If someone else caused the accident that hurt you, you may need the help of an experienced personal injury lawyer to get paid for your injuries and any money you lost because of them. But before making a retainer agreement, many people who have been hurt worry about how much it will cost to hire a good attorney.
The good news is that initial consultation with a personal injury lawyer is generally free. The good thing is that most companies don’t ask for attorney’s fees up front. But this typical policy is not an industry standard, and not all personal injury law firms use this pay structure. When it comes to getting legal help, the following things will affect how much it costs to hire a lawyer.
How strong your personal injury case in San Francisco is
Most personal injury lawyers in San Francisco will give you a free meeting where you and the lawyer can talk about how strong your case is. This means you will talk about the facts of your case and how likely it is that you will get money.
Compensation may come in the form of a settlement between you and the insurance company at fault, or it may be a court ruling given to you by a judge or jury. You and your lawyer need to decide together if it’s even worth it to keep going with the case, given the costs and the amount of money you’re likely to get back.
Agreement for Legal Representation
If you and your lawyer agree that the case should go forward, your lawyer will ask you to look over a legal representation agreement and sign it. This agreement spells out the rules for how your lawyer will work on your case and defend you. Some lawyers also offer variable fee contracts.
The contingency fee deal also says how much of the money the attorney will get if he or she is able to get you money. Contingency fees are usually between 30% and 40% and are only charged if the lawyer actually gets you money.
Costs of a Lawyer in a Personal Injury Case in San Francisco
The deal between you and your lawyer will also tell you what kinds of legal fees you might have to pay while pursuing your personal injury case. These costs may include costs for the following things that you have to do to pursue your case:
- Making copies and sending faxes of papers
- Taking statements from witnesses and interviewing them
- Taking pictures of the crash scene
- Getting vehicles checked, and
- Fees for expert witnesses you hire to speak on your behalf
- Costs of going to court, like filing fees
Your lawyer will give you the money you need to cover all of these costs. So, the lawyer is taking a chance that any money they get back will be enough to cover all the money they spent on your case and pay them for their time and effort.
Most cases of personal injury can be solved without going to court. But if this isn’t possible, the case might have to be settled in court. In this case, the cost of legal help will also include the fees for filing a claim with the court.
Your Last Bill
With a contingency fee plan, you won’t have to pay any of the legal fees or costs up front. Instead, your lawyer will keep track of them and pay for them out of any money you get from the case. Once you win a settlement or decision and get the money, the attorney’s law firm will take out the agreed-upon contingency fee and any costs they paid for the case. You will get the rest of the money along with an accounting report.
What can a personal injury lawyer in San Francisco do to help?
If you or a loved one got hurt because of someone else’s carelessness, wrongdoing, or negligence, you may be able to hold that person accountable and get them to pay you for the following:
- How much it will cost to take care of your injuries
- Lost money and wages
- Pain and trouble
- Your stuff was damaged
Our personal injury lawyers in San Francisco have years of experience and a long list of winning cases involving car, motorcycle, truck, rideshare, and other types of accidents. If we take on your case, we’ll work hard for you, put money into it, and help you get the most money possible. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you won’t have to pay us anything unless we win your case.
Setting up a trusting relationship between us and our personal injury lawyer is just the beginning. We will fight day and night to make sure you get the medical care you need and the money you are owed. Contact Golden State Accident Lawyers today to have one of our trusted San Francisco personal injury lawyers look at your case and tell you what to do next.
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