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Call Us (866) GO-SEE-SAM
Nov 11, 2021
When you’re injured in a car accident, slip and fall, dog bite, truck or motorcycle crash, or any other type of incident, the resulting hospital and medical bills, lost wages, emotional trauma, and pain and suffering can leave you on a long road to recovery. When these types of accidents leading to injuries occur, how is the victim expected to pay for the best available legal representation when mounting bills and lost wages are a pressing concern?
As many injured victims are faced with such financial hardships, most personal injury lawyers do not charge their clients hourly fees. Rather, they typically collect what are known as contingency fees (or enter into a contingency fee agreement), but only after you’ve successfully recovered financial compensation for your injury.
Below we will review what a personal injury lawyer might cost an injured car, truck, or other type of accident victim, look at why hiring an experienced and proven attorney can be an excellent investment that maximizes the financial damages award you are able to recover for your claim, and discuss how to file a civil lawsuit with Dordulian Law Group in pursuit of financial compensation for the various types of losses you’ve suffered.
Most personal injury firms – including Dordulian Law Group (DLG) – do not charge hourly fees. Depending on the firm, an attorney that doesn’t accept contingency fees could charge upwards of $1,000 per hour. For car accident and other types of personal injury cases, if your attorney charges an hourly rate it could mean that they end up taking home more of your final settlement or verdict than you do. For this reason, as well as the fact that many personal injury victims are not in a position to pay upfront or out-of-pocket costs, personal injury lawyers typically work on a contingency fee basis.
This means that, rather than accepting any money upfront, your personal injury lawyer will instead collect a percentage of whatever financial compensation you recover for your car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, slip and fall, dog bite, or other type of case.
The actual percentage a lawyer will charge can vary from firm-to-firm. However, a general model for contingency fees might include the following:
Essentially, if a case takes months or even years to settle or reach a verdict, that involves much more work for the attorneys involved. Accordingly, the percentage of your contingency fee agreement will likely increase to the third category listed above if a case takes several months or years to reach a final conclusion.
Again, these rates can vary depending on the particular firm you choose and the nature of your claim. Some firms are willing to negotiate their contingency fee structure depending on the nature of your injuries, the extent of the at-fault party’s liability, and the specific circumstances of your case.
While it may seem as though an attorney recovering anywhere from a third to almost half of the final damages award you receive as a result of a car accident injury or other type of incident is excessive, it’s important to keep in mind that by agreeing to represent you without collecting any money upfront, your lawyer is assuming a great deal of risk. Additionally, when a personal injury lawyer working on a contingency fee basis does accept your case, it’s an excellent indicator that they not only believe that you have a strong claim, but that they are confident they can win and help you recover maximum financial compensation.
Depending on the nature of your case, the personal injury attorney representing you may incur some expenses in order to prepare your claim properly and ensure the greatest likelihood of recovering maximum financial compensation. Some common expenses that, depending on the specifics of your case, may be incurred by your attorney include:
When working via a contingency fee agreement, all expenses are typically covered upfront by your personal injury attorney. You will not have to worry about covering costs for police reports, depositions, etc. until your case reaches a successful outcome Furthermore, if any expenses are incurred, they will only be deducted from the final amount of any settlement or verdict you secure as a result of your personal injury lawsuit.
Most personal injury lawyers offer free consultations. When you sit down with an experienced and trusted attorney to discuss your injury and the circumstances of your case, be sure to inquire about both the contingency fee percentages as well as what expenses are expected to be incurred in order to best prove your claim.
California follows what’s known as pure comparative negligence law. That means that in the event of a car accident or other type of incident where an injury occurs, a portion of responsibility is assigned to all involved parties. For some, this can mean that the at-fault party is deemed to be 100% liable while the injured party shares 0% of the responsibility.
However, many cases involve both parties (or multiple parties in applicable scenarios) sharing a portion of the fault. When this occurs, having a proven personal injury lawyer on your side can make a world of difference and help ensure you not only minimize your liability but also maximize your financial damages award.
For example, a study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) confirmed the following important details for injured victims:
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If you experienced a car accident injury, don’t wait to file a claim. Contact our expert attorneys online or by phone for a free consultation today.
If you can afford to pay an attorney’s hourly fees, you might want to discuss the possibility of arranging such an agreement with your personal injury lawyer. However, if you aren’t in a position to afford tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in hourly attorney fees, a contingency fee agreement can be the best means of not only securing expert legal representation but also increasing your chances of recovering a maximum financial damages award.
Whether you’ve been injured due to another’s negligence in a car accident, truck crash, motorcycle collision, slip and fall, dog bite, or other type of incident, the experienced and trusted lawyers at DLG are here to fight for your right to maximum financial compensation.
To date, we’ve helped injured victims like you recover more than $200 million in settlements and verdicts while maintaining a 98% success record. For a free and no obligation consultation, contact a member of our dedicated team today at 866-GO-SEE-SAM. DLG’s California personal injury lawyers are ready to fight to help you secure justice in your time of need.
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