What To Remember While Hiring Personal Injury Attorneys

Before hiring a personal injury lawyer or attorney

, take some time to walk through the numbers and make sure you understand how much you will be paying. You will need to ask the lawyer the following questions before you make a decision on whether or not you want to hire him or her:

* Realistically, what size award can you expect to receive if your personal injury case settles? If your personal injury case goes to trial?

* Using those estimated amounts, how much would you pay in legal fees if the case settles? Or if it goes to trial?

* How much would you pay in legal expenses if your case settles? Or if it goes to trial?

* How much money would remain after these legal fees and expenses are deducted?

Most personal injury attorneys charge their clients a contingency fee. With a contingency fee, you only pay the lawyer if he or she is able to negotiate a monetary settlement or win a judgment on your behalf. If you receive no money from the party responsible for your accident, then the lawyer collects no fee. If you win, you will also be responsible for any expenses the attorney incurred in preparing your case. Many personal injury lawyers will waive the expenses if the case is lost.

When negotiating a fee contingency arrangement with a personal injury attorney, it is important to keep two things in mind:

Firstly,you can try to negotiate a lower percentage contingency fee with your lawyer.

Secondly, you should ask to have the contingency fee calculated based on the net award (in other words, after expenses have been deducted), not the gross award (before expenses have been deducted).

A written retainer agreement is the best way to ensure that your rights are protected, and in many jurisdictions is required for a contingent fee agreement to be valid. Many personal injury lawyers use a relatively short fee agreement, but even if it looks short and simple you should take your time and read the whole agreement before signing. If there is something you do not understand, ask for clarification before you sign.

Finally, remember that if your lawyer is part of a large law firm, he or she does not necessarily set such fees by choice or alone. Many law firms have set percentage fees for various types of cases their attorneys accept.

by: moore moore carol carol

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