When facing a legal challenge, especially in personal injury cases, understanding how personal injury lawyers are compensated can be crucial. One common method of payment is the contingency fee arrangement. This approach allows clients to receive legal representation without upfront costs, paying only if their case is successful. Here’s a closer look at how contingency fees work and how they can benefit you:
A contingency fee is a form of payment for legal services that is collected only when a lawyer wins your case. These fees come as a portion of your final settlement or award, which is usually about one-third of your financial recovery, as the American Bar Association (ABA) explains.
At our firm, we can represent our personal injury clients on a contingency-fee–basis.
Why Hire a Lawyer Who Works on Contingency?
A contingency-fee structure can be advantageous for a number of reasons, including:
- No upfront payments are required to get started on your case.
- You don’t have to worry about paying legal fees on top of medical bills and other costs.
- Your interests are aligned with ours, as we only receive payment if you do.
Some personal injury lawyers work based on hourly rates, retainers, or other forms of payment.
You don’t have to pay someone thousands of dollars in hourly rates—even if they don’t win your case. While only you can determine the payment structure that works best for you, contingency fees can reduce the financial risk of hiring a lawyer.
Your Lawyer Should Provide You with a Detailed Fee Schedule
According to the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA), you should expect your lawyer to clearly lay out their fee arrangement from the outset of your case. If these details are not explicitly stated in writing, you may want to ask your lawyer about:
- The type of fee structure involved (whether contingency, hourly, or another form)
- The percentage rate of the contingency fee
- How much the case may cost you
- When and how you can expect to be billed
- The charges for photocopies and other paperwork
Even if your lawyer works based on contingency, it is possible that you may have to pay some other paperwork fees, such as court filing fees. These fees will likely be subtracted from your settlement amount, and you likely won’t have to pay them along the way as they arise during your case.
The Nature of Your Accident Can Impact the Amount of Damages You Ultimately Receive
Depending on the type of personal injury case, you may face a range of challenges in seeking compensation—and you may want to consider our help.
Auto Accidents
Insurance claims may seem straightforward. However, you could be dealing with complications related to:
- Liability. The person who hit you may not be the person responsible for paying you. Instead, you may be able to seek compensation from a trucking company, rideshare company, state or municipal entity, parts manufacturer, or some other party.
- Bad faith insurance practices. You may be dealing with an insurer who denies your claim outright, takes your recorded statements out of context, and minimizes the value of your claim.
Slip and Fall Accidents
When a slip and fall accident leads to your injuries, you need to prove the property exposed you to an unreasonable danger, the property owner should have known of this danger, and your injuries and losses resulted. Here, you may want to consider:
- Comparative fault laws. A defendant can argue that you caused your own injury in an accident, and they can use that to lower your settlement value (per CC §2323).
- Proving unreasonable danger. You will need compelling evidence that the owner knew of the danger on the property. It can be hard to prove this negligence, as a property owner may claim they did not have time to correct the dangerous conditions.
Other personal injury cases can be even more complicated, such as dangerous drug cases. In these situations, you will need to link your illness directly to the product a major pharmaceutical company made.
Hiring a Lawyer from Our Team Can Help You Build a Stronger Case
You may be trying to decide if it is worth hiring a lawyer. While you are not obligated to work with a lawyer on your personal injury case, keep in mind that the case can be difficult to pursue on your own.
At our law firm, we bring 350 years of combined experience to every case we take on. We want to help you win your case and seek fair compensation for your medical bills, income losses, and even pain and suffering.
Your first case review is free. During your call, ask us about:
- How much your case may be worth
- What damages you may qualify to seek
- How our contingency fee structure works
- How we can get to work on your case today
Call the Attorneys at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers Today for a Free Consultation
We have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. Learn what we can do for you by calling today.
