Attorneys, just like any other highly-educated professional, often set their own rates and make their own payment arrangements with their clients. Some attorneys require a retainer before they will provide any service to their new clients.
Those who want to hire them must pay a large amount right away and then continue paying more if their hourly costs exceed the retainer. Other lawyers will simply bill on an hourly basis for the time they work on a case.
However, those seeking compensation after a serious injury may not be in a position to invest financially in hiring an attorney. Thankfully, an attorney who believes in your case may agree to take it on with you paying them through a contingency fee. In fact, this is a common arrangement between personal injury attorneys and their clients. This approach is helpful for those with a strong legal case but few resources.
How does a contingency fee work?
Rather than charging you a flat rate or billing you for every hour that they work, your attorney will only take money from you if they win your case. In other words, if they agreed to take your case on a contingency fee basis, they likely believe it has merit and is winnable. They will then claim a certain percentage of the amount recovered as their payment.
If you don’t win and don’t get the compensation you need, you won’t find yourself saddled with any bills to an attorney. Finding an attorney who will work with you because they believe in your case can be an important step toward getting the compensation you deserve after you suffered an injury caused by another party’s negligence.