Are you the victim of an car accident, and are now looking to receive a settlement for your injury? If so, you may be wondering how much it will cost you in legal fees to get the assistance you need in court. In the end, having the help of a lawyer may cost you less than you thought it would be, with the potential of not paying anything at all. Here is what you can expect to pay in a legal battle.
Contingency Fees
Car accidents are a unique legal case because the settlement is typically paid by the car insurance company instead of the individual person that hit you. Since the likelihood of actually receiving your settlement is high, many lawyers will work for contingency fees.
What this means is that a lawyer will not ask for a payment until the case has been won. When you win in court, they will be paid based on a percentage of the legal settlement instead of receiving a flat rate. For example, a lawyer may agree to take a 33% fee if they win your case. You can always negotiate this fee with the lawyer if you do not want to pay as much.
The good news is that contingency fees are only paid if you win the case. If the lawyer does not help win the case for you, they will not get paid. The downside to this is that lawyers will typically take cases that have a high probability of winning. If there is a likelihood that you are at fault, it could be hard to take on your case on a contingency fee basis.
Hourly Rate
Another option is to pay a lawyer just for the time that they spend working on your case. This involves paying them an agreed to hourly rate rather than fee based on a percentage of your winnings.
While you will need to pay an hourly rate if you win or lose, it's possible that the total cost would be lower than if you used a contingency fee agreement. Your lawyer knows that they'll get paid if they win or lose, so they'll be more likely to take those cases where you could be found to be at fault and not receive a settlement.
If you feel like you need legal help with your car accident settlement, reach out to a local car accident lawyer that specializes in these types of cases.
Share