The cost of a personal injury lawyer can be a huge worry for someone who has been in an accident and may already be dealing with paying for medical bills and other associated expenses from the accident. So how much does a personal injury lawyer cost? The answer to that question is dependent on the fee schedule the lawyer offers. The three major fee schedules used in Pennsylvania include flat fee, hourly fee, and contingency fee.
- Flat Fee: A flat fee arrangement includes a total amount agreed upon between the client and the lawyer that covers all legal fees and costs for the legal matter. This is a common arrangement for document drafting such as for wills and contracts.
- Hourly Fee: Many lawyers in Philidelphia charge clients on an hourly rate for legal services. In this arrangement, the lawyer sends the client a bill, usually weekly or monthly, based on how many hours the lawyer worked on the legal matter. Under this fee arrangement, the hourly rate is usually set upon the experience and reputation of the attorney. Additional costs incurred on the legal matter, such as court filing fees, are usually billed separately from the hourly rate.
- Contingency Fee: Personal injury lawyers in Philadelphia often work on a contingency fee basis. In this fee arrangement, the client and the lawyer agree on a percentage that the lawyer will take should a recovery be successful through either settlement or legal judgment. In a contingency fee arrangement, the client pays nothing up front and should no financial recovery be made, the client does not have to pay.
How much does a personal injury lawyer take under a contingency fee arrangement? This is often dependent on the reputation and experience of the lawyer, case type, success rate of the claim, and other factors. What percentage a personal injury lawyer takes is often higher in cases where the success rate is lower due to the risk the attorney is taking in paying the upfront costs of the claim.
Therefore, the average cost of a personal injury lawyer in Philidelphia is often dependent on many factors such as the fee arrangement agreed to upon by the lawyer and the client, the experience and reputation of the lawyer, and the type and success rate of the claim. In is important to remember that in a contingency fee arrangement, the client pays nothing unless a recovery on the claim is made either through settlement or legal judgment. (alt tag -personal injury law )
How much does a personal injury lawyer make?
Once again, this is dependent on a multitude of factors often based on experience and reputation of the lawyer. The greater the reputation of the lawyer and the more experience they have, the higher flat fee, hourly rate, or contingency fee percentage they can command and thus make more income overall. In a contingency fee arrangement, claims with a lower success rate may command a higher percentage contingency fee thus a lawyer who is successful in these claims can increase their income. Therefore, a personal injury lawyer in Philidelphia with experience, a good reputation, and a high success rate will often make more income.
