Zero. If you hire a reputable personal injury lawyer working on a contingency basis, it should cost you nothing out of your own pocket to hire legal representation.
Personal injury lawyers usually don’t get paid anything unless they win your case for you. Even when the case is successful, you would still owe nothing out of your savings. The attorney fee would be paid out of the insurance settlement you received.
Can I Have a Personal Injury Lawyer Represent Me If I Can’t Afford to Pay Anything?
Yes. Maison Law, like many other personal injury law firms, works on a contingency basis for most types of cases. It means we don’t get charged anything unless we win your case for you and your family.
Your lawyer would cover the cost of the investigation into your accident. Your lawyer puts in valuable time building your case without charging you anything out of pocket. That includes the time other law firm staff members spend working on your case.
It’s a risk taken by your lawyer. If a case is unsuccessful, they won’t get paid anything. Sometimes a case’s success or failure is out of the lawyer’s control and they can lose the time and money they’ve invested.
When a case is successful, your lawyer does get paid, but it’s not a cost you have to worry about. The attorney’s fee is paid out of the settlement or judgment (in court) that an insurance company is forced to pay you.
Your attorney would receive about a third of the settlement check won for you. That money would cover the attorney’s costs and justify the risk taken by the law firm on your case.
For more on what percentage a lawyer gets from your award and why, you can visit our page here.
How Do I Know If I Need a Lawyer After a Personal Injury Accident?
If your injury in a car accident or something like a slip-and-fall goes beyond very minor injuries and property damage, and someone’s negligence caused your accident, it’s a good idea to show your case to a lawyer.
Insurance companies gauge how much to fight you on your accident claim by how high the damages will go. When your injury will result in a lot of medical bills and cause you to miss a lot of work, insurance adjusters work hard to find ways to avoid liability. They’ll try to blame you or look to cast doubt on how bad your injury is. It’s critical to have an experienced lawyer to fight back and hold insurers accountable.
A free consultation should be a risk-free opportunity to find out what’s possible. Reputable lawyers should tell you when they can’t earn you more for your case, and make sure you know how to file a claim yourself. Handling your accident claim yourself is probably best when you’ve only received minor scratches or only damage to your vehicle in a crash. A trustworthy lawyer who has an established law firm shouldn’t want to take a portion of your claim when the payout will be smaller anyway. You should keep it for yourself.
However, when a major injury is involved, a skilled personal injury lawyer can usually earn you much more for your claim than you could secure on your own. A major injury would be something like a broken bone or head trauma. The attorney fee and the attorney’s hard work would be justifiable in these types of cases.
Contact a California Personal Injury Lawyer
Speak with a skilled California Personal Injury Attorney after any type of accident caused by someone else’s carelessness leaves you or a loved one with a serious injury. It’s important to know about every benefit available to you and your family because an insurance representative won’t be informing you about all of your options.
Contact Maison Law for a free, no-obligation consultation. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your injury is worth and what you should be holding an insurance company to.
