When you seek out a lawyer for a personal injury case, you may have concerns about how to pay him or her. With medical bills and other expenses looming overhead, you may wonder how you could afford an attorney at all.
Fortunately, many personal injury lawyers utilize contingency fees as part of the representation agreement.
What is a contingency fee?
According to FindLaw, contingency fees are often used when clients cannot afford a large sum of money upfront, such as in personal injury cases. Instead of charging you an hourly or flat fee, lawyers utilizing contingency fees will take a percentage of the award you receive. This percentage is generally somewhere between 20% and 40% of your total award.
The representation agreement should clearly state whatever percentage you and your lawyer agree on, as well as any other fees.
What are the benefits of establishing a contingency fee?
There are many benefits to using contingency fees in personal injury cases. Obviously, you will not have to pay the costs upfront, and this can be very helpful while you are healing from an injury. Not only that, but you can also be sure that your attorney will work hard for your case because he or she will not receive a payment unless you do. This a good incentive for lawyers to give you their best representation.
If you happen to lose your case, you will not be responsible for lawyer fees. There may be some administrative costs that you will need to pay, but lawyer’s fees are contingent upon you winning your case.