Lawyers tend to get a bad rap for being costly. But what many people don’t know is that most injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. In other words, your lawyer doesn’t get paid until (and unless) you get paid. Some firms will charge clients for disbursements during a claim, others don’t. Wondering what disbursements are? Have questions about contingency fees? Or what happens if your lawyer loses a case? We’ll answer these questions, and more.  

How does a personal injury lawyer get paid?  

Nearly all personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means a few things. The first being that your lawyer does not get paid until your claim is settled. It also means that personal injury lawyers typically get paid based on a percentage that comes out of the settlement amount. So essentially, we don’t get paid until you get paid. At Litco Law, you will never have to pay out-of-pocket for any legal fees while you have an ongoing injury claim. 

Are there any costs that a client can expect? 

Throughout an injury claim, there are expenses for things like court filing fees and police reports. In the legal world, these costs are known as disbursements. At Litco Law, we’ll cover these costs during your claim and those expenses will typically be covered by the other party’s insurance and reimbursed at the end. And if we aren’t able to recover compensation (money) for you, then you don’t owe us anything. A few examples of standard disbursements for an injury claim include: 

• Court filing fees
• Service of documents
• Police reports
• Demographic search 
• Medical chart and reports
• Printing & faxes
• Postage & couriers

Be sure to ask your lawyer if they cover the cost of disbursements during a claim, as some firms will charge the client for these expenses.  

How do lawyers get paid if they lose a case? 

If we’re not successful in obtaining compensation for a client, we don’t get paid for that case. While some lawyers will charge for disbursements in this scenario, we’ll absorb that cost. And if we don’t you don’t get any money out of your claim, you won’t owe us anything.  

At Litco Law, we want to be the type of lawyers you’ll love. And that starts with being completely transparent about our pricing. It’s why we have a pricing page on our website, and it’s why you will always know exactly what to expect before you hire us. Have questions? Contact us today to speak to a member of our legal team.