What Does Contingency Fee Mean?
Many injured Phoenix personal injury victims and families want to know, “What does a contingency fee mean?”
A contingency fee means that a lawyer only gets paid if they win or settle your case. Have you ever seen a lawyer’s ad where they claim, “No win, no fee?” Well, that is the summarized definition of a contingency fee. It is also known as a conditional fee. In addition, you will only have to pay the lawyer if they win your case. As a result, you will not have to pay anything upfront. This sounds promising, and many customers try to look for this option when choosing lawyers. A contingency fee means that a lawyer only gets paid if they win or settle your case. No win, no fee.
Our Phoenix personal injury lawyers can answer this question in greater detail when you call our law offices. We offer free initial reviews and consultations, so there’s never been an easier way to answer your personal injury questions!
This option is quite common in personal injury cases, in which the lawyer gets a fixed percentage of the damages or compensation awarded to the client. If the client doesn’t win any money, the lawyer doesn’t get anything, either. Therefore, another name for contingency fees is “no win, no fee.”
How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?
Common attorney fees in Arizona are regulated by state laws, but average around 33% to 40%, depending on the nature of the case.
But be careful, you might hear ads from other law firms that claim “discount fees” which can be misleading. Sure, the firm will implement a discounted fee on your settlement, but charge you additionally on the back-end of the case. For example, charge you filing fees, phone call fees, even charge for pieces of paper!
You do not have to pay a lawyer up front when they work on a contingency basis. However, you need to double check with your law firm’s fee structure. In some cases, you might owe more than you think.
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Hutzler Law doesn’t have any ridiculous attorney fees and will never earn more from a settlement than the client, ever.
When Is a Contingency Fees Used?
Here are some of the types of injury cases that use the contingency fees option:
- Professional Malpractice
- Personal Injury
- Car Accident
- Animal Attack / Dog Bite
- Premises Liability
- Defective Product
- Mass Tort
- Worker’s Compensation
- Employment Discrimination
- Wage Dispute Cases
- Sexual Harassment
- Debt Collections Cases
- Class Action Lawsuits
The option of contingency fees is helpful when the client doesn’t have enough money to pay for hourly attorney fees or a retainer. Therefore, a contingency fee option can take care of upfront fees association with the case, for example, when a medical expert is required to evaluate a case. This can also be helpful when the expected compensation is costly: such as cases in which lawyers can expect to get a huge percentage of the compensation if they win the case.
Above all, this option is helpful when the lawyers have higher chances of winning. For this reason, lawyers evaluate cases and then accept them based on what their chances of winning are. If they feel like the case is too complicated, they may not accept it on a contingency basis.
The Benefits of Using Contingency Fees
There are several benefits associated with using the contingency fee option. Let’s take a look at the top advantages:
- One of the most important benefits of using contingency fees is the elimination of upfront fees. This means that the clients do not have to pay the lawyer upfront. This also means that the clients do not have to pay giant legal bills before their case ends.
- Any require upfront costs associated with the injury are covered by the law firm. For example, if the case requires to bring onboard a medical examiner or accident recreation specialist, Hutzler Law will pay the upfront costs needed.
- Another important benefit of using the contingency fee option is the incentive. It helps give lawyers an incentive to win the case — therefore, they are likelier to try harder. In such cases, the attorney will work the hardest to ensure the best possible outcome. Therefore, clients won’t have to worry about the motivation level of their lawyers.
- It allows people and clients with lower incomes better access to legal assistance and the court system.
- If the client loses the case, they do not have to pay anything to the lawyer. This is yet another benefit of using the contingency fees option. The clients don’t have to pay if the outcome of the case is not according to their expectations. This offers peace of mind to the majority of clients.
Why Should You Hire Hutzler Law, PPLC?
With years of successful experience and millions of dollars recovered for our clients, the injury lawyers at Hutzler Law work very hard to get you the rightful compensation. If you want the best legal help for your personal injury case or claim, you will benefit from the professional legal team and personal injury attorneys at Hutzler Law.
Our lawyers will also allow you to enjoy the option of reasonable contingency fees for your legal case. Therefore, you can get the best legal assistance without having to pay a hefty lawyer’s fee. You only pay if we win your case for you. It’s really that simple. But call our law firm and let us tell you ourselves in a FREE case evaluation.
Jason Hutzler
Jason Hutzler is the founding partner of Phoenix personal injury law firm Hutzler Law, and represents individuals throughout Arizona. His practice is primarily dedicated to personal injury and car accident claims, leveraging his deep expertise as a former insurance adjustor to navigate the complexities of insurance negotiations.