After a car accident, you may need a personal injury lawyer to help you obtain the compensation you are entitled to be paid. As long as you have a good case, the prospect of legal fees should not stop you from pursuing your case. Read on and find out how certain aspects of your case influence your legal fees payment structure.

Contingency Fee Arrangements

If your case is accepted by the lawyer, you will be offered a contingency fee agreement that results in professional legal representation without having to pay any upfront fees. If your case doesn't result in a settlement or court judgment, you won't owe the lawyer a thing. If you do win your case, the lawyer is paid from your winnings based on a percentage. For example, if you win a settlement of $100,000 and your contingency fee agreement specifies a legal fee of 30%, you would be paid $70,000 and your lawyer would be paid $30,000. This allows financially-stressed accident victims to benefit from legal help without having to pay legal fees just to get the case started.

Factors Within Your Case

Not all accident cases are appropriate for a contingency fee plan, however. The lawyer will review your case to determine the time needed to resolve it versus the potential payoff. Complex cases that require lots of work and in which fault is in question may not be suitable for a contingency fee case. The only way to find out is to present your personal injury lawyer with the facts of your case and have it evaluated. If the attorney thinks you have a good, valuable case, you will sign a representation agreement, and your case will get underway.

Personal injury lawyers evaluate a case based on some of the below factors:

• Fault — The more clear it is that you were not at fault, the better.
• Insurance — The other driver should have adequate auto insurance or be wealthy enough to provide compensation for your damages.
• Medical expenses — This is one of the most important, but often overlooked, factors in determining the value of an accident case. The dollar amount of medical expenses is a red flag — it denotes how serious your injuries are and the potential need for future medical treatments as well. The amount of your medical expenses factor into the evaluation another way too. Often, the dollar amount of medical expenses is used to determine how much you are paid for your pain and suffering.

To have your accident case evaluated, speak to a personal injury lawyer right away.