One of the most common questions people ask before hiring a personal injury attorney is simple: How much is this going to cost me? For almost all personal injury cases and medical malpractice claims the answer comes down to one concept: the contingency fee.
What Is a Contingency Fee?
A contingency fee arrangement means you don’t pay anything upfront to hire an attorney. There’s no retainer, no hourly billing, and no invoice while your case is being worked on. Instead, your attorney only gets paid out of the settlement or judgment they recover for you. If there’s no recovery, there’s no attorney’s fee.
This applies broadly across personal injury law, including liquor liability lawsuits and medical malpractice cases.
What About the Costs of Litigating a Case?
Beyond attorney’s fees, every case comes with expenses, things like hiring expert witnesses, conducting investigations, and filing a lawsuit with the court. These costs can add up quickly, and they’re often necessary to build a strong case.
Under a contingency arrangement, you don’t pay these costs out of pocket either. Instead, the law firm advances them on your behalf as the case moves forward. Those advanced costs are then paid back (along with the attorney’s fee) out of any settlement or monetary recovery at the end of the case.
Why This Matters for You
The contingency fee model exists to make sure that access to legal representation isn’t limited to people who can afford to pay a lawyer by the hour. If your case doesn’t result in a settlement or verdict in your favor, you typically don’t owe attorney’s fees, and in many arrangements, you won’t be responsible for repaying advanced costs either.
This also means your attorney has a direct stake in the outcome of your case, they only get paid when you do, which aligns their interests with yours from day one.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Every contingency fee agreement is a little different, so it’s worth asking your attorney a few questions upfront:
- What percentage of the recovery goes toward attorney’s fees?
- Are case costs deducted before or after fees are calculated?
- What happens to advanced costs if the case doesn’t result in a recovery?
A straightforward answer to these questions is a good sign you’re working with an attorney who’s being transparent with you from the start.
To learn more about Marciano Legal and our personal injury attorneys, please feel free to contact us online. You can also dial (215) 515-7743 if you need legal help for a claim of your own in Pennsylvania.
