You probably know someone who constantly complains about how their spouse is making them miserable, but if you ask them why they do not get divorced, they say that it is because they cannot afford to pay the hourly fees associated with hiring a lawyer. This argument does not work as an excuse for not filing a personal injury lawsuit, however. Personal injury lawsuits would be useless if they were only for people who already had enough money to pay all the costs of litigation when they started out. The typical client of a personal injury law firm is someone who is experiencing financial hardship because of an injury; either they are unable to work, or they are working, but their accident-related medical expenses are more than they can afford even with their income from their job. Therefore, personal injury lawyers do not always make you pay by the hour as you go; different law firms offer different payment structures, most of which are based on contingency fees. The path to recovering damages is more affordable than you think, so contact a Houma personal injury lawyer.
Paying on Contingency Instead of by the Hour
In the context of the attorney-client relationship, a contingency fee is when the client pays the lawyer a percentage of the settlement or judgment they receive in their case. This is good for the client because they do not have to pay anything until after they win. It is also good for the lawyer because, typically, the amount awarded gets bigger proportionally to the amount of work the lawyer had to put in for the case. Likewise, the contingency fee is a lower percentage for cases that are simple to resolve than it is for cases that go to trial. The percentage you must pay as a contingency fee is also based on how much of a challenge it was for your lawyer to win your case. If all it took to get your settlement money was for your lawyer to write a few emails and have a few phone conversations with insurance companies, you will pay less than if your lawyer spent years working on your case and only reached a settlement just as the case was about to go to trial.
Alternatives to Pure Contingency Arrangements
Some lawyers and some clients feel that it is fair to pay lawyers based on how many hours they spend working on the case, instead of based on the dollar value of the settlement. Some personal injury lawyers charge by the hour, but the payment is not due until after you receive your settlement or judgment. Others have you pay a fraction of the hourly fee as you go along and then pay the rest of it when your case settles or when you win a judgment at trial.
Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About the Practical Details of Personal Injury Lawsuits
A personal injury lawyer can help you find a way out of the difficult financial circumstances caused by your injuries. Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana to see if you have grounds for a lawsuit.