QUESTION
Can I hire a personal injury lawyer with no out of pocket expense?
Asked on Jan 03rd, 2011 on Personal Injury - Illinois
17 ANSWERS
Business Litigation Attorney serving Columbus, OH
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E. Ray Critchett, LLC
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Many personal injury attorneys will agree to accept a case on a contingency fee basis which usually does not require any initial payment from the client. The decision on whether or not to accept a case on a contingency fee basis will depend on the facts of your particular case. You may contact our office to schedule an appointment if you have further questions or if you need assistance with this issue. You can also schedule an appointment or obtain additional information at our website. Thank you.
Answered on Nov 27th, 2012 at 11:49 AM
Wrongful Death Attorney serving Salem, OR
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Swanson Lathen Prestwich, PC
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Most personal injury lawyers charge based on a contingent fee. This means you generally have no out-of-pocket expense as the fees and any costs are deducted from the settlement and are paid on a percentage basis.
Answered on Jan 05th, 2011 at 10:28 AM
Criminal Defense Attorney serving Anderson, SC
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The David F. Stoddard Law Firm
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Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee, meaning you pay no fees up front. The lawyer takes a percentage of any recovery as a fee.
Answered on Jan 05th, 2011 at 9:28 AM
Automobile Negligence Attorney serving Orlando, FL
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Kelaher Law Offices, P.A.
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Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingent fee basis, and advance the costs of bringing the claim (i.e., the cost of obtaining medical records, accident reports, court filing fees, etc.). In Florida, the usual contingent fee is 1/3 if the case can be settled without filing suit, and 40% if a lawsuit becomes necessary.
Answered on Jan 05th, 2011 at 6:58 AM
Thomas Patrick Connelly
Most personal injury lawyers work on contingency, meaning they are paid for their time out of any award or settlement. They will usually front your litigation costs (i.e. filing fees), and reimburse themselves out of the settlement or award when the case is over. My policy is simple: no fee or costs unless you win.
Answered on Jan 05th, 2011 at 3:43 AM
Automobile Accidents Attorney serving Newport Beach, CA
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Tomalas Law Firm
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Our office, and most personal injury lawyers, work on what is known as a contingency fee basis. This means that our clients never pay us "out-of-pocket," rather our fee is based on a percentage of the recovery which we generate on our client's behalf. (Our fee is deducted from the total settlement amount when your case is resolved.) One of the benefits of this type of fee arrangement is that we are incentivized to direct our clients to do all of the things that help maximize the "value" of their claim. If you are interested in having us evaluate your potential claim please contact us at (949) 756-8711; the consultation is free.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 10:28 AM
Yes, you can often hire a personal injury attorney without any out of pocket expense. If a personal injury agrees to take your case they generally use a contingency fee agreement. A contingency agreement means that the lawyer usually does not get paid until your case is settled. The fee is generally 1/3 of whatever money you receive for your case.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 10:13 AM
Personal Injury Attorney serving Omaha, NE
Partner at
Chandler Conway, P.C., L.L.O.
Yes, pretty much all injury lawyers work on a contingency fee (the attorney only gets paid if you get paid). You may be responsible for costs associated with your claim or lawsuit; however many injury lawyers will front those expenses and deduct them later from the settlement or verdict.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 9:13 AM
Civil Practice Attorney serving Redmond, WA
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Magnuson Lowell P.S.
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Under most circumstances, the answer is "Yes." You should contact a qualified personal injury attorney - such as me - and arrange for a free consultation or meeting.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 8:28 AM
Personal Injury Attorney serving Charlotte, NC
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Paul Whitfield and Associates P.A.
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Of course. The fees are called contingent because they are contingent on recovery for you. They range from about 25 to 50 percent based on the liability and damages issues. What kind of case do you have and what are your dollar losses? I can answer more precisely if I knew those things. The typical case in a personal injury is commonly at 33 percent.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 7:43 AM
Your question is interesting because some lawyers do charge up front for expenses. Sometimes, a request fro initial payment of expenses is based on a determination of the strength of the case. However, I think a lot of lawyers, myself included, do not charge the client anything until the case is resolved successfully. Usually, a fee will be a third of the recovery plus expenses. I would ask the lawyer what he or she charges as items of expense. Some lawyers charge for everything including postage and copies. I take a more limited view of expenses and limit the charge to such items as court cost and medical records expenses. So the answer to your question is yes, you can hire a lawyer with no out of pocket expenses.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 6:28 AM
Employment Law Attorney serving Beverly Hills, CA
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Dordick Law Corporation
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All attorneys fees are negotiable with the exception of medical malpractice cases which has a sliding scale maximum fee schedule per statute. For typical personal injury cases (car accidents, slip and falls, assault & battery cases), most lawyers commonly charge 1/3 of the recovery to start, and at a certain point the fee may increase to 40 or 45%. Again, such fees are negotiable and some lawyers may charge more or less. Usually there is no fee if there is no recovery. Some lawyers charge a non-refundable fee up front, but most do not for personal injury cases. Personal injury cases, like other litigation matters, have costs. There are filing fees, messenger fees, process server expenses, deposition court reporter costs, postage expenses, expert fees, photocopying expenses, fax expenses, computer research charges, jury fees, just to name a few. Some lawyers will advance the costs for a case and get reimbursed out of the proceeds of the recovery, thus they take their fee plus the costs out of the recovery. Some lawyers do not and require the client to pay for the costs as the case moves along, or they may require that the big expenses are paid by the client (e.g., filing fees, deposition costs and expert fees). If the case is lost, the client typically pays no fee for the attorneys services, but should be obligated to reimburse the attorney for the costs advanced. Some lawyers waive or reduce the costs if the case is lost while others do not.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 5:28 AM
3 Awards
Typically you do not have to pay out of pocket for a personal injury lawyer. The lawyer's fees are taken from the settlement proceeds only have the case has been resolved. However, you will need to read the fee agreement carefully to make sure this is the case. My fee agreeable clearly and specifically states that my client does not owe anything until the case has been satisfactorily resolved.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 5:13 AM
Many personal injury cases are handled on a contingent fee basis. What that means is that what ever the lawyer recovers he will keep a third (or more or less depending on the lawyer) plus costs. Many attorneys will advertise you pay nothing if you lose. Be sure to ask about costs if they are billable regardless of the outcome.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 3:58 AM
Workers Compensation Attorney serving West Palm Beach, FL
1 Award
Yes. It's free to hire a personal injury attorney. We work on a contingency fee which means we get paid a percentage of the settlement at the end of the case. Usually around 33 percent.
Answered on Jan 04th, 2011 at 3:13 AM
Geoffrey C. Nwosu
Sure, most personal injury lawyers accept injury cases on a contingency basis. This means that the attorney will not charge you any fee until they recover for you. It also means that the attorney will not make any money if they fail to recover money for you.
Here, the consultation with the personal injury lawyer is free. The attorney will also pay any fee that will be incurred during trial, litigation or settlement. The attorney's fee will be a percentage of what he recovers from the party who injured you.
At the law office of Geoffrey c. Nwosu located in San jose, California, we accept personal injury cases on a contingency basis.
Answered on Jan 03rd, 2011 at 9:58 PM
Construction & Infrastructure Attorney serving Chicago, IL
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Peckar & Abramson A Professional Corporation
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If you have a good case, you can hire a lawyer who will front all of the costs for the lawsuit. After you get a settlement or a judgment (from judge or jury), the lawyer will take 30-40% plus the costs. If you have other questions or would like to speak regarding your case, give me a call or send an e-mail. Thanks.
Answered on Jan 03rd, 2011 at 9:28 PM