Most Denver personal injury attorney work on contingency fee basis, which is a no-win no-fee agreement with the client meaning that the client is liable to pay only if the case is won. This is not unknown to anyone but you need to know a few things in details.
Contingency Fee does not mean that you will not pay a single penny but let’s classify the solicitor costs into three categories:
Base Costs
The basic consulting charges of your attorney are considered under base cost and it depends on the country and state you are in.
Disbursements
A certain amount is spent by your solicitors for your case and it includes court fees, payments to GP and hospitals to purchase your medical records and so on. Obviously, you are liable to pay these charges later.
Success Fee
Your personal injury lawyer will take a fixed percentage of amounts from the claims they win for you. These percentages are negotiable and are generally not more than 25%. In some cases, it is fixed at 12.5%, again it depends on your state. The percentage of charges they will derive from your settlements is agreed during the initial meeting when you proceed with the particular attorney.
What if you lost the claim?
The legal costs are not to be paid by you if you lose the claims i.e. the base costs and success fees but disbursements are must be paid. Opposed to this scenario, if you win the case, you have to pay all three charges. For instance, if your attorney wins $10000 for you, you will have to pay 25% amount to them as fees, which is $2500. It depends on you and your negotiating skills to maximize your benefits by lowering the solicitor fees. The lower they charge, the more are your chances to reap the benefits.
Will you still have to pay even if you agree on no-win no-fee?
Yes, you will have to pay. This amount will usually be the disbursement amount, as discussed earlier. Your Car Accident Attorney is not going to bear the expenses on your behalf and so you are required to pay them. You can frankly ask for the refund if they have any difference amount you have paid in advance.
What should be discussed at the initial meeting?
- · Your percentage of success
- · Will they consider lowering the success fees percentage from 25 to 15 or 10?
- · Their disbursement policy
- · Whether or not you have to pay up front?
- · If your personal insurance will cover-up anyways in accident claims
- · Which attorney will be allotted to handle your case?
The Bottom Line
In short, the meaning of no-win no-fee is exactly the same as it reads but the terms and conditions apply depending on the lawyer so you should make it clear from the very beginning with your Auto Accident Attorney. Tell us if we can help you in any ways by calling us at 303-779-5300.
But there is a change in the fee structure of lawyer recently right? what about that? legitclaims.co.uk
ReplyDeleteYou make so many great points here that I read your article a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers. Moss & Colella PC
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