Car Accident Lawyers Cost Nothing Upfront Across South Florida
When you’ve been involved in a car accident that was caused by another negligent or reckless driver, you may want to pursue financial compensation from that driver for your injuries and for the damage to your vehicle. Of course, pursuing fair and full compensation from an at-fault driver or their insurance company is not always a simple task. You may consider hiring a car accident attorney to help you ensure you obtain a full financial recovery, but you may not know what a car accident lawyer might actually cost to hire. How much will it cost to hire a car accident lawyer in Florida?
Instead of the hourly fee that you might more frequently associate with legal services, car accident lawyers instead handle cases on a contingency fee basis. Under a contingency fee arrangement, the client is not required to pay any money upfront to hire an attorney to represent them in their case. In fact, the client is not obligated to pay the lawyer’s fee unless and until the lawyer successfully recovers compensation for the client.
At Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A., our South Florida personal injury attorneys handle car accident claims on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t have to pay anything upfront to get the experienced legal representation you deserve. We only get paid when we win compensation in your case. Contact us today for a free case review to discuss how our firm can help you pursue your car accident claim on a contingency fee basis to ensure you obtain the financial compensation and accountability you deserve from those at fault for your injuries and losses.
How Much Is a Contingency Fee?
In a contingency fee agreement, a lawyer’s legal fees are contingent on the lawyer successfully recovering compensation for their client. The car crash attorney fees are usually a percentage of the total compensation the lawyer secures for the client. Although the percentage will be spelled out and agreed upon by the lawyer and the client in the written fee agreement, the actual percentage that the lawyer charges for a contingency fee can vary from case to case, and can even vary in a case depending on the course of the case.
Most contingency fees range between 25 percent and 40 percent, depending on the geographic area the lawyer practices in and the amount of work the lawyer expects to have to put into the case based on the complexity of the issues in the case. Most contingency fee agreements also have an escalator clause that increases the percentage if the case ends up being filed in court as a lawsuit. For example, a car accident lawyer may charge a 33.3 percent standard contingency fee that increases to 40 percent if the client’s case ends up going to court or to trial.
What Will I Have to Pay a Car Accident Lawyer at the End of the Case?
In addition to the legal fee, which compensates the lawyer for their time and knowledge, a car accident case will involve other expenses such as obtaining copies of police accident reports and medical records, hiring expert witnesses, conducting depositions, court fees, and other administrative expenses such as legal research. In many contingency fee arrangements, the lawyer will front the cost for these expenses and will be reimbursed for these costs from the financial compensation secured for the client, or a lawyer may choose to roll these costs into their legal fee.
It is important that you take the time to fully understand the details of any contingency fee agreement with a car accident lawyer. You should have the opportunity to ask the lawyer questions such as:
- What do you think is the value of my case?
- What kind of expenses do you expect will be incurred in my case?
- What percentage of the compensation you win for me will be taken as a fee?
- Does the percentage increase under any circumstances, such as upon the filing of a lawsuit or my case going to trial?
- Will I be required to pay the expenses of the case, such as court costs or expert witness fees, upfront, or will those expenses be deducted from my recovery?
- Will I be responsible for paying for the expenses of the case if you don’t recover any compensation for me?
- What money will I owe you and when will I have to pay it if I choose to proceed with a different lawyer or law firm in the middle of my case?
These questions should help you get a better understanding of what it may cost to hire a car accident lawyer.
Contact Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A. for a Free Consultation to Learn More About How Our Car Accident Lawyers Can Help
If you’ve been injured in a car accident in South Florida, reach out to Gonzalez & Cartwright, P.A. today for a free, no-obligation consultation to speak to one of our experienced car accident lawyers about your case and to learn more about your legal rights and options for pursuing your car accident claim with the assistance of
Frequently Asked Question about How Much It Will Cost to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in South Florida
Although car accident cases are typically handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you are not responsible for paying anything upfront and your lawyer does not get paid until they win compensation on your behalf, the specifics of a contingency fee can vary from case to case. Contact our firm to talk to one of our car accident attorneys to learn more about how our firm can handle your specific case.
As a client, you have the right to representation by the attorney of your choice. When you hire an attorney who performs substantial work on your car accident case but you later choose, for whatever reason, to retain a different attorney to handle your case, your first attorney will typically be entitled to compensation for the work they have done. Your contingency fee agreement may specifically state how your attorney may be compensated if you terminate their representation before your case is resolved, or in other circumstances, your old and new attorneys may work out an arrangement by which they agree to split the contingency fee earned in your case.