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If you sustained injuries in a car accident, you may be hesitant to contact a personal injury attorney, fearing that he or she will charge you a substantial up-front fee that you cannot afford to pay. You will therefore be glad to learn that such is almost never the case.
Virtually all car accident attorneys in Scottsdale, AZ, including those who focus on car accident cases, charge what are known as contingency fees. As the name implies, these fees are contingent upon the attorney obtaining a favorable settlement or jury award for you. In other words, you owe the attorney nothing unless and until he or she satisfactorily resolves your case.
Contingency Fee Types
There are two basic types of contingency fee arrangements: those that charge a flat percentage regardless of how much work the attorney must put into your case, and those that charge a step-up percentage. In the former type, the attorney generally charges between 33-1/3% and 50% of the ultimate settlement or jury award. In the latter type, he or she generally charges a lower fee, usually somewhere around 25%, if he or she can settle your case, and a higher fee, usually somewhere around 50%, if he or she must conduct a full-blown jury trial on your behalf.
Free Initial Consultation
Most personal injury attorneys also offer free initial consultations where you can meet with the attorney for nothing to see if he or she can help you and if the two of you are compatible with each other. Be sure to be completely open and honest with the car accident attorney in Scottsdale, AZ so he or she will have a good idea of what your case involves and how much time and effort he or she will need to put into it.
Employment Contract
Once you determine which attorney you want to hire, he or she likely will draw up an employment contract for both of you to sign. This contract should clearly state what fee or fees he or she will charge you under what circumstances. It should also clearly state if you will need to pay any court or other costs up-front or whether they, too, will come out of your ultimate settlement or jury award.
Be sure you fully understand your obligations under the contract before you sign it. This is a legally binding document for both you and the car accident attorney in Scottsdale, AZ. If one of you doesn’t live up to the contract’s provisions, the other can sue for breach of contract.
To schedule a complimentary case consultation, contact our car accident attorney at Yearin Law Office for premier legal services.
