If you have been injured by someone else's negligence – in a car accident or slip and fall accident, for example – you will probably need an experienced personal injury attorney on your side, and that generally involves a contingency fee. If you have questions about contingency fees, you are not alone. Better understanding what contingency fees are all about can help you move forward with more confidence.
What Is a Contingency Fee?
The fact is that the vast majority of personal injury attorneys in Texas work on the basis of contingency fees. This means that the attorney’s payment is contingent upon – or depends upon – your case’s success. In other words, you do not pay the attorney in question unless he or she recovers money on your behalf.
Why Contingency Fees?
If you have been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you are facing significant obstacles that often include:
- Physical challenges
- Immense expense related to medical costs and lost wages
- Pain and suffering
Your experienced personal injury attorney understands that the financial burden alone can be overwhelming. This is why attorneys implement contingency fees – they do not want to hamper your physical and emotional progress because you are consumed with the mounting legal expense of your case. In essence, when personal injury attorneys take on cases, they are confident enough in their own ability to achieve successful legal results that they are willing to take a risk on those abilities. If a reputable personal injury attorney takes on your case, you can be sure that he or she strongly believes in its merits.
Legal professionals do not want money standing in the way of you asking for the help you need to recover on your damages, and that is why personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis.
What about Legal Fees?
The fact is that different firms have different means and methods of charging their clients for legal services. Even personal injury firms that employ contingency-based fees often go about it in different ways. This means that there may be costs that you are responsible for, but if this is the case, your attorney is responsible for explaining it to you upfront. Litigating a personal injury case is generally quite expensive and involves administrative fees, such as filing fees and court costs, that you may be responsible for. It is important to discuss this issue with your personal injury attorney early on so that you understand your financial responsibilities throughout the legal process. Often, such costs are deducted from your gross personal injury award – leaving you with your net award.