Contingent Fees for Personal Injury Litigation
Everyone should have access to quality legal representation when they need it. This is especially true when an individual suffers a serious injury that changes their lives forever.
Unfortunately, far too many people feel that only the wealthy can afford to pursue personal injury litigation after a crippling accident. What these individuals fail to realize is that many attorneys are willing to make a contingent fee arrangement with the injured party, which defers costs until a settlement or monetary award is granted to the plaintiff.
How Contingent Fees Work During an initial consultation (which may or may not be free), an attorney will look at your case and see if it is strong enough to pursue Personal injury claim. If deemed so, the lawyer then decides to make an agreement based on what you can pay at the time. If you do not have the ability to pay, you can negotiate terms that supply a percentage of damages recovered after a win.
The beauty of this arrangement is the fact that you do not have the pay a cent if the case is lost. In other words, if your lawyer fails to obtain compensation for your injuries, you dont have to worry about lawyers fees. This does not mean however, that expenses are not incurred; however, many lawyers deduct these costs from their clients reparations once the case concludes.
Determining Percentages The financial percentage is often discussed before hand and are calculated a number of ways. Most of the time these deductions depend on the type of case you are pursuing and the circumstances surrounding it. Just be sure to clarify any issues you may have prior to retaining a lawyers services.
Advantages to Personal Injury Victims Of course, the biggest benefit to those who want to pursue personal injury litigation is the fact that they do not have to come up with any upfront money. They also know that the lawyer would take the case on if they felt there was little chance of losing, so the odds of winning your case are fairly good. In other words, you will have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the lawyer will work very hard to win.
A Great Motivator When you think about it, the lawyer who agrees to contingent fees is casting his lot with his client. He is also confident in his own abilities and more than likely has a great track record in the personal injury arena. Of course, these are all things you can discuss with your lawyer before you decide to move forward with a personal injury lawsuit.
Does he charge a fee? Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure your lawyer of choice provides the contingent fee option as only a handful of providences, namely, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec offer the convenience.
Contingent fees do help personal injury victims in the long run and are well worth the mutual risks associated with them. It also guarantees that legal representation is accessible to all, which is truly what justice is all about.
Filed under: Health & Fitness