When you picture an attorney you see someone in a fancy suit, perfect haircut, and a nice car. In the news you constantly see teams of attorneys standing behind corporations and you wonder how much they are charging an hour. None of us ever plan on getting injured. The grim reality is that it can happen to any of us at any time, and the effects it can have on our personal life can be devastating. An injury can put your life on pause, and can be a drain on the savings you’ve worked so hard to build up. Often times after an injury, be it a car accident or nursing home abuse of a loved one, you can incur serious personal costs and medical bills. These are the times where you need a personal injury attorney in your corner fighting for your right to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
Hiring a personal injury attorney to represent you does not have to be a costly endeavor, and there are some questions you can ask to make sure you receive affordable representation.
The first question you should ask when seeking a personal injury attorney is “Is this consultation free?” Many law firms are happy to sit down with you, and talk about any potential case you may have free of charge. A competent attorney can sit with you and discuss the details of any case you may have and answer all your questions. When it is a free consultation there is no financial risk to you to seek the advice of a personal injury attorney.
What happens if the attorney decides that you may have a case and would like to move forward? The image of countless billable hours may immediately flash into your head, and discourage you from wanting to hire an attorney. This does not have to be the case. Personal injury attorneys can represent you on a “contingency fee basis.” In a quick sentence, this can be summed up as “we don’t win unless you win.”
The longer explanation is that the attorney agrees to front the costs of litigation (filing suit, depositions, hiring experts, etc.). The attorney is paying out of pocket for all the costs and you are not being billed during the representation. If the law firm is able to get compensation for you they will take a percentage of the total award (the specific percentage depends on custom in the area, among other factors) to cover the attorney’s fee, and then they will deduct all the costs they incurred working your case to get the award. Afterwards, you receive your compensation and owe the attorney nothing else. But what if I lose or don’t get any money? Then the attorney absorbs all the costs and you owe them nothing for representing you.
These are some of the important questions to ask a law firm if you’re seeking legal representation due to a personal injury of yourself or a loved one. Personal injury, while devastating, does not have to be something you experience on your own. There are affordable ways to make sure you get the representation that you deserve from a competent personal injury attorney, like a personal injury lawyer in Spartanburg, SC.
Thanks to Polikoff & Associates, P.A. for their insight into personal injury practice.