Louisiana accident victims often have concerns about affording legal services. It can be tough to think about paying for a lawyer when facing new medical bills and other surprise costs of an accident. The good news is that you typically won’t need to pay upfront to hire a personal injury lawyer in Lafayette.
Most personal injury attorneys in Louisiana represent clients on a contingency fee basis. This means the client pays no attorney fees unless they win their case. If they win, attorney fees would be a percentage of your financial award. Through contingency agreements, accident victims on tight budgets can get skilled legal representation without worrying about costs.
How Do Lawyers Usually Charge Clients?
Contingent fee agreements are one type of fee arrangement lawyers use. Depending on the type of case involved, attorneys might also bill clients through hourly or fixed-rate fees.
Hourly Fees
When lawyers charge hourly fees, they bill clients based on the time they spend working on the case. Billing is broken down into hours and segments of hours (e.g., 0.5 hours represents 30 minutes spent working for the client).
If a lawyer charges an hourly fee, they will bill from a retainer that is paid upfront by the client. The retainer amount will depend on the type of case and the work to be expected. Depending on the lawyer’s expertise, the typical fee could range between $150 per hour and $500 per hour.
Hourly fee cases can involve some of the following areas of law:
- Civil litigation
- Family law
- Criminal defense
- Business litigation
The lawyer will then track the time they work on the case and send monthly invoices for attorney fees to the client. If the retainer runs out at any point, the client is usually asked to replenish or add more from their own pockets.
Fixed-Rate Fees
Fixed-rate attorney fees involve a flat fee for a particular kind of legal service. One benefit is that clients know exactly what they are paying and what they will get.
Legal services performed at fixed rates can include:
- Estate planning, such as wills and trusts
- Preparation and review of business contracts
- Drafting real estate purchase and sale agreements
- Sending demand letters for a client
Attorneys charging fixed rates will do so because their experience tells them how much time will be needed to perform a certain task. Clients will pay flat fees to avoid surprises and runaway legal expenses.
How Do Contingency Fees Work in a Personal Injury Case?
A certain percentage of the financial settlement or jury award will go toward attorney fees in a contingency fee arrangement. Before the case starts, the personal injury attorney and client will agree on the percentage of a settlement that would be applied toward attorney fees. Under a contingency fee arrangement, the attorney is not paid unless they secure a financial award for the client.
A typical contingency fee in a Louisiana personal injury case would be about 30-40% of the total amount recovered for the client.
Contingency fee arrangements can also discuss how costs and expenses are covered.
Costs involved in a personal injury claim can include:
- Office expenses
- Costs involved with taking depositions
- Expert witness fees
- Costs of acquiring medical records, police records, and other documentation
- Court fees and expenses
- Preparation for trial
Before signing on to a contingency fee arrangement in your personal injury case, you deserve to know how the attorney fees and other costs are calculated. For example, it is smart to ask if your attorney will calculate their fee based on the gross settlement amount or if they deduct costs, liens, and other fees beforehand.
How Do Personal Injury Attorneys Earn Their Contingency Fees?
Winning a personal injury case requires serious work, expertise, and resources. Maximizing a client’s financial return for their damages after an accident is not just a matter of filing a claim and waiting for a check.
Personal injury lawyers in Louisiana will go to great lengths to fight for their clients, including:
- Carefully investigating all the facts of the accident
- Hiring the best experts in the area to support their client’s claim
- Aggressively negotiating with insurance companies
- Handling all phases of a personal injury case
- Taking a case to trial when justice demands it
- Filing a lawsuit whenever needed
An experienced attorney can handle your case from start to finish, but you do not owe any legal fees unless they win your case.
Contact a Lafayette Personal Injury Attorney Today
It costs nothing upfront to hire a Lafayette personal injury attorney from Kenny Habetz Injury Law. Our dedicated legal team will review the facts of your accident and talk to you about your next steps. Call us today to schedule your free consultation at (337)399-9000.
