Most personal injury lawyers receive around 33% of your settlement money if they win your case. In some cases, lawyers will adjust their fees to make sure victims have what they need to fully recover.
When working on a contingency basis, lawyers charge clients nothing unless they win the case for them. That means a lawyer’s hours put into a case and expenses investigating and collecting evidence can end up as costs the lawyer must absorb if a case is unsuccessful. It’s a risk that lawyers justify by asking for an adequate fee if the case is won.
What Is a Contingency Fee?
Most California personal injury lawyers will work on a “contingency basis.” Maison Law works on a contingency basis for most types of cases. It means that clients don’t have to pay anything unless their lawyer wins the case. Then the attorney fee comes out of the settlement money an insurance company must pay.
A contingency fee is a great way to ensure every personal injury victim can afford quality legal protection. They need no upfront money to hire a lawyer. The lawyer fronts the money to mount an investigation to secure evidence that will force an insurance company to accept responsibility for a reckless driver or a negligent business.
A case may fail for many reasons, but if a claim isn’t successful, victims don’t have to pay anything. The lawyer would have to cover all costs of the investigation. If the case is successful, the contingency agreement would usually grant the attorney around 33% of the settlement award. In the case of a lawsuit decided in court, the lawyer would get around 33% of the judgment a judge awarded the victim.
How Do I Know What’s Fair to Pay a Personal Injury Lawyer?
In some cases, you shouldn’t even hire a lawyer. Lawyers should not accept your case if they can’t earn you more for your injury than you could earn by handling your claim yourself. In cases that involve only a very minor injury or just property damage (like a wrecked car), you can probably handle your case yourself. It could be wasted money to hire a lawyer.
It’s when a personal injury accident involves a serious injury, like a broken bone or head trauma, that a lawyer can be a critical safeguard. Lawyers should be able to earn you much more for your car accident case or slip-and-fall case. Their work leads to more successful accident claims due to their well-practiced investigative skills and their well-earned skills in negotiating with insurance companies. These attributes help lawyers know exactly what your injury should be worth. They won’t let you sign off on a “lowball” settlement offer that doesn’t fully cover your recovery expenses.
A lawyer may take around a third of your settlement award, but it’s important to realize that you’ll often be earning much more for your case overall. This additional money secured should make up for the lawyer’s fee and more. Victims will often come out with far more than they would have facing off against a giant insurance company on their own.
How Can I Investigate a Lawyer’s Reputation
If your case is too small to benefit from a lawyer’s help, then the lawyer should tell you that. A reputable lawyer would explain this to you and direct you in the right direction to handle the case yourself so you can keep all of a settlement. But not all lawyers are honest with clients and they can accept cases they can’t really improve, simply to make a quick buck.
Lawyers who are well-regarded, with strong practices, will be less likely to try to take advantage of clients. A successful lawyer will usually not have time to handle cases that are fairly standard and can easily be worked out between victims and an insurer.
Try to check out lawyers and their reputations with these handy tips:
- Check out their website. A professional website that tells you about the law firm and the lawyer’s background is a good sign that you can trust the attorney.
- Check out past success stories from previous clients.
- Check out reviews and ratings for the lawyer on Google and other websites. Find out what previous clients had to say about working with the law firm.
- Meet with the lawyer in a free consultation. Make sure your personalities are a good match and that you feel the lawyer is genuine and will be upfront with you about any risks to your case.
- Don’t trust lawyers who don’t clearly explain how they get paid and how much. You should know what you’ll be paying before you agree to hire a law firm.
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 inform 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. If we can’t help improve the outcome of your case, we’ll tell you that and explain how to handle the case yourself. If you do feel we can help you earn more for your injury, there’s no need to worry about having the money to hire us. We don’t get paid unless we win settlement money for you with your case.
