If You’re Injured in an Auto Accident, It’s in Your Best Interests To Hire a Lawyer
The days after a car accident, workplace accident, or other injuries can be incredibly stressful. After the initial shock fades, many auto accident victims find themselves juggling the costs of medical care while attempting to navigate the complexities of filing an insurance claim. With all of these stressors piling up, it’s hard to spend time doing the one thing that you should be focusing on the most: recovery.
That’s where an experienced personal injury lawyer can help. Your lawyer will handle your case by documenting your medical expenses, helping you secure care, and negotiating with insurance companies regarding your claim. Hiring an attorney for your personal injury case has plenty of advantages: in addition to fewer obstacles to recovery, personal injury victims who hire lawyers consistently receive a much higher settlement. In fact, several studies have shown that hiring a lawyer increases the expected settlement in many cases by as much as three and a half times the insurance company’s initial offer, even after attorney fees are paid!
There can be some misconceptions about the cost of hiring a lawyer, however. Many people picture lawyers as an elite, exclusive service that’s only available to people who can afford to pay an expensive retainer. This is far from the truth for firms like McDivitt.
Let’s address some commonly asked questions in order to explore why hiring a lawyer is a lot more affordable than you may think.
What if I can’t afford a lawyer after an accident?
The stress of medical bills after a car accident, pedestrian accident, or motorcycle accident can be overwhelming. It’s easy to get lost in a sea of medical bills, along with other costs of recovery such as physical therapy, trauma counseling, and rehabilitation. When dealing with all of these sudden expenses, a lawyer might seem prohibitively expensive.
This isn’t the case.
McDivitt Law Firm, along with many other law firms around the country, operates on a contingency fee basis. This means that you do not owe the law firm any money until after your settlement is paid out. Law firms that operate on a contingency basis generally don’t charge retainer fees either, meaning that you won’t need to pay anything in order to hire them.
How do contingency fees work?
Contingency fees are predetermined percentages of your settlement that are paid to your legal counsel after the case is concluded. Instead of charging you upfront, McDivitt’s contingency fee is paid instead with a portion of the personal injury insurance settlement that you’re awarded.
We feel that it’s only fair that our clients get paid first. That’s why we don’t charge any money until after we’ve been able to get our clients the insurance settlement that they deserve. Contingency fees are also an endorsement that your lawyer is invested in your case. After all: if their payment is contingent on your settlement, they’re motivated to negotiate the highest possible settlement!
How much of my settlement will a lawyer cost?
This can vary a bit from law firm to law firm, but the exact percentage is usually fixed and doesn’t change depending on your case. The percentage that a lawyer claims after a settlement can range depending on the type of case being handled, but it is commonly somewhere around 1/3rd (33%) of the final settlement. As noted above, this can vary depending on which firm you hire and the type of injury case you have, so make sure to ask your lawyer beforehand if you have any questions or concerns.
While this number may seem high, it’s worth noting that any fees a lawyer might charge are almost always offset–and then some–by the increased settlement that they can negotiate for you. As personal injury victims hire a lawyer often see settlements that are multiple times higher than they otherwise would have been, clients of McDivitt who retain our services see a significantly increased payment even after contingency fees are applied.
For more than 40 years, McDivitt has been fighting for injured victims all across Colorado. With offices in Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, we work tirelessly to ensure that our clients get the settlements that they deserve. Our affordable Colorado personal injury lawyers know how to hold insurance companies accountable, and we’ll ensure that any injuries, pain and suffering, or missed work is properly covered. Contact us today to see how McDivitt makes a difference!
