Personal Injury Lawyers in Vermont typically work on a contingency basis, which means their clients do not pay legal fees until a settlement or court award is received. The contingency fee is a specific percentage of the amount the client receives. That percentage is specified in the contract the client signs when hiring the lawyer. Clients normally can expect to pay one-third of their compensation to the attorney. This arrangement has a few important points to consider.
It’s Easier to Hire a Lawyer
One is that people have an easier time of hiring Personal Injury Lawyers in Vermont since they don’t have to pay money upfront for a retainer fee. They don’t have to pay hourly charges or a set monthly bill. Many people who have been seriously injured in an accident would find this too difficult, especially since they may be unable to work for a long period.
Expecting a Positive Outcome
Second, personal injury attorneys generally only accept cases they are pretty sure will have a positive outcome for the client. If the lawyer is unable to effectively negotiate a reasonable settlement or win a court award for the client at trial, the attorney does not get paid. Attorneys do not want to invest time and effort without receiving their legal fees when the case wraps up.
Crunching the Numbers
Third, the expected compensation must be worth the client paying one-third of that amount to the attorney. If an insurance company or commercial organization offers a $10,000 settlement and the client wants $15,000, hiring a lawyer is an ineffective solution because of the contingency fee.
However, if the company is only offering $5,000 and the injured person deserves ten times that amount, professional legal representation makes sense. In some instances, though, the low amount the insurer offers is reasonable because the injured person was largely to blame for what happened.
An experienced attorney with a firm like McVeigh Skiff LLP knows how to evaluate a case and determine how much the injured person should receive. The lawyer understands the strengths and weaknesses of each case and can decide whether providing service to an individual will be beneficial for acquiring a better settlement.
