Before you hire an attorney, it is important that you understand how much they will charge. Normally, attorneys offer free consultation to their current and potential clients. This provides you with an opportunity where you can ask all the necessary questions regarding the charges. It is important to be aware about all the charges you will pay to the attorney to avoid future disagreements and confrontations.
Contingency fee
In auto accidents cases, the attorney at this website typically charges a contingency fee as opposed to an hourly fee. A contingency fee is a percentage the attorney will deduct when you get your compensation. This means that they don't get anything if they lose the case. The contingency fee varies from one region to another and also from one attorney to another. It ranges between 25-40% of the full compensation with many states and regions charging 33.3%.
This means the attorney will take away 33.3% of the amount the insurer will give. For instance, if you get $100,000, the attorney will take $33,333.
The contingency fee is not always fixed and can be determined by the amount you will get. It can also be determined by the period the case will take. A contingency fee can increase if the case proceeds to court and when the defendant officially responds to the claims made against him/her.
It is important that you sit down with your attorney to see how much you will need to pay. This will give an opportunity to review the charges so as not to be surprised in the end. You can attempt to negotiate with the attorney to see if they can lower the charges. This is likely if you feel that the compensation you will get may not be sufficient to cover for the losses you have suffered. The attorney may also find it unfair to charge you a high percentage if you will not be able to cover for your expenses thus reducing the contingency fee. You may visit this site: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/personal-injury/.
Other fees
There are other fees that you will be required to pay which are not part of the contingency fee. If the case proceeds to court, you will be required to pay for the litigation process. This may include fees such as lawsuit filing fees, cost of obtaining police reports, witness fee, summon fees, cost of obtaining medical records, and court reporter fee among others. Initially, the attorney may offer to cover for all fees but they may end up charging you the money after the contingency fee.
You may also be required to pay an initial retainer fee in order for them to take up your case. This fee is then subtracted from the contingency fee and refunded back to you. Read on and click here to get started.