When you think about hiring a personal injury lawyer, dollar signs may flash in your mind. Depending on the type of case, some lawyers do charge a lot. However, some law firms will cover your litigation fees and will not charge you any money upfront.
Personal Injury Contingency Fees
In most personal injury cases, you will not have to pay your attorney an hourly rate. In these cases, clients will be charged a contingency fee.
With contingency fees, lawyers are paid if a case settles or is successful at trial. After their client receives a lump sum of money (as compensation), their attorney will receive a percentage of their lump sum. Every attorney is different and may expect a different percentage.
Typically, the percentage fee is one-third (33.33%) of any settlement before trial, and 40% if the case has to go to trial. These percentages can fluctuate depending on the type of case, the complexity, and the difficulty of the case.
If the case does not settle and is lost at trial, with the client receiving nothing, then the attorney is paid nothing.
So there is no downside to hiring a personal injury lawyer to help you receive the full and fair compensation you deserve for your injuries. If the case is ultimately lost, you will not pay any money out of pocket for fees.
How Are Litigation Costs Handled?
Litigation costs are the fees associated with investigating and handling a case successfully. Most personal injury attorneys handle litigation costs by having their firm cover the initial fees, instead of having the client pay.
Then, once the case is settled or won at trial, the litigation costs are taken out of the lump sum amount (along with the attorney fee percentage) at the end. In a personal injury case, litigation costs can cover fees associated with but not limited to the following:
- Police reports
- Medical records
- Private investigator fees
- Accident reconstruction expert fees
- Medical expert fees
- Deposition costs such as court reporters
- Trial exhibit preparation costs
- Vocational and economist experts to determine future lost earning capacity
- Lawsuit filing fees
Contact Our Florida-Based Personal Injury Lawyers
At The Watson Firm, PLLC, our attorneys focus their efforts on protecting the rights of those who have suffered harm because of the wrongdoings of others. We take most personal injury cases are on a contingency fee basis. Here are some examples of the types of personal injury cases that we handle on a contingency-fee-basis:
- Wrongful death cases
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Semi-truck and 18-wheeler accidents
- Pedestrian injuries
- Bicycle accidents
- Slip and falls
- Premise liability cases
- Dog bites
- Defective products
- Medical malpractice
- Social Security Disability benefit cases
- Negligence cases