Posted in Wisconsin Workers Compensation Related News
Personal Injury Lawyer
It’s an unfortunate reality that with millions of car accidents occuring a year, you or someone you love is highly likely to find themselves involved in a wreck. Once the dust has settled and immediate concerns are addressed, it’s normal for victims’ thoughts to shift toward filing a suit to get damages they are owed. But if a car accident has left you unable to work, how are you supposed to afford a car accident lawyer? This common conundrum doesn’t have to become a crisis. There are plenty of options to get representation that doesn’t break the bank. Here are just a few.
Working On Contingency
One of the biggest misconceptions many car accident victims have is that you must pay an attorney up front to represent you. The good news is this isn’t true. Most personal injury lawyers will work on something called contingency – that is, you don’t pay until you get results. Under such an arrangement, lawyer’s fees are taken out of any settlement you get in your case. Not only does this make things easier on your budget, but it encourages your personal injury lawyer to work hard to get you the best outcome.
Other Arrangements
While a contingency arrangement is common, it’s far from the only option for affording a car accident lawyer. Some attorneys may indeed want a fee up front, but it may only be a percentage of your expected settlement. At the end of your case, you may pay a second fee for services. For instance, you could pay $2,000 to retain representation, get a $100,000 settlement, then have a percentage subtracted from that amount. How much that percentage will be varies by attorney so you should discuss that up front.
Flat Fee Payments
There are rare cases in which an attorney will collect a flat fee for services. These are typically simple cases that involve drafting demand letters and responding to legal correspondences. It’s unlikely the average car accident case would be this cut and dry, but if you simply need a few services rather than full representation, this type of setup could range from $300 to $1,000.
Being out of work after an accident is stressful enough without the added worry of paying for a car accident attorney. Fortunately, you have options.
