case for most cases, sometimes the cost may rise due to numerous other factors.
Taking one-third of the amount of the settlement is a widely-practiced way of paying for personal injury cases. Since most victims of personal injuries tend to be in situations where they can’t expense anymore, this way of paying fits the most. This is why most law firms or lawyers tend to fortify the cases with concrete research; if they fail to recover the compensation, they won’t get paid. So if you’re worried about your personal injury lawyer cost, you can completely rely on the lawyer or law firm representing your case. The more compensation they manage to secure, the more they get paid.
The Advantages Of A Contingency Fee Contract
Plaintiffs unable to afford a personal injury lawyer might need help with their legal representation. The Contingency fee system was developed to solve this issue, especially for the injured who don’t own enough economic resources to pay for legal services. The Contingency fee basis allows these individuals to obtain quality legal representation despite their financial constraints.
Personal injury lawyers on a contingency fee are strongly motivated to do their best and get a favorable outcome for their clients. Since they will only get paid if their client wins, and the amount they receive is based on the size of the compensation, they have a vested interest in obtaining the best possible outcome. As a result, they won’t take the case lightly and push to secure the maximum compensation settlement.
Personal Injury Case Costs And Expenses
While the plaintiff doesn’t need to pay the injury lawyer a fee unless they win, there will still be court costs and other expenses that need to be paid. These costs are subject to being paid by the victim/plaintiff.
- Filing fees
- Police reports
- Expert witness fees
- Medical records
- Court reporters
- Trial exhibits
- Postage and copying charges
There will be times when the personal injury lawyer fee depends on other expenses aligned with the case. Lawyers may bill the plaintiff either monthly or deduct the total amount of expenses from the amount of compensation received. The total cost of these expenses vary according to the nature, complexity, and requirements of the case.
Conclusion
Most personal injury cases run on a contingency fee basis, and an injury victim should know that the personal injury lawyer cost depends on the outcome of the case. The plaintiff will only have to pay if the injury lawyer wins the lawsuit. In most cases, the lawyer or the law firm deducts the fees from the total compensation secured. There are still other direct or indirect costs that come during the case; lawyers often tend to bill the plaintiff monthly for these indirect expenses.
While the victim may not have to pay the personal injury lawyer fee upfront, it is always a good option to research the percentage of the payment. We at Nordean Law are dedicated to relaying the required guidance you need for your personal injury claims. Contact us for our law-related services, especially if you have a personal injury case you want us to look into.
