Personal injury lawyers don’t charge anything from their client. There is a contingency fee charged from the client which the lawyer gets from the settlement money. For example, you have registered a personal injury case. Your lawyer will not charge anything extra rather than the contingency fee. This fee is deducted from the personal injury settlement money which you get at the time of settlement. Well, this is the scenario in most of the personal injury cases. There are some exceptional situations and cases where the lawyer might charge some extra money.
The settlement amount is often received as a damage control reward depending on the verdict of the case. These cases are often settled before a trial in the court room. Only a few cases make it to the court room for trial. The lawyer isn’t entitled to any fee if the verdict of the case is not in favor of the client. Here is a briefing about the contingency fee and other cost related to personal injury lawyer.
Contingency Fee Percentages
In most of the personal injury cases, the lawyer gets a certain percentage of amounts as a contingency fee. This percentage lies in between 33% to 40% of the settlement money. It is not mandatory to pay this much, you can negotiate with your lawyer regarding the fee. Personal injury lawyers often charge 1/3rd of the settlement amount. They mention it in the contingency fee agreement while taking up the case. Although, Spokane injury lawyer often allow a negotiation option depending on the case and client’s request.
The “Sliding Scale” Option
The sliding scale option is a fee agreement where the contingency fee varies. This is due to the stage at which the case is resolved. For instance, suppose if you have a personal injury case and your lawyer sends a demand notice to the party at fault. If your case is too strong then the other party will agree for a settlement. In such cases, you don’t even have to file a personal injury lawsuit. You will receive a fair negotiated settlement value from the party at fault. Under such circumstances, your lawyer might charge less than 33% or 1/3rd of the settlement value as a contingency fee. This entire process is called the sliding scale option.
On the contrary, if the settlement is done after filing a lawsuit then your lawyer may charge an amount in between 33% to 40% of settlement value. This percentage value increases if the case goes for a trial in the court. You need to presume how your case will move ahead before filing a lawsuit.
Costs and Expenses
Just like other personal injury lawyers, the Spokane injury lawyer covers up the cost and expenses of the case. These expenses and costs are deducted from the client’s share of settlement value. Here are a list o cost and expenses of a personal injury case.
- Police reports
- Case filing fee
- Medical expenses
- Expert witness fee
- Postage charges
- Investigation charges
- Deposition
- Trial charges
All these sums up the expenses you need to make and how you can pay off your personal injury lawyer.
