If you have been involved in an automobile accident with a pizza delivery driver, and somebody else is to blame, you’ll be looking for a plaintiff’s pizza delivery injury attorney. We all know attorneys are expensive, but just how much will you need to pay?
Most pizza delivery accident lawyers charge clients in a relatively unique method– as opposed to the hourly fee that numerous law firms charge in other types of cases. The typical pizza delivery accident attorney will charge a “contingency fee” to take an injury case.
A contingency fee indicates that the law firm will not get paid any attorney’s fees unless you recover money in your case. The lawyer or law firm will earn a portion of cash gotten from any insurance coverage settlement or jury verdict.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how contingency fees work and what you can anticipate if you choose to work with a pizza delivery injury attorney to manage your car mishap case.
The Contingency Percentage
The percentage that a pizza delivery injury attorney can get in a contingency fee contract differs from one state to another. The contingency percentage fee generally ranges from 25 to 40 percent, and 33.33 percent (or one-third) is typically the standard. If your attorney’s contingency fee is 33.33% and you recover $90,000 in your car mishap case, your lawyer will get $30,000.
The contingency percentage fee in some states varies based on your case and the amount of money you recover on your case.
A contingency fee might depend upon whether or not the perpetrator (offender) in your case has responded or answered your legal complaint in court yet.
If the case settles before there is an answer to your complaint in court, the permitted percentage is typically lower.
However, if settlement happens after the defendant serves a formal answer to your complaint or if the case proceeds to trial and a jury decision is reached, the enabled percentage might increase.
As an example, suppose you sent out a demand letter to the defendant in your case and you quickly reached a settlement agreement for $90,000. In this circumstance, the lawyer would get $30,000 (33%).
Nevertheless, suppose that the case rather ended in a jury verdict of $90,000 and your state permits an attorney to get 40% of a recovery after the problem is responded to. In this situation, the lawyer can recuperate $36,000.
It is extremely vital to talk to your attorney about the contingency fee and to carefully review the contract. If you do not understand the contract mentioned in the agreement, ask your lawyer to explain it to you.
Also, much like everything in a contract, the fee is negotiable. If yours is a “cut and dry” case– liability and damages are clear, the offender is well guaranteed or has “deep pockets”, and there’s a lot of proof supporting your claims– you’ll definitely negotiate a lower contingency percentage. You do not need to give up a third of your payment simply because you need the leverage of “lawyering up.”
Charges and Costs
Depending on the legal representative and your contract for legal services, you might or might not be accountable for upfront court charges and other lawsuit expenditures.
These costs and expenses include:
- Court filing costs
- Cost of serving summonses and subpoenas
- Costs of acquiring medical records and police reports
- Court reporter costs, and
- Professional witness charges
A lot of personal injury law firms need the clients to pay the above-mentioned fees as they become due. If your agreement states that you are responsible for these expenses, you can expect a personal injury law firm to call you and look for payment as the charges end up being due. If you’ll not pay these fees, your case will likely not proceed till there’s a payment.
Other personal injury law firms (usually large firms), will cover all fees and expenses. Nevertheless, the costs and expenses will be deducted from your settlement or final judgment.
Let’s say that you settled your automobile accident case for $100,000. This time, your contract mentioned that costs and expenses would be subtracted from the settlement. Your attorney sustained $10,000 in costs and expenditures. In this situation, your attorney would receive $10,000 as compensation for the prices and expenditures, and $30,000 for legal services. You would wind up getting $60,000 as a final recovery ($ 100,000– $10,000– $30,000 = $60,000).
Make sure that your attorney takes their fee out of the “net settlement”– that is, the amount left after case expenditures are deducted. This arrangement is typical.
Nevertheless, some personal injury law firms may try to increase their pay by taking their money out initially. Let them know that you won’t accept that, and if it ends up being a deal-breaker, it’s most likely best to find another lawyer.
Other Fee Arrangements
Not all cases will include a pure contingency fee plan. Lawyers might collect a preliminary retainer to begin your case and likewise collect a contingency fee at the end of your case.
Nevertheless, if you recuperate money in your case, the amount already paid to the lawyer should be subtracted from the percentage that is due to the attorney at the end of the case.
For example, if you paid $2,000 to the lawyer as a retainer and recuperate $90,000 during a settlement, the lawyer will receive $28,000 from the settlement ($30,000-$2,000 = $28,000).
The majority of pizza delivery mishap cases will not include a flat fee payment for legal services. Flat fee payments are generally reserved for less-complex cases. A firm may charge a flat fee where the representation is restricted to drafting and responding to a demand letter. Under those circumstances, the charge might range from $300 to $1,000.
Is a Pizza Delivery Injury Lawyer Worth The Cost?
The basic rule is this: The more serious the injuries, the greater the value of working with a legal representative. If you remained in a minor fender bender with little or no injury, you can most likely work out an acceptable settlement yourself. You would be doing yourself a disservice to pay a lawyer a third of a simple– and almost ensured– settlement.
Contact Joe I. Zaid & Associates pizza delivery injury attorneys to help you recover the settlement you deserve. Call us today at (281) 990-5200, fill out our free consultation form, or message us via live chat for any concerns on your case.