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What are the Advantages of a Contingency Fee in My Personal Injury Case?

Having a skilled lawyer in any area of law can be expensive. And rightfully so, as these are studious professionals who have an abundance of knowledge in how to legally navigate the scenarios that are presented in their practice. A personal injury case is unique in that a personal injury lawyer is fighting for economic justice for someone who’s been injured by someone else. If the ultimate goal of a personal injury case for a client is financial compensation, a very common question that is asked is ‘How much does it actually cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?’

When someone is seriously injured from an accident, they already have an exorbitant amount of financial burdens they have to worry about. Throwing in lawyer fees on top of that would be too much of a financial risk for the majority of accident victims. Serije online sa prevodom. That is why many personal injury law firms charge contingency fees as payment for the case. A contingency fee is a percentage of earnings owed to the law firm contingent on the firm getting a favorable outcome for the client. Typically, a personal injury firm will charge one-third of the settlement earnings as the contingency fee. Lawyers in other practice areas of law may charge high hourly wages for their expertise. A contingency plan takes away that burden. All the time that the firm spends on your case is devoted to winning the case, and doing so doesn’t increase your bill. In fact, if the law firm fails to achieve the desired result and doesn’t earn financial compensation for your accident, you don’t owe them a dime.

The final and possibly the greatest benefit to many personal injury law firms using contingency plans is that it gives the client the right to be picky with who they want representing them for their case. Since there is no financial burden to hire an attorney, you can make sure you can find one based on merit rather than price. Many firms also offer free consultations so that both the lawyer and the potential client have all the information they need to decide if they want to hire the attorney.

What Should I Look For Then When Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Since the cost to hire a personal injury lawyer is often the same due to the use of a contingency fee, you can ensure that you have the right person representing you. There are a few things you can look for when searching for the right personal injury lawyer. First, you will want an attorney with a lot of experience in personal injury. The right personal injury attorney for your case will have a long track history of handling cases similar to yours in the jurisdiction where your accident happened. You wouldn’t want an attorney who handles other practices. They will likely not be as effective fighting for you because their focus is on multiple areas of law. Even better is if the lawyer has experience handling cases in the local area. They will be fully familiar with the law with respect to those accidents and will also understand the Judges, Court System and Jurors.

Second, having a good reputation is important. In today’s information age, attorney reviews are easy to find. Most Suffolk County accident attorneys will have many reviews on various websites. Google, Avvo, Lawyers.com, Yelp and Facebook all list attorney reviews. It is worth the time to read them to see how the attorney that you are considering for your injury case has a good reputation. Some larger law firms might consult with you and then pass your case on to a junior associate. It is always better to know specifically who you are hiring and what your attorney’s reputation is, rather than be passed off to someone you don’t know who may have less experience.

Finally, an attorney’s prior results are very important. If your attorney doesn’t have a track record of recovering large verdicts and settlements how can you be sure they will get you the most compensation possible? Since this is really the ultimate goal of hiring the attorney, knowing that they have good results is imperative. Most attorneys will list their results online and it is worth researching that track record.

About the Author


Steven Palermo is the managing partner for Palermo Law, Long Island’s Personal Injury Law Firm. He has been helping people receive compensation for their injuries for over 21 years. He focuses on cases involving car accidents, truck accidents, construction accidents and slip and fall injuries.

His book The Ultimate Guide to Handling New York Car Accident Claims details the ins and outs of a car accident claim in a simple, easy-to-read manner.