If you were injured in a car accident in Maryland because of someone else’s negligent or reckless driving, you deserve to seek justice through a personal injury lawsuit. However, you may be concerned with the cost of obtaining effective legal representation to help you with your case.
Most Maryland car accident lawyers work on a contingency fee structure. Contingency fee arrangements allow you to pay legal fees directly out of your resolution.
This means that you can likely defer the majority of the legal fees you owe until you win money through settlement or verdict. The contingency fee is a direct percentage of your compensation, so you will never end up owing more money than you win, and if you lose, you owe nothing.
If contingency fees don’t work for you, there are other options available, so be sure to speak with your Towson car accident lawyer if you have questions.
At Rice, Murtha & Psoras, we tailor each of our representation agreements to meet the client’s needs so that you won’t be discouraged from pursuing the damages you deserve after suffering an injury in a car accident.
Call us today for free to hear more about our payment options. We can be reached at our offices at (410) 694-7291.
How Much Do Car Accident Lawyers Cost in Maryland?
Generally, the cost of a Maryland car accident lawyer will depend on how much your case is worth. This is because most Maryland car accident injury lawyers offer to work on a contingency fee structure.
When lawyers offer contingency fee arrangements, they are saying that they will represent their client in exchange for a percentage of the ultimate resolution, which could either be a settlement or a court verdict.
Contingency fees exist so that potential plaintiffs who don’t have the available funds to pay for legal help can put off their payment until after they have won the compensation from their case. They also reward the attorney for doing a better job for their client.
How Are Contingency Fees Determined in Maryland Car Accident Cases?
When you hire a Maryland car accident injury attorney to work on contingency, your representation agreement will typically contain a flat percentage number that represents the contingency available to the attorney. This number may change based on the nature or complexity of the case.
Some cases may slide the percentage depending on how far along the case gets before it is resolved. For instance, your agreement may contain a provision that says that the attorney’s contingency fee will be 25% if the case settles before the lawsuit is filed, 30% if the case settles before the trial begins, and 40% if the case goes to trial.
This sliding scale is representative of the amount of work required at each stage by the attorney. You should also know that most plaintiffs who pursue their cases into the filing and trial stages end up receiving substantially higher settlement offers. Speak to your Maryland car accident attorney about the prospects for your case.
Possible Additional Costs for Car Accident Lawyers in Maryland
You should also be aware that there may be certain one-time charges for particular expenses associated with your case. Depending on your representation agreement, you may be responsible for expenses such as filing fees, expert witness fees, production of physical documentation, or others. Typically, the cost of these separate expenses is nominal compared to what you are expected to receive in your lawsuit.
What Happens if You Lose Your Car Accident Lawsuit in Maryland?
If your case gets all the way through trial to a verdict and you ultimately lose your case, the contingency fee structure still applies. This means you owe your lawyer nothing. That’s yet another reason why your lawyer will be motivated to do everything in their power to get you compensated.
Other Legal Fee Structures in Maryland
For car accident injury lawyers in Maryland, contingency fees are the most common structure used. There are other options available, however. Some lawyers will charge hourly fees based on their time working on their client’s case.
If your lawyer is billing hourly, they will send you summaries of the time allotted to your case and how it was used. Other lawyers may opt for flat fees.
A flat fee is exactly what it sounds like: a specific amount of money charged for a specific task. Flat fees are most common when the amount of work required for a case is predictable, which is rarely the case in a car accident lawsuit.
Not every lawyer will elect to use one of the fee structures exclusively. Many lawyers may opt to agree to a hybrid form of payment that combines hourly charges with a reduced contingency fee.
Call our Baltimore car accident attorneys today for a free consultation to hear more about creative payment structures that serve your needs best.
Do You Have to Pay for “Free Consultations” if You Don’t File a Case?
If you aren’t sure whether you have a valid personal injury lawsuit in Maryland after a car accident, our attorneys can offer you a free initial consultation on your legal options for recovery.
If you realize you don’t have a valid claim after speaking with us, you won’t owe us anything. We urge you to schedule your risk-free initial consultation with Rice, Murtha & Psoras today.
Talk to Us for Free About Your Potential Maryland Car Accident Lawsuit
Do you still have questions about the legal costs associated with filing and winning your case? You can call Rice, Murtha & Psoras today for a free consultation with one of our respected Ocean City car accident attorneys. You don’t have anything to lose. Call today at (410) 694-7291.