Most car accident lawyers don’t charge anything up front. Under a contingency agreement, the lawyer is only paid if the case is later won. Then, most attorneys would earn around a third of the settlement check paid to the victim from an insurance company.

How Does a Lawyer Get Paid in a Car Accident Case?

When you agree to hire a lawyer, you would usually enter a contingency agreement with the attorney. It means that the lawyer agrees to handle all case costs and put in hours on the case without pay unless the case is won. Maison Law California car accident attorneys work for clients under this type of contract.

If the case is lost, the lawyers would receive nothing for their work. They wouldn’t be paid back for their time spent on the case, or the court and filing fees already covered.

Hopefully, the case is successful. In this event, victims still don’t lose anything out of their own savings. The lawyer is reimbursed for case costs out of the settlement or judgment in court that’s been won. The lawyer’s fee, around 33% of the settlement, also comes out of the settlement check.

Why Does a Lawyer Get Part of My Settlement Check?

In order to ensure that every car accident victim can afford a lawyer to get fair treatment, a contingency fee is necessary. It means the lawyer has reason to front the costs of a case and take a risk, and provide excellent legal services. The victim wins, and the lawyer wins.

The bottom line is that lawyers should take on cases they feel they can win substantially more money for the client than the car accident victim could win by handling a claim themselves. There’s more money to pay the lawyer’s fee and still leave the patient much more than they would have gotten.

By accepting cases on a contingency basis, lawyers take a chance with their law firms and their own financial wellbeing. If a case is lost, they must often absorb the costs of the litigation and accept that they won’t be paid for their work.

Cases can be lost for many reasons, and not every loss is due to a lawyer’s mistake. There may be information that was withheld from the lawyer that comes to light to make the case impossible to win. A judge and jury may simply side with the other party after the lawyer spent dozens of hours building a strong case.

Reputable lawyers would only represent you if they can win you significantly more in a settlement. If they can’t, they should be steering you to file a claim yourself so you can keep all of your settlement (usually in a lower-value case, such as a collision involving only car body damage).

When Is It a Good Idea to Contact a California Car Accident Lawyer?

In general, victims with only very minor injuries and/or a damaged vehicle can file their claims themselves. A lawyer usually wouldn’t be able to add value to the money for car repairs or one night in the emergency room. These costs are pretty standard, and insurers are usually willing to pay for the totals.

However, when an accident involves a serious injury, like a broken bone or brain trauma, and a careless driver is to blame, the stakes are raised. Insurers fight harder to avoid blame and may even expend resources to make it look like you caused the crash.

They can also question your injuries and say they will heal in a matter of days, when your own doctor says the recovery will take much longer.

Your lawyer is a protection against this type of treatment. Your lawyer fully investigates your case and backs it with evidence, so the details of how it happened can’t be changed. Then your lawyer files your claim and enters negotiations. Your Maison Law attorney would check all settlement offers to see if they covered all of your expenses. If they didn’t, the offer would be rejected, and your lawyer would demand more.

Contact a California Car Accident Attorney

If you or a loved one is seriously hurt in a car accident and another driver is to blame, it’s time to speak to a skilled and experienced California attorney. We offer a free case consultation to all injured California victims hurt on freeways and boulevards across our state.

It’s a no-obligation case review. It’s a no-risk way to find out how to protect yourself after a car accident and not end up holding the bill.