Why do Lawyers Get a Percentage of My Settlement?

If your legal representative works on a contingency basis, they do not charge any attorneys’ fees upfront. Instead, your lawyer gets a percentage of your settlement as payment for their services so you do not have to worry about paying them before you recover compensation or out of your own pocket.

Our Harford County personal injury lawyers will explain our fee agreement to your satisfaction before signing any paperwork.

How Contingency Fees Benefit Both You and Your Lawyer

A contingency fee is not the only kind of fee agreement that a law firm may use. Some firms charge a flat fee. Others alter their fee depending on how long it takes to resolve your case.

Many firms, however—including ours—feel that a contingency fee is the best and fairest way to charge for legal services. The advantages of a contingency-fee agreement include:

• No upfront costs: You pay absolutely nothing until your case is finished. This can be a big relief to injury victims who are already worried about high medical bills, repair bills, and the loss of their regular income on top of everyday expenses.
• No fees unless you win: If you end up not receiving any compensation, you do not have to pay attorneys’ fees at all. Under our fee agreement, the only time you pay us is if we succeed in getting you money.
• Extra motivation for your legal team: Your personal injury attorneys know they will not get paid until you do. This, along with our devotion to assisting our clients through hard times, inspires us to leave no avenue unexplored when seeking compensation.

What Percentage of Your Settlement Will Your Lawyers Get?

The amount your legal representative will charge depends on how you get your money. In most cases, our personal injury attorneys are able to secure damages through a pretrial settlement.

When that happens, we generally get 33 1/3 percent of your compensation. If we have to go to trial and fight for a jury verdict, the percentage may increase to 40 percent.

Under this fee agreement, the more your personal injury case is worth, the more both you and your law firm can recover. For example:

• If you get a $100,000 settlement, your lawyer gets $33,333.33 of that and you get $66,666.66.
• If your lawyer has to represent you at trial, we may get $40,000 of a $100,000 jury verdict, and you would get $60,000.
• If your case is worth $200,000, all of the dollar amounts listed above would also be doubled. Even though your lawyer would get the same percentage of your settlement, our—and your—payout would be significantly higher.

Our personal injury law firm carefully evaluates each and every case to determine what kinds of damages our client deserve. When we get paid, we want to do so knowing that we have obtained every penny that you and your family need to reestablish your lives following a devastating accident.

What Services You Receive in Exchange for a Percentage of Your Settlement

Once you sign our fee agreement, our accident injury lawyers will take care of all legal tasks on your behalf. You will not have to do anything except receive updates and ask questions as they occur to you. Our legal team will be responsible for:

• Investigating the cause of your injury by collecting evidence, speaking to witnesses, and recruiting experts to write statements about the more technical aspects of your case
• Identifying the liable party or parties and sending a demand letter to their insurance companies
• Communicating with all of the other parties involved in your case, including the party who caused your injuries, their legal representatives, and all insurance companies
• Meeting with the insurance company to negotiate a fair settlement and explain how we will not settle for anything less than what you need
• Preparing to go to trial if necessary and then representing you in the courtroom by questioning witnesses, submitting trial exhibits, and delivering persuasive oral arguments on your behalf

In addition to these services, we provide our clients with the peace of mind of knowing that a professional legal team is advocating for them.

Is it Worth Paying an Attorney a Contingency Fee?

Only you and your family can decide what actions you want to take after a personal injury. Here are some factors to keep in mind as you discuss the matter with your loved ones and with prospective law firms:

• You have been injured. It is difficult to concentrate on anything else, especially something as complex as a legal action, when you are in pain.
• Your family is depending on you. Legal actions can be long and time-consuming. It is better to spend that time taking care of your family—or letting them care for you as you recuperate—while we do all of the work.
• The insurance company knows the law. They know how to handle claims and lawsuits because they have done it many times before. Hiring your own injury lawyer levels the playing field.

No law firm can guarantee a settlement or verdict, but we can promise to fight hard for your future and to accept no payment unless and until we win.

You have three years to sue a liable party, according to Md. Cts. & Jud. Proc. Code § 5-101, so there is little time to waste. The sooner you speak to our law firm, the sooner we can inform you of your options, explain our fee agreement, and get to work for you.

Our Attorneys Never Charge a Fee Until You Get a Settlement

Adam Smallow Injury Lawyers recognizes that you are under tremendous financial pressure. That is why our lawyers get a percentage of your settlement rather than charge out of pocket.

For a free consultation from a firm willing to fight hard for your family, call us today.