Asking these 5 questions will help you understand what you stand to gain in a personal injury case.
Following a serious accident, you must decide whether or not you want to pursue compensation above and beyond the insurance company’s initial offer with help from a personal injury attorney. Understanding the costs and potential gains associated with this approach is obviously important. Here are 5 questions to ask your attorney to help you figure it out.
How Much is My Case Worth?
While there is no set formula for calculating the amount of compensation appropriate in any given personal injury case, your attorney can give you a reasonable idea of what to expect based on the nature and extent of your injuries, the size of your medical bills, the amount of your lost wages, and the strength of the evidence in your case.
Do You Work on Contingency?
In most cases, it is impractical to expect a seriously injured individual to have the financial ability to pay by the hour for the services of a personal injury attorney. So, the vast majority of personal injury attorneys—including Fernando D. Vargas—work on a contingency fee basis. This means that rather than charging an hourly rate for their services, they will take a percentage of your settlement as their fee—ONLY if they win your case. If they do not win you a settlement, you do not owe them anything.
What is the Contingency Fee Rate?
The typical contingency fee rate for a personal injury attorney is 33 percent of the settlement. However, the specific rate for your case may vary depending on the complexity of the legal matter and whether or not your case must be taken to court. Your personal injury attorney will be able to give you a specific figure upon request.
Who Pays for Litigation Costs?
Pursuing a personal injury claim—especially in litigation—can be costly. There are many necessary expenses involved in activities like requesting transcripts, copying documents, retaining expert witnesses, paying investigators, and preparing evidence. You should not have to pay for these costs up front. Instead, your personal injury attorney will cover these costs and only expect repayment after they win you a settlement.
Should I Settle Out of Court or Go to Trial?
In 90 percent of personal injury cases, the answer is settle. Negotiating a settlement is simply faster, easier, and less costly than going to trial. You will probably have to accept less compensation that you could have won in court had your case gone perfectly, but you will not incur court costs and you will not have to risk losing your case in court and receiving nothing.
Meet Attorney Vargas
If you have been seriously hurt in an accident due to someone else’s recklessness or negligence, you deserve compensation. Attorney Vargas can help you get it. Call us at 909-982-0707 now to schedule a free initial consultation with Attorney Vargas.
