No Fee Unless We Win

One of the unique features of personal injury law is that our clients don't pay anything unless we win their case, either by receiving a settlement or a jury verdict. This “no fee unless we win” practice is known as a contingency fee arrangement.

How Does a “No Fee Unless We Win” Policy Work?

Because of the contingency fee arrangement, we are able to start work immediately when a client hires us, to ensure the best possible outcome for their case. We know that our clients, who are recovering from car crashes and other personal injury matters, need to focus on getting back on their feet, rather than cutting us a check.

Unlike other types of law, such as business or intellectual property law, we don't receive money from our clients directly.

Instead, we recoup any fees, such as court costs or copying fees, and take a percentage of the settlement or verdict our clients receive from the insurance company. This percentage may vary, depending on what type of case you have and the amount of work needed to reach a successful resolution.

On the other hand, if our clients don't receive any money, our firm is able to absorb the loss. While this approach may feel like something that is too good to be true or even a gamble on our part, we see it as a measured risk that puts our clients first.

Our “no fee unless we win” policy works because our attorneys have been practicing personal injury law in northern California for more than 60 years, giving us the experience to help our clients successfully resolve their claims.

Benefits of Our “No Fee Unless We Win” Policy

This arrangement works extremely well for personal injury clients, both in terms of reaching a favorable settlement and in money received in successful claims. Clients who hire an attorney to resolve a personal injury matter received a settlement more than 90% of the time, compared to those who work alone, who receive a payout in just over 50% of cases.

People who work with an attorney can receive, on average, more than three times as much as those work alone, even taking into consideration their attorney's fees and costs. Although no attorney can guarantee a particular result for a case, it's clear that contingency fee arrangements benefit both clients and their attorneys.

We would even go so far to say that not hiring an attorney to represent you is a major error in any personal injury case. After all, there's no risk to our clients – if we are successful, they walk away with a settlement to compensate them for their injuries. If we lose, our client's aren't stuck with steep legal bills on top of their other losses.

Don't Be Afraid to Talk to Your Lawyer About Money

Any reputable attorney will discuss money, including attorney fees and costs, upfront and go over your questions before you hire them. This is a requirement for all lawyers under California law.

Our goal is an all-around satisfactory resolution for our clients. This includes ensuring that our clients understand what happens in their case, even if it's confusion about our own contract.

If our contingency fee arrangement doesn't make sense, or if you have questions about what other costs your case might incur, ask! Money should never be a taboo subject when it comes to hiring an attorney.

Our attorneys keep detailed records of fees we incur while working on each case. These can include filing or copying fees, paying for certified mail, or paying for expert witnesses. We keep track of these fees as they incur and discuss the cost-benefit analysis with our clients. We also send a detailed billing statement to our clients when we do receive settlements to make sure the numbers add up.

It's a common misconception that personal injury lawyers only care about getting paid and that if you hire one, the only ones getting wealthy are the attorneys. This couldn't be further from the truth. While law firms are businesses, our primary focus of Freeman & Freeman is to serve the needs of our clients first. If you have questions regarding our contingency fee arrangement, please contact us online or call us at 707-575-7141 today.