reports@rankings.io | August 16, 2024

How Much Does a Lawyer Cost for a Car Accident?
Two toy cars, a gavel, and rolled-up cash on a wooden surface, representing car accident legal fees.

While some might suspect they have to pay a car accident lawyer out of their pocket, this isn’t the case. Your St. Petersburg car accident lawyer will not receive a single cent directly from you. Your attorney will receive their fee as a percentage of any settlement they negotiate or verdict they win for you.

The percentage your lawyer is entitled to will depend on the specific law firm you hire. However, ethical rules require that an attorney charge a “reasonable” fee, so their percentage will not leave you destitute and without any compensation.

Considering the many services a car accident lawyer provides (and the many benefits of hiring a lawyer), this arrangement is more than reasonable for most car accident victims.

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Table of Contents

How a Car Accident Lawyer’s Contingency Fee Works

Contingency fees work well, which is why so many car accident attorneys use them. Still, you deserve to know exactly how these fees work, as this client-friendly fee structure may be one of the most vital reasons for you to hire an attorney.

When a car accident lawyer offers you a contingency fee structure, it means that:

  • Your financial status is of no consequence when seeking a lawyer: Unfortunately, countless car accident victims go without effective representation each year. Many of them assume that a lawyer will be expensive, so they don’t even reach out to local law firms. Thanks to contingency fees, anyone can afford to hire an attorney after a car accident—even if you face great financial pressure or uncertainty. 
  • You won’t face added financial pressure because you hire an attorney: Car accidents often cost several thousand dollars, if not tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars (or even more). Though a car accident attorney will fully intend to get compensation for your damages, you don’t need any added financial stress. Because you don’t have to pay a lawyer out of your pocket, getting legal help won’t add to current financial pressures.
  • Your law firm will pay the cost of completing your case: Your attorney’s firm will pay for expert fees, filing fees, transportation costs, and all other expenses related to your case. 
  • Your lawyer takes the financial risk (so you don’t have to): As you can see, your lawyer makes the upfront investment in your case. If your attorney succeeds in negotiating a settlement or winning a verdict, they will receive their fee. If they don’t, it’s your lawyer who suffers the financial loss.

A contingency fee arrangement takes the financial burden of your case off your shoulders and places it in your attorney’s hands. An effective lawyer will gladly accept this risk because they fully intend to secure the compensation you deserve.

Why Contingency Fees Are Often Just What Car Accident Victims Need 

Having a law firm pay for case-related expenses is music to many car accident victims’ ears. A contingency fee agreement may provide the relief you need because:

  • You may be facing medical bills, vehicle repair costs, and other immediate expenses resulting from your car accident.
  • You may be unable to work indefinitely, which will likely add to your financial concerns.
  • The cost of building a solid insurance claim or lawsuit is high, and you might be unable to pay the cost without a law firm’s help.

Even if you can afford to build your own claim or lawsuit, you might only be able to cobble together a bare-bones effort. A car accident lawyer will have a great incentive to win because they won’t receive pay if they don’t. Therefore, expect your lawyer to spare no expense, hire experts, and compose the strongest case they can.

Services You Receive When You Sign a Lawyer Through a Contingency Fee

Once you agree to provide a lawyer a fee on contingency, they will immediately begin working to secure your financial recovery. You receive a wide range of critical and elective services from your car accident lawyer, which includes:

Oversight of the Insurance Claims Process

Filing one or more insurance claims is often the first step after a car accident. Most accident victims are eventually able to receive a fair settlement, usually because a lawyer negotiated effectively on their behalf.

Your lawyer will lead the insurance process for you, working to secure a settlement as soon as possible. Your attorney will:

  • Maintain contact with insurance companies to ensure they receive your claim and advance the claims process on time
  • Help write any statements you need to provide to insurance companies
  • Provide insurers with all relevant information about your injuries and losses
  • Be the point of contact if insurance companies need anything from you

You may be struggling with physical injuries, general stress, and acute conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder. Allow your lawyer to represent you in the claims process, which will spare you more time to focus on recovery.

Strategy and Advice

A toy car, handcuffs, and a gavel on top of money, symbolizing legal costs and consequences of car accidents.

Your lawyer will make a personalized plan based on your unique needs and circumstances. This case strategy may include:

  • Filing insurance claims with an at-fault party’s insurance company and your auto insurance provider
  • Suing the person who caused your car accident
  • Suing parties who did not directly caused your accident but who have liability for the collision (such as an employer whose employee caused the accident)

Your attorney will lend you their experience and transparent opinion as your case progresses. It includes when insurers or other parties extend settlement offers, as your lawyer will help determine if those offers are fair.

Evidence-Gathering

Securing evidence is a lawyer’s most critical duty in a car accident case. Some types of evidence that can contribute to the success of your claim and lawsuit include eyewitness testimony, video of the accident, photographs of vehicular damage, an expert’s reconstruction of the accident, and a police report.

Documentation of Your Damages

Your lawyer must prove two primary points when leading your case:

  1. That someone else caused your accident
  2. That you have suffered identifiable harm because of the accident

In proving the second point, your lawyer may use:

  • Expert testimony (including from doctors, mental health professionals, economists, and others who can substantiate your damages)
  • All images of your injuries, including photographs, X-rays, MRIs, brain scans, and other medical images
  • Your doctor’s written evaluation of your injuries and symptoms
  • Medical bills for all post-accident care
  • Bank statements showing your pre-accident income, which can show a drop-off in earnings because of your injuries
  • Bills for vehicle repairs and temporary transportation

Your attorney will ensure you see all professionals who need to see you. For example, they may arrange for you to see a mental health professional who can diagnose PTSD, depression, and all other pain and suffering you’ve suffered because of your car accident.

Expert Services

Hiring a lawyer also affords you the cost of any experts they hire for your case. Some types of experts who may be a boon for your claim or lawsuit include:

  • Doctors: Medical professionals can explain the type and severity of your injuries and symptoms and their financial implications. Insurance companies and other liable parties may demand official medical diagnoses before they agree to pay for medical services and other injury-related losses.
  • Crash experts: Engineers, regulators, and others may help prove who is at fault for your car accidents. They may reconstruct the collision, testify that your injuries are consistent with the accident you were involved in, and contribute to your case in other valuable ways. 
  • Mental health professionals: Pain and suffering is a significant feature of many car accident cases. These damages can be controversial, as most pain and suffering symptoms cannot be seen. For this reason, having diagnoses and other relevant testimony from mental health professionals may be immensely important. 
  • Economists: In long-term injury cases, calculating professional damages can be complicated. An economist may help your lawyer account for the cost of lost income, lost promotion opportunities, and other professional harm from car accidents.

Once again, note that your law firm will cover such expert services. They can cover their out-of-pocket expert fees by winning as much compensation for you as possible (and earning themselves a substantial fee in the process).

Negotiation

Most car accident cases end not with a jury rendering a verdict but with a settlement. For this reason, you should seek a lawyer who has proven to be an effective negotiator.

An attorney can negotiate a settlement:

  • With a third party’s insurance company
  • With your insurance company
  • With a lawyer representing at-fault parties
  • With at-fault parties who are representing themselves

Your car accident lawyer can reach a settlement agreement before and after filing a lawsuit and even after taking your case to trial. The critical determination in whether your lawyer will secure a settlement for you is whether liable parties meet their settlement demands.

A lawyer signing a contract with a gavel and toy cars on the desk, illustrating legal representation for car accidents.

Your lawyer will be responsible for these critical steps if your case requires a lawsuit or trial. Lawyers know how to draft and file lawsuits accurately and promptly and how to serve notice to defendants named in a lawsuit.

Many defendants refuse to offer a fair settlement at first. Once your lawyer serves notice that they’ve started the legal process, the defendants may be more willing to negotiate in good faith. Trial is lengthy and costly for all parties (though it has its time and place), so all sides should be motivated to reach a fair settlement agreement.

Your Attorney Will Thwart All Bad-Faith Insurance Tactics

Ideally, your lawyer will build a compelling case and efficiently negotiate a fair settlement. Unfortunately, car accident cases are rarely easy, so you’ll have a proven car accident lawyer leading yours.

One particular type of headache your lawyer will spare you is bad-faith tactics by insurance companies, which often include:

  • Assigning your fault for the car accident: An insurance company may blame you for your car accident, especially if the fault is not cut and dry. Your attorney will gather all relevant evidence from the collision, and that evidence will show that someone else—not you—caused the accident.
  • Denying your claim: One or more insurance companies may refuse to pay you. This refusal may come in the form of a claim denial. Your lawyer will identify the stated reason for denying your claim and appeal. Providing certain evidence or documentation of your losses can produce a successful appeal.
  • Lowballing you during settlement negotiations: Insurance companies sometimes capitalize on car accident victims’ financial desperation and inexperience. Do not be surprised if one or more insurers offer compensation quickly after the accident. Also, don’t be surprised if the offers are of far lesser value than you deserve. Your attorney will notify you of lowball offers and continue negotiating for a better deal.

These are just some bad-faith tactics lawyers regularly encounter from insurance companies. Your case will have countless other challenges, and your lawyer will handle them in stride.

Your Lawyer Also Provides You with Freedom and Safety

Hiring a lawyer provides you with high-value legal services. Your decision to work with a St. Petersburg car accident lawyer will also offer other benefits that you may find just as valuable, which include:

  • The freedom to focus on your physical and psychological recovery
  • Total protection from anyone who wants to violate your rights or harm your case
  • Peace of mind knowing that your lawyer is responsible for your case

You cannot put a price on these benefits—aside from your lawyer’s contingency fee.

Damages Common to Car Accident Cases

Your car accident lawyer will seek fair compensation for all damages stemming from your collision, including:

  • Vehicle repairs
  • Lost income
  • Lost earning power
  • Pain and suffering
  • The cost of mental health treatment
  • Medical expenses

Lawyers leave no damage unaccounted for when representing car accident victims. Find your lawyer today, and let them begin fighting for you.

Consult a Car Accident Attorney as Soon as Possible

You pay nothing to meet with a St. Petersburg car accident lawyer, tell them your story, and allow them to evaluate your options. Time is short, so there is no reason to wait to schedule your free consultation with a law firm near you.