When you are involved in an accident, you could be handling significant financial casualties with the physical and emotional trauma of your injuries. You might be wondering how you can seek compensation if you cannot afford to hire an attorney. Fortunately, many Phoenix personal injury lawyers, such as from the Phoenix Injury Lawyers Legal Group, will volunteer to work with you on contingency.
What Are Some Common Types Of Car Accident Injuries?
Car accidents can result in various injuries – varying in type and severity. Some of the most common categories of car accident injuries a victim can encounter during the accident include:
- Whiplash
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Spinal cord injury
- Broken or fractured bones
- Road rash
- Scarring
- Misfigurement Concussion (MTBI)
- Torn ligaments Catastrophic injury
- Paralysis
- Death
The degree of injuries sustained in a car accident may affect the total quantity of financial compensation recovered. For instance, more severe injuries requiring extensive medical supervision and recovery time may warrant cash settlement awards. You can learn more about the worth of your car accident injuries by consulting a professional lawyer in Arizona.
What Are Contingency Fees For Phoenix Personal Injury Lawyers?
A contingency fee is an agreement that a car accident attorney will work on your case without an “up-front” payment. In return, they will get a certain percentage of the winnings from your settlement or verdict.
Under this contingency-fee agreement, you can employ a personal injury attorney without fussing about covering the out-of-pocket expenses.
The contingency fees are intended for attorneys to represent victims of negligence who are not in a financial situation to pay a lawyer to help gain their claim for damages.
When you work with a law firm based on contingency, you will not be expected to spend anything unless or until your attorney earns a financial recovery for your injuries. If your lawyer wins the case, you can pay them a percentage of your injury settlement as their fees.
In case, your lawyer does not earn any compensation you will not have to worry about covering any expenses.
Apart from their fee, the attorney will also advance any costs or fees associated with the prosecution of your claim or case, such as filing fees, case expenses, or expert witness used. An attorney will pay for those “up-front” and will be paid if you get the settlement or verdict.
How Would The System Work If Injury Lawyers Did Not Work On Contingency?
If victims of negligence are forced to fund their claims or lawsuits, it would be easy for large and greedy insurance companies to outspend their victims. The system would be unfair and heavily support the side with more money. Having an attorney to take on the risk of prosecuting and financing your injury case is the best possible situation.
What Does The Contingency Fee Cover In Phoenix, AZ?
Your contingency fee is supposed to cover all the expenditures for formulating a case from beginning to resolution. It implies the lawyer’s fees are contingent on your recovering compensation. Under this agreement, your injury lawyer will:
- Review your case
- Interrogate its cause
- Gather appropriate evidence
- Calculate the extent of damage
- Absorb all upfront costs
- Consult expert witnesses
- Negotiate a fair compensation
Based on the contingency fee agreement, a lawyer is compensated when the client is. Once you decide on the compensation claim, the lawyer should clarify his anticipated percentage upfront. He will also explain the compensation procedure and what happens once compensation is agreed upon.
Other Types Of Fee Arrangements For Phoenix Auto Accident Lawyers
Most Phoenix personal injury lawyers handle car accident lawsuits on a contingency fee basis. The agreement works quite well for clients and lawyers as it offers low-risk access to the court system with no upfront costs and no fees for a loss. While the attorneys get a piece of the pie instead of an hourly rate or fixed payment.
Some car accident attorneys volunteer to deliver a specific legal service for a fixed fee. For instance, you might be able to pay a lawyer a fixed payment to write a demand letter to send to the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
How Are Costs Handled in Car Accident Cases?
With contingency fee agreements, the concept is that You don’t pay if you don’t win. That’s not technically true for all cases. It’s significant to properly read the print of your contingency fee agreement to discern whether you will have to reimburse your lawyer for any cost if you lose your case.
Costs in a car accident case are payments expended by the lawyer’s office investigating and pursuing your claim, like:
- Filing fees
- Photocopying fees
- The cost of getting medical records or car accident police reports
- Court reporter fees for statements
- Expert witness fees
Costs can add up quickly, reaching thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Make sure to spell out in advance in a written contingency fee agreement how costs will be handled.
Most Phoenix personal injury lawyers work without any upfront fees and only expect to get paid if you win a compensation claim or court judgment. But most lawyers will want you to agree to pay some or all costs if you lose your case.
The timing for the costs to be deducted from your final compensation also matters. The agreement should clearly explain if the costs will be deducted before the lawyer’s fee is evaluated. If the lawyer’s fee is subtracted first and then costs are subtracted, the lawyer’s fee is larger than if they are deducted before the lawyer’s fee.
Who Will Receive the Settlement From the Insurance Company?
If you are represented by a professional lawyer, they can collect the compensation check from the insurance company. They will notify you whenever this happens. Your lawyer will deduct his percentage—you will have conceded on it beforehand—and deliver the rest to you.
Before forwarding compensation, the insurance company will ask you to approve a release form or other documentation. It will conclude your settlement and you will not be able to renegotiate or request further compensation at a later date. A reason for working with a Phoenix auto accident lawyer is their proficiency to ensure your damages get precisely calculated and your case is not miscalculated or underpaid.
What Percentage do Lawyers Take?
Contingency fees can range from 30% up to 45%. The contingency fee for each client will depend on several aspects, like the type the complexity of such cases. In addition to the contingency fee, expenses incurred during your case must be paid as well.
Typically, extra fees are organized in the form of costs to obtain records, filing fees, expert witnesses, accident reconstructionists, etc. As with contingency fees, the costs and expenditures can vary extensively from case to case, depending on the situation.
Talk to a Phoenix, AZ Attorney Today
If you have been injured in a car accident and know the accident was caused by someone else negligence, a competent Phoenix auto accident lawyer can help you. Call Phoenix Injury Lawyers today and get in touch with some of the most qualified and experienced car accident attorneys for a free initial consultation and legal action without any upfront payment!