Whether you’ve been hurt in a car accident, a slip-and-fall, or any other accident, you want to get the settlement you deserve, without worrying about lawyer fees and costs. Most Los Angeles personal injury lawyers, including the Law Offices of Ilona Gorin, work on what is known as a “contingency fee basis.”
What Does Contingency Fee Mean and How Does it Work?
A contingency fee means that you will only pay your lawyer when they “win” your case. This means that you can hire an experienced personal injury lawyer like Ilona Gorin to handle your case without paying them from your own pocket. The contingency fee percentage will depend on whether your case was settled out of court or whether it went to trial.
How Much of Your Settlement will Personal Injury and Car Accident Lawyers Charge?
Most personal injury lawyers will charge a contingency fee percentage between 33-40%, but this percentage is negotiable.
Included in this rate are services like:
- Obtaining all the documents pertaining to your accident
- Scheduling inspection of your vehicle
- Collecting the necessary evidence to build your case
- Negotiating with the insurance company
- and more…
While all this may sound easy, keep in mind that personal injury cases aren’t usually as straightforward as we would like them to be. For example, an insurance company might decide to act in bad faith and deny your claim, or you might accidentally implicate yourself as being the one at fault in the accident. An experienced personal injury attorney will help you get the best possible outcome and avoid potential problems like these, and others.
This is why it is always important to consult a lawyer before trying to handle your own case. In fact, the Law Offices of Ilona Gorin doesn’t charge for initial consultations, so you are not risking anything by speaking to an experienced Los Angeles personal injury attorney!
Settlement BEFORE Filing a Lawsuit
Your lawyer will put together all of the supporting documents to support your property damage and personal injury claims. Once the insurance company has reviewed this information, a settlement discussion between your attorney and the insurance adjuster begins. If your lawyer builds a solid case, the party at fault will make a counteroffer and negotiations will proceed from here. Your lawyer should keep you informed of any settlement offers and advise you on whether this is a good amount to accept. Once you and the insurance company agree on an amount, the settlement is reached and your claim is considered resolved.
All this happens before you file a lawsuit.
Settlement AFTER Filing a Lawsuit
If you and the insurance company cannot agree on a reasonable settlement amount, your case may be right for litigation, which means filing a lawsuit against the party at fault. If the settlement is reached after a lawsuit is filed, your lawyer maybe entitled to a higher percentage, usually about 40%.
You may reject a settlement offer if you feel it’s too low. If your lawyer believes that you can get a higher settlement offer if they file a lawsuit, you should be aware of the expenses that come with taking a case to court.
At the Law Offices of Ilona Gorin, we work hard to settle all claims quickly, without the costs of filing a law suit, but we don’t settle for less than you deserve!
Costs and Expenses
If a lawsuit is filed in your case, your lawyer will take care of any expenses related to your case and subtract them from your settlement. Some of the costs may include:
- Filing fees
- Service of process fees
- Motion fees
- Depositions
- Trial exhibits
- Hiring private investigators
- Postage
- Expert witness fees
- Obtaining medical records
You should be aware that these expenses can be costly and add up very quickly.
How Do You Collect Your Settlement?
Once your case is settled, your settlement check is automatically mailed to your lawyer, who will then send your portion to you. At Law Offices of Ilona Gorin, we ensure that your settlement check is delivered to you as quickly as possible. We send you your portion of the settlement as soon as we receive it in our office.
