One of the barriers to legal representation during a personal injury claim is fear of financial mistreatment. Many people believe all attorneys overcharge, impose hidden fees and otherwise “cheat” their clients.
You may be surprised to learn that most injury representatives do not receive a cent unless their clients obtain financial recovery. For those who fear unfair legal costs, it is time to learn more about how these professionals get paid for their services.
What are contingency fees?
As mentioned above, most injury practitioners do not charge clients any upfront fees. Instead, they take a percentage of the client’s financial compensation award or bill for the services they provided throughout the claim. That means your representative is working on your behalf for free. If your case is not successful, they do not get paid.
What about other fees?
The expenses involved in injury cases can really pile up. There are:
- Court costs
- Filing fees
- Travel expenses
- Procedural costs like photocopying or postage
It even costs to serve an involved party (negligent motorist, property owner, etc.) with court documents. All these fees are separate from legal counsel expenses. In other words, that money does not go to your representative.
Law firms have the right to set their fee schedules without government oversight. However, they must adhere to one generally accepted rule. They must charge reasonable rates for their professional services.
Are you still concerned about unfair legal expenses in your California injury claim or lawsuit? One way to address these worries and ensure fair rates is to find a representative with complete transparency about their fee arrangements.