If you have suffered from a car accident recently, then hiring a personal injury lawyer would be the best decision that you can make. However, sometimes people hesitate to make this decision because they do not have enough knowledge about it. The main thing that people want to know before hiring a personal injury attorney is its fees. How much does a lawyer charge for handling a personal injury case?
Whenever you consult a personal injury lawyer, he will explain all the charges for the services they provide to you. They will also explain the various factors that can affect their fees. We cannot tell you the exact cost that you need to pay to hire an attorney because every case is not the same and there are various circumstances that can change over time. However, we can give you a rough idea about how you are charged for hiring a lawyer for your personal injury case.
Most attorneys work on the basis of contingency fees. But what does it exactly mean? It means that the attorney’s fees for handling the case are dependent on the money received by the victim as a settlement after the judgment is made. If by chance, the victim did not get any compensation or recovery, then you are not required to pay any fees by the law of contingency fees agreement. Usually, in the contingency agreements, the attorneys ask for one-third of 33% of the compensation received by the victim at the closing of the case.
Tips for hiring a personal injury attorney
Suffering from car accident injuries can be a daunting situation for everyone. In such a situation, it becomes complicated to find the right attorney for handling your case. But here are some tips that you can use for hiring the right personal injury lawyer for yourself:
1. Search for a licensed lawyer
The first thing to do is search for a legitimate and licensed lawyer. Google can be your friend in doing this research. It will show you all the lawyers that are available in your area. But you cannot just choose anyone like that. You have to do more research to know if you are hiring a trustworthy lawyer or not. Check their website to know if they are licensed or not. Online reviews is another way to find out if the lawyer provides great services to his clients.
2. Know the lawyer’s experience
The next thing that you need to know is to check how much experience the lawyer has in handling cases similar to yours. This will also help you in narrowing down your list of options. You need to know that personal injury law is a very vast field and you cannot expect every lawyer to be an expert in every type of case. Make sure that whenever you consult a lawyer, ask him how many years of experience he has in dealing with cases like yours.
3. Communication
While hiring a lawyer, it is very important for a client to be comfortable with the attorney. The attorney you choose must be a good listener so that he can understand what type of help you need from him. After listening to your case, he must communicate all the possible outcomes to you. He must also be transparent about his case handling charges. Make sure that the lawyer you choose desires to spend time on your case and will guide you at every phase.
4. Schedule a consultation
If you have enough time, then we suggest you consult at least 3 to 4 lawyers before hiring the right one for you. Consulting different lawyers will help you understand which one would handle your case in the best way. Most attorneys provide free-of-cost consultation and even if they charge you for it, it is very minimal.
Sometimes, you may be asked to fill out a form to schedule your consultation. You cannot figure out if an attorney is best for you until and unless you consult him. To schedule a meeting with the best personal injury attorney check out https://www.langdonemison.com/st-louis.
5. Cost
Cost is a very important factor that you need to consider while hiring an attorney. Not everyone is able to afford expensive lawyers. But the good part about hiring personal injury attorneys is that most of them work on a contingency fee basis. This means that they will charge you on the basis of the compensation or recovery amount that you will receive after the settlement of the case. In case the victim does not receive the recovery amount, then the attorney will not charge you anything. However, it is always a good thing to discuss all the charges before hiring a professional for handling your case.
6. See what former clients have to say about the lawyer
If you find out how successful an attorney is in handling cases like yours, the best way is to see what the former clients have to say about it. Whenever you check a reputed law firm’s website, you will always find reviews posted by former clients on it. Check out the reviews to know the success rate of that firm. If there are more negative reviews than positive ones, then we suggest you to stay away from such attorneys. You can also contact the former clients and ask about their experience of working with that particular lawyer.
To Sum Up
Hiring a lawyer for your personal injury case can be the most beneficial step for you. But before you do that, it is important to know all the information related to it, especially their fee structure. The good news is that most attorneys work on contingency agreements. It implies that they will only charge you once you have received the amount of recovery or compensation. In case you do not get the personal injury recovery, they won’t charge you any fees.