Q: How Much Money Does It Cost to Hire an Attorney?

Just like there is no “one size fits all” answer about what your personal injury claim is worth, there is no clear-cut answer for what it will cost you to hire a personal injury lawyer to handle your claim. In personal injury law, variables affect everything, from the validity of your claim to the claim’s value to whether you can expect to resolve it easily outside of court.

The variables that determine what it will cost you to hire a personal injury lawyer are:

• The complexity of your case;
• Whether your case goes to trial; and
• Whether your lawyer bills you hourly, works on a retainer, or works on contingency.

Of course, there are additional variables within these categories, like the percentage of your settlement your lawyer receives if the case is settled and if your lawyer bills you hourly, how long it takes to resolve the claim.

Ways Personal Injury Lawyers Bill Clients

Our team works on contingency, which means we only get paid when our clients recover compensation. You pay nothing up front – when you recover compensation, our team receives a percentage of your settlement. This is true regardless of whether your case is resolved with the insurance provider or it goes to court and ends in a judgment.

Working on contingency is common for personal injury firms, but not all firms bill this way. Some bill their clients hourly, which means the client pays a fixed rate for every hour of the lawyer’s time it takes to conclude the case, regardless of the case’s outcome. Other lawyers work on retainer, which means the client pays a fixed rate up front for the lawyer to handle the case.

Determining your Lawyer Bill Based on your Settlement Amount

Before you sign an agreement with a personal injury lawyer, find out how he or she bills clients. Get the specifics of his or her billing practice, such as the percentage he or she takes from successful claims’ settlements.

During your initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer, get a ballpark estimate for your claim’s value. Your lawyer cannot guarantee that you will recover any specific amount, but he or she can estimate its value based on the facts about the case you provide during your consultation. If your lawyer works on contingency, use this estimate figure and the percentage of successful claims your lawyer takes as commission to approximate what you will pay your lawyer for his or her services with your case.

Work with an Experienced Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer

When you work with our team of personal injury lawyers at Cohen & Sinowski, you only pay if you recover compensation for your damages. To learn more about our billing practices, Georgia’s personal injury laws, and what you can expect from the personal injury claim process, contact us to schedule your initial case evaluation with a member of our firm.

Disclaimer: This article is informational only and should not be seen as legal advice. You should consult with an attorney before you rely on the information presented here.