Attorney’s Fees for Car Accident Claims in North Carolina
If you are planning on hiring a personal injury lawyer, it is important to ensure that you understand exactly how much of your injury settlement the lawyer will receive. One of the most common and significant complaints clients make is that they did not know or understand that the lawyer would be receiving a one-third or one-fourth share of the gross recovery. While this may seem like a simple mistake, not knowing or understanding exactly how much of your injury settlement a personal injury lawyer will take means that you may not make informed and educated decisions about the gross settlement amount. By understanding exactly how attorney’s fees are calculated you can avoid being the unfortunate client that says, “I should have waited to settle” or “I wish I had taken my case to trial.” Whether you are hiring a Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, or Charlotte personal injury lawyer, please ensure that you speak to the lawyer about how attorney’s fees are calculated before you sign the retainer agreement and ask for specific examples in writing. Additionally, if and when your personal injury claim received an offer from the insurance company, please be sure to ask your lawyer how much of the settlement would be going to attorney’s fees. Do not allow the attorney to “get back to you with those numbers,” but stay vigilant and ensure that you settle your personal injury claim knowing exactly where your money is heading.
How the calculator works
Enter the expected gross recovery, the contingency fee percentage from your retainer agreement, and the case costs and medical liens that will be paid from the settlement. The calculator subtracts the attorney’s fee and those deductions and shows the amount left for you. A lien or bill you leave out is still paid from your share, so the real number can be substantially lower.
Questions to ask before you sign a retainer
- Is the percentage calculated on the gross recovery or after costs? The order changes what you receive.
- Does the percentage go up if the case is filed or tried? Many agreements step from one third to forty percent at filing.
- Which costs come out of my share? Filing fees, records, expert witnesses, and mediation are common.
- Who negotiates the liens, and does that work cost extra? At Wallace Pierce Law it does not.
Want a real number instead of an estimate? Call (919) 313-2737 or contact us online. Free, confidential, no fee until we win your case.
