Being injured at the hands of another person is enough to make you crazy, but if you can’t afford a lawyer to help you obtain the compensation you deserve, it might be more frustrating than before. Luckily, there are options most individuals have for affording legal representation. The following are some things to speak with your lawyer about after sustaining a personal injury.
Contingency Fees
Many personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. The lawyer won’t take the case if he or she feels you’ll lose because the attorney fees come out of your settlement. You have to take a close look at how much your lawyer feels you could acquire in a settlement to see if it’s worth the fight. The exact fee you’ll pay will be determined by the amount you settle on, with many ranging around 33%, give or take a bit. With 33% as the example, if your settlement ended up at $100,000, your lawyer would take $33,000 before you were able to use the rest for medical bills, lost wages and other expenses.
Pro Bono Work
There are some attorneys who are required by their firm to take a certain amount of pro bono cases each year. There are others who choose to do pro bono work simply because they enjoy giving back to the communities they live and work in. In any case, whether it’s required or voluntary, you may be able to get a lawyer willing to take your case for free.
There may be certain requirements you have to meet, such as being at a certain income level, but if those are met, you could qualify. There’s a chance you could have to pay some of the filing fees and other expenses, but there are also legal aid societies that step in to help with those costs for individuals receiving pro bono help, so that’s something to look into as well.
Payment Plans
If a lawyer won’t take your case on a contingency fee basis, and you can’t find someone who is looking for a pro bono case, you might have to try to make a deal with a qualified attorney. Look into a payment plan to see what your attorney has to offer. If you can’t afford the full amount up front, he or she may do a certain amount of work for a certain fee, then require another fee at a certain point in the process. This allows you to work your way to the end, little by little.
Getting Answers from Your Attorney
If you’re wondering how you can afford an attorney, perhaps the best place to get answers is your attorney’s office.