There is a lot that goes into the search of a good auto accident attorney. From checking his qualification, skills, to doing a background check on his eligibility, everything has to be correct. However, there is one important factor that should never be left out and that is the payment terms. Different attorneys are open to different terms of payment for their services. Among all the payment methods, the contingency fee plan happens to be the most common. Below are a few facts about the contingency plan that you need to understand.
Whenever you have an auto accident attorney accepting to a contingency fee plan, what he means is that he will be paid a percentage of the compensation claim. The one thing you need to make clear with the attorney is the percentage figure. This usually varies from one state to the next. The average is usually 33% which is a third of the money paid as compensation. Some attorneys could go to as high as 50% while others may drop to as low as 15%. What one needs to do is find a good attorney through the site at siegfriedandjensen.com/practice-areas/auto-accidents who takes a reasonable percentage.
It is important to note that this money is only paid to the auto accident attorney in the event that he wins the case. If he loses the case, he gets nothing. This one factor makes the contingency fee the ideal payment plan for the client. [Read]…
The issue of costs is one that often pops up every time there is the mention of contingency fee. You may be exempted from paying the lawyer his service fee but end up paying the cots accrued. These are in form of costs of photocopying, filing fees, or expert witness fees. In case the attorney wins the case, the costs can be deducted from the compensation money. What you need to confirm with your attorney is if the costs are deducted from the compensation money before the attorney deducts his percentage or after.
Another variant in the percentage is often determined by whether the case is settled before a lawsuit is filed and if it goes to court or not. The earlier it is settled, the lower the percentage. When it moves to court, the percentage moves a little higher. This is to avoid scenarios where one feels like they have paid the attorney much for doing little. On the other hand, it is also intended to avoid cases of the attorney feeling they have been paid little when the case has taken too much of their time. For additional information, visit the site at http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/333070/lawyer.