How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Tampa Personal Injury Attorney?
September 16, 2019 | Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers | Personal Injury
A personal injury lawyer can be the difference between a fair compensation payout and a minimized settlement that doesn’t cover your medical bills. Most attorneys will rely on a contingency-fee arrangement which gives most people access to proper legal representation.
Not only does this improve access to legal representation, but it also ensures that lawyers are pulling their weight for every case.
Too often, people don’t approach personal injury lawyers in Tampa, FL because they are afraid that it will be one more cost to worry about during your recovery.
Misconception on Attorney Expenses
The common misconception is that lawyers are expensive and that hiring a lawyer comes with an upfront fee. Personal injury lawyers hardly ever work hourly or take retainers. Most won’t take any payment at all if you don’t win your case.
Working against the misconception that lawyers are expensive has proven difficult. Where does this wrong idea start? Insurance companies.
Insurance companies don’t want you to employ a lawyer because they want you to feel compelled to accept a minimalized settlement offer. So, they tell their customers frequently that hiring a lawyer will be one more expense to associate with your injury. They’ll also convey that it’s not something most people are financially capable of handling.
With statements such as, “Are you sure you could afford that?” and “Will the financial impact of hiring a lawyer impact your family?” People often feel the emotional sting of these questions and choose not to hire a lawyer because they incorrectly have been led to believe that they can’t afford it.
Affordable Legal Representation
So, what is affordable? When attorneys work on a contingency-fee, it keeps the cost at a percentage rather than a flat or hourly fee. It can be hard to understand what that percentage has in store for you at the beginning of the contract, but as you see the work that comes with a case, you’ll see that whatever the final number figures out to be, it was worth it.
Personal injury lawyers work very differently from family or criminal defense attorneys because of the surrounding circumstances. A personal injury did not come as a planned expense. Although divorces and criminal charges weren’t planned, there are alternatives available for those situations.
For people in personal injury cases, the option is to seek legal help, or risk being insignificant medical debt and without compensation for other harm such as property damages.
Working on a Contingency Fee
To explain a contingency fee, you need examples. Lawyers work on a fee, which is a percentage of what you will receive in compensation.
Here are a few possible and common contingency fee situations:
- The victim was awarded $100,000, the lawyer received $33,000 as their 33% contingency fee.
- The victim was awarded $100,000. The lawyer received $40,000 as the 40% contingency fee for taking the case to trial.
- The victim received no award; the lawyer received no payment.
The contingency fee ensures that the lawyer involved only receives payment for successful cases. This keeps attorneys on their toes and ensures that they put in a fair amount of work into each case.
Ultimately this payment structure allows people to find the best attorney for them, and then take the payment for that legal representation out of their award.
What Happens to Your Award?
After a successful case, you would receive an award as compensation either through a settlement or a trial, your award will go to the law office that handled your case. That law office will use your award to address any medical liens and outstanding expenses such as the fees for requesting your medical records.
Then your lawyer will take their fee. After your lawyer takes their fee, they will disburse the remaining funds to you with a breakdown of where the rest of your award went to for payments.
Reach Out to a Tampa, FL Personal Injury Attorney
At the law offices of Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, you can get the guidance you need. From auto accidents to dog bites, our lawyers help injured victims pursue the compensation necessary for a full recovery.
We understand that you need access to quality legal representation that is affordable as well. With the availability of a contingency-fee agreement, we can provide you with representation and resources that you may not have thought were available.
The financial stress and struggle of making a full recovery can weigh heavily on those who recently took on an unexpected injury. Get legal help now, call Winters and Yonker for a consultation.
For more information, please contact Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Tampa today. We have five convenient locations in Florida, including Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, and Lakeland.
We proudly serve Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Pasco County, Polk County, and its surrounding areas:
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Tampa Office
601 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 223-6200
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
600 Bypass Dr Suite 224-D, Clearwater, FL 33764
(727) 493-4418
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – St. Petersburg Office
111 2nd Ave NE Suite 350, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 314-5988
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – New Port Richey Office
5006 Trouble Creek Rd Unit #200, Port Richey, FL 34652
(727) 910-5060
Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Lakeland Office
1543 Lakeland Hills Blvd Suite 18, Lakeland, FL 33805
(863) 251-6196
