This is our guide to personal injury attorney fees (including car accidents and workers compensation).
You should never have to pay any attorney’s fees upfront when you hire a personal injury attorney. virtually all personal injury attorneys are going to offer you free consultations in your case. When you settle your case, the attorney’s fees will be paid as a percentage of the settlement or court verdict. This is called a contingency fee. The exact terms of the fee will be spelled out in the contract you sign when you hire the attorney.
The contingency fee should be clearly described in the attorney contract and should be explained before you hire the attorney.
The exact amount of attorney’s fees depends on the type of case you have.
What are the average fees in a workers compensation case?
The attorney's fees and a workers compensation case Are set by state law to a maximum of 25%. It is illegal for an attorney in the state of Georgia to charge more than 25% contingency fee for a workers compensation case.
What is the fees in a car accident case?
In a car accident case, the fees are typically 1/3 of the recovery but can increase if a lawsuit is filed.
The exact amount of attorney’s fees depends on the type of case that you have. The attorney’s fees reflect the complexity and amount of work that goes into your case.
33.333 percent is the industry standard for car accident cases that settle prior to a lawsuit being filed (this is what our firm charges). Sometimes the fees could be higher if you have a very complicated case. For example, the contingency fee in medical malpractice cases often starts at 40% because of the expense and complexity of those types of claims. However, in a car accident cases we would recommend never paying more than 33% contingency fees if your case settles prior to a lawsuit being filed.
If a lawsuit has to be filed in your case, the attorneys fees usually increase to 40%.
What is the AVERAGE lawyer contingency fee in a car accident?
The good news is that most cases settle without having to file a lawsuit. That means in most cases the attorneys fees will be 1/3 of the recovery.
So the average fee you will pay would be 1/3. It is always our goal to settle your car accident case without filing a lawsuit if possible.
Expenses in your case are separate from attorney’s fees.
Throughout the case, your attorney may need to incur certain expenses to build up your case.
the attorney’s fees do not include expenses in your case. Expenses in an injury case may include things such as the cost of medical records, private investigators, depositions, hiring medical experts, etc.
Your lawyer will keep track of the expenses throughout the case. At the resolution of the case, you will be given a detailed accounting of all expenses. These expenses will be paid back out of the final recovery.
How much are the expenses in a typical case?
We try to keep the expenses in every case as low as possible so that you can get the maximum recovery. We have settled countless cases where the expenses were $0.00. One expense in almost every case is the cost of getting your medical records. we often request medical records through the HITECH act which allows us to get copies of your medical records for free or at a very low cost. Many law firms do not bother to do this because it's more work for them. Not our firm. We really do care about keeping the costs low so that your recovery stays high.
In a typical car accident case that settles prior to a lawsuit being filed, the expenses often do not exceed $200. Some attorneys will also charge you for copying fees and paper. Our firm is paperless, and we do not charge you copying fees. This also helps us to keep the costs down for you.
if a lawsuit does have to be filed in your case, the fees can increase significantly. Litigation is expensive. The cost of taking the other drivers deposition can easily be $500 for the court reporter. The cost of getting medical expert opinions can often cost thousands of dollars. However, these are often necessary expenses to prepare a case that is going to trial.
Paying back medical liens and expenses
One of the largest expenses can be medical bills.
After a car accident, there will be often unpaid medical expenses and bills.
Sometimes a doctor will treat you on a lien and ask that they get paid back when your case settles.
Or, you may have treated at the emergency room and the hospital may have filed a lien against your case.
A lien is a legal right to reimbursement, and failure to pay back the lane could result in a debt collection action against you. Therefore, it's very important that your personal injury attorney resolves any outstanding medical liens when your case is resolved. Your attorney should also be working to negotiate with those medical providers so that they will cut their outstanding bills.
An experienced personal injury attorney should be able to advise you on how to get the treatment you need and avoid incurring significant medical expenses that need to get paid back at the end of the case.