Personal Injury Settlement Lawyer & Injury Attorney

If you have been hurt in an accident, but are not sure whether you need to speak to an lawyer because you fear paying for litigation, you may be surprised to find out that many personal injury attorneys will review your case without any, or minimal upfront cost.

No Fee First Meeting
Almost all personal injury lawyers charge no fees for the initial meeting, or consultation.  This may give you an opportunity to meet with the attorney, explain the situation, and find out his opinion as to whether or not you have a legitimate claim.  Although you may want to know how much your claim is “worth”, most attorneys won’t give you a value on the case, because so many things are extremely unpredictable.

What is a Contingent Fee?
Most personal injury attorneys will generally take a valid claim on a contingency fee basis.  What this means, is that you will not need to come up with any money for the attorney in advance.  The lawyer will collect his or her fees to the liable party, or their insurance carrier, only if he gains any money for you.  If you do not prevail with your case, you won’t owe any attorney fees. If you do arrange a settlement or are granted court ordered damages, the lawyer then charges an agreed percentage amount of your overall amount for legal fees.  The specific percentage you will pay will likely vary among lawyers, and might be set in many jurisdictions, but generally you will be charged anything from 1/3 (33.3%) to 40% to the attorney, should you recover an settlement.

Legal Fees
By law, as well as the ethical regulations, all lawyers must bill you for all costs spent while pursuing your matter.  Such costs could include: law enforcement reports, doctors notes, court stenographer fees, and much more.  Once again, attorneys have different procedures as to how they are reimbursed for these costs. Some will pay the fees as they are billed, and then reduce the amount of your award.  Others will bill these costs monthly as the claim moves forward.

Every attorney must have a client – attorney agreement which will spell out both sides rights and responsibilities.  Please be sure that you closely review the contract before you retain any lawyer.

Harry S. Bernstein has been representing personal injury victims and workers compensation clients as an experienced Cleveland, Ohio attorney for several years. Please visit our Cleveland, Ohio attorney site for more information on this topic.