It shouldn’t cost you anything to hire a skilled car accident attorney. A reputable lawyer would work for you on a contingency basis. This means the lawyer is only paid if your case is won and that payment comes from the settlement check you earn.
Under a contingency contract, you shouldn’t have to pay anything out of your own savings, even if your case is lost.
How Much Does My California Car Accident Lawyer Get Paid?
Under a contingency agreement, your lawyer would get around a third of the settlement check you received. That’s a fairly standard fee for California personal injury attorneys. However, settlement amounts aren’t standard, and victims can receive very different checks for similar injuries and car repair costs.
In some cases, having a lawyer can greatly increase the support your family receives for a serious injury. It’s also a good idea to trust your case to a lawyer if the blame in the accident is under dispute. Insurance companies will try to blame you for a collision, even if it’s clear the other driver was to blame. They do this hoping they can use it as an excuse not to pay you. This can leave you with all the medical bills and struggling to replace the paychecks you’ve lost while you’ve been out of work.
Your lawyer earns a portion of your settlement to offset the risk the lawyer takes when representing you. Under a contingency agreement, your lawyer fronts the cost to build your case, secure witness testimony, and to collect other proof. If a case is thrown out for some reason, or it’s ruled that you were to blame for the accident, the lawyer loses all of this money and doesn’t get paid. It’s why attorneys get a portion of any settlement after a win, to offset the chance they are taking.
No case is guaranteed to be successful, but when good lawyers take your case, it means they feel they can earn you much more than you could earn on your own. If they can’t, they should advise you on how to best handle the case yourself.
How Can a Lawyer Help My Case?
If you only receive vehicle damage or very minor injuries, a lawyer may not be necessary for your case. But if your accident involves a more serious injury, the stakes will be higher as the medical bills escalate. Insurance adjusters will work harder to try to avoid taking responsibility. They’ll turn to their tactics.
Your lawyer can fight back on your behalf and is often able to demand much more for you:
- Investigation and Evidence: Your lawyer fully investigates your case and the other driver. Your case is backed with strong proof that an insurance adjuster will have a hard time denying in a settlement negotiation or in court.
- Settlement Negotiation: An experienced lawyer will be a good negotiator and will know how much insurance companies can offer, even if they say they can’t go any higher. Without negotiation, some victims sign off on the bare minimum in support and end up paying for some of their own care out of their own pockets. Your lawyer demands enough so that you can pay your bills now and afford any care you could need down the road.
- The Threat of a Lawsuit: Most cases are resolved through settlement because auto insurers want to avoid the cost of a trial. They also don’t want their company business revealed in testimony. But if an insurer refuses to compensate you for everything you’ve been through, your attorney will have a strong case ready and be prepared to file a lawsuit. Insurance firms see your lawyer as an increased risk for a case to end up before a judge and jury. They’ll often work harder to satisfy accident victims if they fear a trial.
The Security of a Reputable Car Accident Lawyer
Trustworthy lawyers should tell you if they believe they can help you earn more or not. If your accident only involves car damage and/or very minor injuries, a lawyer probably can’t help improve your settlement award.
However, if your accident involves a more serious injury, like a broken arm or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), a lawyer may be able to get you far more than you could secure on your own.
And if your case isn’t likely to be helped by a lawyer, a free case consultation can still direct you in the best direction to secure the most for your claim yourself. Maison Law can go over the tactics you may face and discuss how to hold an at-fault driver’s car insurance provider fully liable.
Contact a California Car Accident Lawyer
Speak with a skilled California car accident lawyer after any traffic collision caused by a careless driver that leaves you 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 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.
