You shouldn’t need any upfront money to pay for the protection of a car accident lawyer. Most car accident attorneys work on a “contingency” basis. It means they don’t accept any pay unless they win your case. Then the attorney’s fee comes out of the insurance settlement you receive.
Upon earning a victory for you, your lawyer would usually receive around a third or 33% of the settlement check.
How Does a Car Accident Lawyer Get Paid?
Most car accident lawyers work under a contingency agreement. A contingency agreement ensures that anyone in need of legal help can afford to hire a lawyer. It means that car accident victims can have lawyers handle their cases without having to come up with the money to pay legal fees at such a difficult time (often after being in an accident and getting hurt).
The victim agrees to give the lawyer a share of any settlement check or judgment in court they receive. The lawyer is paid after a victory, however, under this agreement, lawyers don’t get paid anything if the case is lost.
This represents a real risk for lawyers. They can accept a case, front the investigation costs, put in long hours building a case, and cover court fees, only to end up losing the case, often through no fault of their own. After having a case thrown out, a lawyer or law firm would have to absorb the financial costs built up and accept that they won’t get paid for their work hours.
Why Do Lawyers Get a Third of My Car Accident Settlement?
In order to offset the risk of working on a case and not getting paid, lawyers usually keep around 33% of the client’s settlement check if the case is successful. This gives lawyers a reason to take on cases, even with a chance to get paid nothing for their efforts.
But the idea is for both sides to benefit from this contingency agreement. Skilled personal injury lawyers will usually be able to secure much more from car insurance companies than victims could secure themselves. This increased compensation should be enough to get the victim much more in support and fairly pay the lawyer for fronting all case costs without any guarantee of receiving payment.
Reputable lawyers should only take your case on if they believe they can improve the outcome to benefit you. If they can’t increase what you take home, they should be honest with you and suggest that you handle your case yourself.
Remember: Always know what you will be paying a lawyer before you hire one. If you aren’t sure, ask that it be explained to you. If you still don’t get clarity, you may need to talk to another law firm.
Trust a Thousand Oaks Lawyer with Your Car Accident Case
If you or a loved one are seriously hurt in a collision, and another driver is to blame, speak to Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC. We offer a free consultation to all Thousand Oaks and Ventura County victims. It’s a way to stay informed of the benefits a car insurance company won’t tell you about.
If we can help you earn more for your recovery costs, you won’t need any money to hire our Thousand Oaks car accident attorneys. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee is paid out of the settlement you receive.
Please check out our answers to other frequently asked questions from Thousand Oaks car accident victims.