Personal injury lawyers generally receive a contingency fee payment in Texas. This means that a fee only applies if you win your case. Therefore, you don't have to pay any out-of-pocket expenses upfront. The commission will constitute a percentage of your prize.
Most car accident lawyers charge for their services in a fairly unique way rather than the hourly rate charged by many firms in other types of cases. The typical car accident lawyer will charge a contingency fee to take on an injury case. A contingency fee means that the firm will not receive any attorney fee payments unless it recovers money in your case. The lawyer or law firm will receive a percentage of the money received from any verdict or from the jury (if the case goes all the way to trial).
A contingency fee, or contingent fee, is an agreement where your lawyer only receives a payment if there is a favorable outcome. Instead of charging an hourly fee or an advance, the lawyer agrees to accept an agreed percentage of your recovery, either a negotiated settlement or a jury verdict. You never write us a check. After resolving your personal injury case and collecting money from the insurance company, our fee will be paid with that money.
Our commission is a percentage of the money we collect from the insurance company. Personal injury lawyers generally receive payment based on contingency fee agreements. This means that the customer pays nothing in advance. Instead, the payment depends on the lawyer obtaining compensation in the client's case.
In short, if you don't get paid, your lawyer doesn't get paid. Because of this, personal injury lawyers are often the most affordable type of lawyer you can use. On the plaintiff's side, because most of the plaintiff's lawyers work on a contingent basis, if the plaintiff obtains a recovery from the defendant, the plaintiff's attorney's fees come from the amount paid by the defendant to resolve the case (or the amount the court orders him to pay the defendant after a trial). Remember, your choice of attorney is critical because you only have one chance to get full compensation after a car accident.
In addition, injury lawyers must understand car accident laws, truck regulations, traffic laws, accident reconstruction, medical issues, engineering concepts, medical bill laws, and more. Learn more about how having an attorney on your side affects the outcome of a car accident lawsuit and how an attorney can help you with your car accident case. However, if you recover money, the amount already paid to the lawyer must be subtracted from the percentage owed to the lawyer at the end of the case. Although most lawyers don't charge you attorney's fees until they're deducted from whatever they earn, there are often other fees associated with accident claims.
This means that the lawyer does not receive fees for legal services unless the lawyer can obtain a recovery for the client. Experienced car accident lawyers understand the process and have the resources to level the playing field with the insurance company. There is no cost for an initial consultation and there is no obligation to hire, so it is absolutely in your best interest to speak with an attorney if you have been injured in a car accident. A lawyer who charges a lower fee cannot afford to devote as much time and effort to his case as a lawyer who charges the industry standard rate.