the Price of Personal Injury Lawyers

I was in a car accident that resulted in my car being totaled and me being taken to the hospital in an ambulance for examination and staying overnight. The accident was not my fault at all and I hired a personal injury lawyer to sue the other driver to recover the value of my car, reimbursement for my medical bills, and compensation for my pain and suffering as a result of the accident.

Personal injury lawyers almost always work on a contingency fee basis, which means that they only get paid if they recover money for their client, and, if they don't recover anything, then then get paid zero. Because of the unpredictability of the cases, these types of lawyers charge higher fees. I talked to a few of them and the fees ranged from 33% to 45% of the settlement or award. The attorney that I hired agreed to 33% and it didn't cost me any money up front because he paid for all of the court filings, copying fees, and the deposition costs. He did a very good job of keeping me informed about the progress of my case, even though it took a almost a year to get it resolved, and he gave me good advice and his recommendation when it was time to decide whether or not to accept the final settlement offer. I was satisfied with the results and work.

My only tip is to talk to a few attorneys before hiring anyone so that you can get an idea of what the value of your case might be and compare fees between law firms. Because they work on many cases, it is important that they try to get as much money as possible for you and not settle for too low of an amount.