Have you or a loved one suffered a personal injury and are wondering how much it will cost to hire an attorney? There are more than 93,000 personal injury attorneys in the United States!
The sheer number of lawyers in this practice area means you have a lot of options to consider before you make your hiring decision. Before you begin your search for an attorney, you should understand what you will pay for during representation.
Read on to learn how much it costs to hire a personal injury lawyer!
The Importance of a Contingency Fee
You shouldn’t begin speaking with attorneys until you have a basic understanding of what a contingency fee is and how it works. Have you ever been watching TV and seen an advertisement for a lawyer that says “We don’t get paid unless you do”?
When a lawyer says this in a commercial, they are referring to a contingency fee in a unique way. Simply put, a contingency fee is an arrangement where an attorney’s pay is contingent on your success.
Before you retain an attorney, they will present you with a contingency fee agreement. While the contingency fee percentage varies from state to state, pay attention to these terms carefully. You should understand how legal fees are charged ahead of making your hiring decision.
For example, a personal injury attorney in Florida may collect various percentages of your damages. This is the way these lawyers receive compensation for their services. The percentage depends on the amount of your damages and the status of the case at the time of the resolution.
Prepare to Pay Expenses and Costs
Contingency fee arrangements are most common in the personal injury area of law. You need to know what you will be paying for, separate and apart from this agreement. You can’t answer the question, ‘How much is a lawyer’ without knowing about how expenses and costs are determined.
Personal injury attorneys tend to vary as to how they will charge for expenses and costs during a lawsuit. Depending on your case and the length of litigation, your lawyer may run up a bill for various expenses and costs.
Some of the most common expenses are for retaining an expert witness like a doctor. Others include the preparation of exhibits and medical records before a trial.
A personal injury attorney may decide to charge you for these expenses and costs as they are incurred by their office. Others may opt to keep a running tally of these items and deduct it from what you will receive at the end of your case.
Find the Best Personal Injury Lawyer
The best personal injury lawyer is the one that has a unique combination of experience, reputation, and candor. Hiring a lawyer is one of the most important decisions you will make in your personal injury case.
When you understand how the attorney charges you and what they will be doing in your case, you’ll be confident you are making the best choice for counsel.
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