Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers | August 14, 2024 | Personal Injury
If you are involved in a car accident or a slip and fall injury in Ohio, you will likely be facing large medical bills after the accident. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your injury, you may have the right to get compensation from another party by filing a lawsuit.
Filing a lawsuit in Sandusky isn’t easy, though. To have the best chance of success, you will want to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer.
You may feel hesitant to hire a lawyer because you are concerned about how much a lawyer’s services will cost. However, you might be surprised to find that personal injury lawyers don’t charge fees in the same way that many other types of lawyers do. Here’s what you need to know about how much a personal injury lawyer costs in Ohio.
Personal Injury Lawyer Fees Vs. Criminal Defense Lawyer Fees
When you think about attorney’s fees, you probably think of lawyers charging hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars per hour. This is a partial misconception. Criminal defense lawyers typically charge by the hour. Thus, if you received a DUI and needed a lawyer to defend you in court, you would probably pay by the hour.
However, personal injury attorneys in Sandusky generally charge a contingency fee instead of an hourly fee. This is different from an hourly fee in two significant ways.
First, the term “contingency” means that your lawyer will only charge you a fee if they successfully get you money. Effectively, when a personal injury attorney takes your case, they are counting on their ability to successfully obtain money for you. If they fail, they spend their time working on your case but get nothing in return.
Second, lawyers who receive a contingency fee are not paid by the hour. Instead, they receive a percentage of the money that they get for you at the end of the case. This approach encourages your lawyer to get you as much money as possible because the more money you receive, the more money they receive as well.
The Average Contingency Fee
Many personal injury lawyers charge a contingency fee that is between 25% and 40%. It is common for a personal injury attorney to charge 33.3% if the case is resolved via settlement before a lawsuit is filed and 40% after a lawsuit has been filed, regardless of how it is resolved. Your attorney will disclose their fee structure before you agree to hire them.
Other Fees
Attorneys can charge additional fees beyond a contingency fee. This means that your lawyer will also charge you for any expenses that they incur during your case. Common expenses are court fees and the cost of hiring a medical expert. In general, there are few expenses to account for when a case ends before a lawsuit is filed.
Just as with the contingency fee, your lawyer will disclose any additional fees before you hire them and when they will apply. Some attorneys, for example, won’t charge additional fees if they fail to get you money.
Other lawyers may only charge you filing fees if you refuse a settlement offer. Every attorney has different policies, and it is worth your time to compare and contrast before making a choice.
Ohio Regulations
Both the Ohio Bar and the Ohio Legislature place limitations on how lawyers charge fees. According to the Ohio Bar, attorneys must avoid any form of fraud or deceit and may not charge clearly excessive fees.
The Ohio Bar does not define “clearly excessive,” but it does list factors that can be used to determine this standard, including:
- How long the lawyer spent on the case
- The difficulty of any legal issues in the case
- Common fees in the area
- The experience of the lawyer
- The reputation of the lawyer
- Any potential results of the case
The Ohio Legislature places additional restrictions on attorneys who charge a contingency fee. According to the Ohio Legislature, the fee structure must be communicated to the client before or within a reasonable time after commencing representation. Furthermore, a contingent fee agreement must be signed by both parties to be legal.
Perhaps the most notable difference between the Ohio Bar guidelines and the Ohio Legislature guidelines is a change in wording. The Ohio Bar refers to “unreasonable fees,” while the legislature calls the same situation “illegal fees.” By making these types of fees illegal, the government can apply criminal penalties to a lawyer who violates them.
How Much Your Personal Injury Lawyer Will Cost for Your Case
How much you will pay a personal injury lawyer for your particular case in Sandusky depends primarily on how seriously you were injured and whether there is strong evidence that another party was responsible.
A potential personal injury attorney choice will typically provide you with an estimate after an initial consultation, taking into account the circumstances of your injury and the severity of it. Experienced lawyers can accurately determine this value, which means that you will have an estimate of how much money you may receive as well as how much your attorney will be paid.
Several factors can result in substantial differences between attorneys. A key difference is how high of a contingency fee percentage a lawyer charges. But, you will want to consider more factors than the contingency fee percentage when deciding whether to hire a lawyer.
A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Represent You on a Contingency Fee Basis
The most important point of a contingency fee is that the attorney only charges you a fee if they get you money. With this fee structure, you can end up with more money than you began with, even after taking contingency fees into account.
While the fee structure of a potential choice for your personal injury attorney is important, it’s also essential to consider other factors like reputation, experience, and communication style. By taking this approach, you can ensure you choose the best lawyer for your unique case.
Contact a Sandusky Personal Injury Lawyer at Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, contact the Ohio Personal Injury law firm of Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation.
We have five convenient locations in Ohio: Sandusky, Mansfield, Port Clinton, Vermilion, and Norwalk.
Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers – Sandusky
502 W Washington St,
Sandusky, OH 44870
Kademenos, Wisehart, Hines, Dolyk and Wright Co. LPA – Mansfield
6 W 3rd St Suite 200,
Mansfield, OH 44902
Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers – Port Clinton
132 Madison St,
Port Clinton, OH 43452
Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers – Vermilion
1513 State Rd,
Vermilion, OH 44089
Wisehart Wright Trial Lawyers – Norwalk
13 Whittlesey Ave,
Norwalk, OH 44857