How to Pay for a Lawyer With No Money
After any type of serious accident, money often quickly becomes a critical consideration.
You have medical bills to pay. Your other bills keep piling up. Worse, you may lose your source of income while you recover, since many injuries can prevent you from taking on your usual job responsibilities.
You may know that you need a personal injury attorney to help you navigate your claim and receive compensation for the injuries you received due to someone else’s negligence, but how can you afford a lawyer when you have mounting expenses and no income? The good news: personal injury lawyers understand the financial pain you may have to face in addition to your financial losses following a serious injury, and they want to help you obtain the maximum compensation for those injuries without placing a further financial burden on your shoulders.
Start With a Free Consultation
Most personal injury lawyers will allow you to start with a free consultation: an opportunity to sit down with a lawyer, go over the details of your claim, and learn more about your right to compensation following a serious accident.
A free consultation can offer you claim-changing information about how much compensation you need to cover the full cost of your injuries and how to pursue that compensation. Many people don’t know the true value of their case or what parties may share liability for the accident. As a result, injured individuals may end up inadvertently accepting a settlement offer that falls well short of the compensation for which they qualify, and that could limit their financial freedom in the future.
During a free consultation, on the other hand, you can learn a lot about your rights. Does your
traumatic brain injury prevent you from working—or even have the potential to permanently impact your ability to work in your industry? Your attorney can provide more information about your rights, including how you can claim lost earning potential due to your injuries.
Did you suffer a
spinal cord injury that may leave you permanently paralyzed? An attorney can calculate your ongoing medical costs and help you decide whether or when to move forward with your personal injury claim to recover those losses.
Work With an Attorney on a Contingent Fee Basis
Personal injury lawyers know the financial stress that can come along with a personal injury claim, especially if you sustained severe injuries that will require ongoing medical care. These attorneys understand that you may not have the money upfront to retain legal counsel. As a result, personal injury lawyers often work on a system designed to help maximize your ability to seek the legal aid you need without causing even more financial distress during an already difficult time.
Instead of paying upfront for legal services, or paying as your case progresses, you can hire a lawyer on a
contingent fee basis. A lawyer who works on a contingent fee basis will not charge you for services upfront. Instead, your lawyer will receive compensation as a percentage of the damages you recover during your personal injury claim. You will not have to worry about paying your lawyer unless you win. For many victims of severe injuries who have the right to move forward with a personal injury claim, hiring a lawyer on a
contingent fee basis serves as the best way to make legal assistance realistic and affordable.
What Happens if You Don’t Win?
Most of the time, an attorney will determine during your free consultation your odds of winning your claim. Some claims prove much more complex than others: cases of disputed liability, for example. For a lawyer to accept you as a client on a contingent fee basis, typically, the lawyer will evaluate whether he or she feels that you have a good chance of recovering significant compensation. If the lawyer does not feel that you can recover reasonable compensation for your injuries, he or she may choose not to take on your claim.
However, in some cases, the lawyer may inaccurately assess his likelihood of winning significant compensation as part of your claim. Now what?
The contract you sign with your lawyer will lay out the terms under which you must issue payment even if you do not win your claim. Many lawyers, however, will not require payment unless you win—which makes affording legal assistance realistic and practical for anyone who needs to move forward with a personal injury claim.
Can You Afford Not To Have a Lawyer?
You know that you need to file a
personal injury claim. You understand that a lawyer can significantly improve your odds of recovering maximum compensation. However, you may have a hard time justifying the cost.
Before you decide to forego legal aid, however, consider this one key question: Can you afford not to have a lawyer to assist you with your claim?
Many clients find that having a lawyer on their side significantly increases the compensation they ultimately receive for their injuries, even after paying all legal fees. A lawyer can help go over all the compensation you may qualify to pursue, including elements you might not previously have considered, to offer you more comprehensive advice about how much you should expect when the insurance company issues a settlement offer.
Many insurance companies will even offer
better compensation when they know you have an attorney on your side. Failure to work with an attorney, on the other hand, can leave you struggling to get the compensation you deserve. You may accept a too-low settlement offer or end up waiting longer for a resolution to your claim.
Do you need to hire a lawyer, but worry about how you will afford the cost? A free consultation can help you learn more about your options for paying for legal services.
Contact an experienced personal injury attorney today.
