If you get injured in a preventable accident in Southern California, hiring an attorney could significantly improve your legal experience during the personal injury claims process. You can trust an attorney to use proven legal strategies to fight for the best possible results for your case. If you have not yet decided to hire an attorney due to issues concerning the cost, explore common attorney fee arrangements to learn more.
Discuss Cost Before Hiring an Attorney
Every personal injury case is unique. The cost of hiring a personal injury lawyer in Southern California can vary significantly based on factors that are unique to your case, such as its complexity and whether or not it has to go to trial. The attorney’s experience, reputation, years in the business and fee structure will also impact the final cost of his or her services.
It is important to ask about the cost of hiring a lawyer outright before you sign anything. You may be able to do this during a free consultation with a prospective personal injury attorney if one is offered. Ask how he or she charges for legal services and what your specific case might cost. There should not be any surprises or hidden fees at the conclusion of your lawsuit.
What Are Contingency Fees?
Most personal injury attorneys, including the Orange County personal injury lawyers at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian, operate on a contingency fee basis. With this payment arrangement, you are charged $0 upfront – and $0 total if the lawyer does not successfully recover financial compensation for your injury claim. Your lawyer will only get paid if he or she wins your case.
In a contingency fee arrangement, the personal injury attorney typically takes a percentage of the final settlement or judgment award as payment for his or her legal services. The amount of this percentage often ranges from around 33 percent to 40 percent, depending on the case and attorney. With this arrangement, you will not have to pay your Southern California personal injury lawyer out of pocket whether you win or lose.
Other Common Injury Lawyer Fee Arrangements
A contingency fee is not the only possible payment arrangement that may be used by a personal injury lawyer. There are also hourly rates and flat fees. With an hourly rate, a lawyer will charge a flat rate per hour spent working on your case. While this is not as common in personal injury law as contingency fees, it may be used for certain types of work performed outside of the core of the claim. In rare cases, a personal injury lawyer may also offer to represent a client for a flat fee or single rate.
Additional Costs
In a personal injury claim, there are often other costs in addition to paying for the attorney. You may be responsible for paying for various costs associated with bringing your lawsuit or filing a claim. This may include court costs, filing fees, document and record retrieval fees, and the price to hire expert witnesses. Some personal injury lawyers cover these costs upfront, then deduct them from a settlement or verdict won later. Others require the client to cover them as they arise.
Is Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer Worth the Money?
It is well worth the money to hire a personal injury attorney to represent you during a claim. Statistics show that claimants consistently recover higher amounts of financial compensation from insurance companies when represented by attorneys vs. self-representation. The odds are high that you will be given a greater award – even after you deduct the lawyer’s fees – with a lawyer than without one. For more information about how much a personal injury lawyer in Southern California might cost, call us at (866) 360-2077 for a free consultation.