Many people are reluctant to hire an attorney after a personal injury because they’re already out of a job and can’t afford to pay for a lawyer to represent them. Many personal injury lawyers, whether they are handling car accidents, premises liabilities, product liability or malpractice cases, will offer a free case evaluation and work on a contingent fee. This is because we understand that you may not be able afford to hire an attorney if you’re out of work. Your case, our contingency commitment.
Access to Justice without Financial Risk
If an attorney accepts a case on a contingent basis, you do not have to pay the fees up front. You will be required to sign a contract once you have agreed to hire the attorney. The contract stipulates that the fees will be deducted from your settlement. Most attorneys will advertise that they won’t charge you unless you win. It’s a win-win proposition since the lawyer takes on the risk.
If a firm accepts your case on contingency, it means that they have the financial resources to compete with the large law firms of the insurance companies.
You will also benefit from having an experienced attorney representing your rights when it comes to Charlotte, NC accident cases. Insurance companies will do anything to deny your claim or give you a paltry settlement, often violating your rights.
How Contingency Fees Are Different
If you choose to hire an attorney who does not work on contingency, you might have to pay the first consultation or evaluation of your case. A retainer fee that can range anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000 will be required.
You don’t pay attorney’s fees until your case is won.
Client and Attorney Incentive Programs
Why would an attorney do this? Technically, it’s not free. Before agreeing to accept your case, an attorney will review the facts. The attorney will take on your case if she believes that you have a good chance of winning.
A Charlotte, NC law firm that works on a contingency fee has an incentive to do all they can to win your case. This includes going to court if the insurer refuses to offer a fair settlement.
The attorney will work for free if you lose the case. If you lose your accident case, the attorney will work for free.
The attorney will take a certain percentage of the winnings, as specified in the contingency contract. The firm will recover more money if you win more in a trial or settlement. The firm will do everything possible to win your case.
Equal Playing Field
Hiring an attorney on contingency allows you to equalize the playing field. You will likely have to deal with insurance companies when another’s negligence has caused you harm.
Insurers often hire large law firms or high-paid lawyers to handle their claim. You can’t compete with a large firm that has a lot of resources when you don’t have any. This can cause your case to be delayed until you run out money.
You are on equal footing with insurance companies’ big-money attorneys when you hire an attorney on contingency.
Get rid of hidden fees and upfront costs
If you hire an attorney who has a standard schedule of fees, you will not only be paying attorneys’ fees but also a separate wage per hour for the support staff. This can often save you money, since the hourly rate of the support staff is lower than that of the attorney.
Standard contracts also include expenses such as copying, stamps and other administrative costs that were not known at the time the contract was signed. Many unexpected charges could be incurred.
If you hire an attorney on contingency, he or she will receive a certain percentage of the settlement or award from your trial. This percentage must be used to cover the attorney’s expenses. You will not be surprised by any “surprises”, when you receive the bill.
Selecting and Preparing Better Cases
When an attorney works on contingency, they are less likely to accept a case which cannot be won. Some attorneys will take on a questionable case to earn billing hours.
If an attorney takes a contingency fee and guarantees that you won’t have to pay until you win, they are not willing to take on a case with a low chance of success.
Reducing Financial Stress
You may be worried about money when you are out of work. How will you pay your bills and feed yourself? In many cases, when you’re out due to an accident injury, you have no idea when you will be able to return to work. Financial stress is increased exponentially, especially if your spouse does not work or you have children under 18.
When you hire an attorney who charges by the hour you also have to worry about paying for attorneys’ fees. If you work with a firm on a contingent basis, this stress is eliminated because the firm does not charge you for attorney’s fees if your case fails.
Maximizing Compensation
Another benefit to hiring a lawyer on a contingent basis is that they will work hard to maximize your compensation. She will do more to get you the compensation you deserve even if you have less severe or catastrophic injuries. The firm earns more money the more you recover.
If you have been injured in an accident, contact a Charlotte accident lawyer who works on a contingency fee basis . You can always get a free case evaluation, and there is no fee if you lose.
The post Why is a contingency fee beneficial to the victim in Charlotte, NC first appeared on Attorney at Law Magazine.