By Dan Noll on July 17th, 2023 in Car Accident
Hurt in a Car Wreck? Fight Back and Learn How Much a Car Accident Attorney Costs in Springfield, IL
After a motor vehicle accident, victims may experience a wide range of physical, emotional, and financial consequences. This includes unexpected medical bills, lost wages, and potentially disabling or permanent personal injuries. The combination of increased costs and lost income can be debilitating for a victim and his or her entire family. Given this combination, many people are hesitant to obtain legal representation to get help, often attempting to handle a personal injury claim by themselves. However, this is a big mistake for a number of reasons – including those which almost guarantee that a victim will get less than he or she deserves. Rather than attempt to handle a case alone, victims and their families should call the Noll Law Office and ask how much does a car accident attorney cost in Springfield, IL?
The answer may surprise most people.
That’s because, at the Noll Law Office, their compassionate and experienced car accident lawyers can help victims and their families fight back to recover the compensation that they deserve after a serious, life-changing, or fatal motor vehicle accident in Illinois. Their personal injury law firm offers free consultations, pays the upfront costs and expenses of litigation, and only gets their legal fees paid from a percentage of what they recover for you. That means there is a no-win, no-fee guarantee with the Noll Law Office. It also means that there is no upfront cost, no financial risk, and no out-of-pocket expenses to work with their skilled team of car accident lawyers in Springfield, Illinois.
How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost in Springfield, IL?
Most people have the expectation that lawyers are very expensive and often unaffordable. Although that may be true at some law firms, the personal injury lawyers at the Noll Law Office pride themselves on being both affordable and accessible, serving their community as fifth-generation lawyers. That’s because they accept personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which is usually the most ideal type of fee arrangement for victims. No matter what type of car accident injuries a victim has sustained, they can help.
But a contingency fee arrangement is not the only type of arrangement. Here are some of the most common ways that lawyers get paid in Illinois:
Flat Fee Arrangement
As the name implies, a flat fee arrangement is when a lawyer charges a single fee for a complete service. Generally, this type of fee is used in situations like an uncontested divorce, some traffic tickets, name changes, corporate/LLC formation, or other matters where the amount of time necessary to complete a legal service is predictable. Flat fee arrangements are not common in a car accident case or a personal injury case. Therefore, any car accident lawyer in Springfield who is offering to represent you for a flat fee is a warning sign and should be avoided.
Hourly Rate
In contrast, an hourly rate is when a lawyer charges a certain amount of money per hour. Sometimes it is broken down from research and drafting time, to courtroom time, to even appellate work. Hourly rates are very common in car accident cases, but for the defense side. That’s because insurance companies often pay their lawyers to represent their insureds on an hourly basis, which is why many defense lawyers will become “motion happy” to file a lot more motions, carry out protracted depositions, and be more willing to go to trial.
Thus, victims and their families need to hire an experienced car accident attorney who can handle these aggressive litigation tactics to fight back and protect their rights to compensation. Fortunately, most plaintiff car accident lawyers do not take cases on an hourly rate, which is a good thing for a client because that means that the client will have to pay for the representation no matter what the outcome is.
Again, anytime a victim of a car accident meets with a personal injury lawyer offering an hourly rate, that is a warning sign. It could suggest that the law firm is not doing well and needs the money upfront, or it could reveal that the lawyer does not believe strongly in your case and you could lose – but still owe that money. Therefore, if a lawyer offers to take your personal injury case on an hourly basis, a client should be weary.
Contingency Fee Basis
Out of all of the fee arrangements, a contingency fee basis is the most advantageous for a victim and his or her family. This type of fee agreement is when the lawyer is paid a percentage of the total settlement, verdict, award, or other recovery. That lawyer also will only get paid when there is some type of recovery, meaning that if there is no recovery there is no fee for the lawyer.
As a result of this, a contingency fee agreement shifts all of the risks of the litigation to the lawyer and the law firm. That makes a contingency fee agreement often the best type of fee arrangement for a client because there is no out-of-pocket expense or financial risk since the only legal fees are paid from the recovery and the only time that is owed is if the lawyer makes a victim money. This is, of course, usually the riskiest type of fee arrangement for a lawyer and law firm, because if there is no recovery there are no legal fees.
Other Expenses of Litigation
In addition to legal fees, there are other expenses of litigation which include the costs, disbursements, fees, and other sums necessary to bring a case in Illinois. Fortunately, the Noll Law Office pays these upfront costs and expenses for a client. These are only reimbursed to the law firm after there is a recovery. Again, this is advantageous to the victim and his or her family because if there is no recovery, there is no reimbursement.
If a bodily injury law firm seeks to charge a car accident victim for the costs of a lawsuit upfront or as the case continues, that is often a warning sign. Although there are circumstances where a client can elect to pay these costs and expenses upfront, any law firm that is requiring a client to pay them is a warning sign.
Still Unsure? To Learn More About How Much a Car Accident Attorney in Springfield, IL Costs by Calling the Noll Law Office
If you or a loved one were seriously injured or if a loved one was wrongfully killed in any type of car accident, truck wreck, motorcycle crash, bike collision, or any other type of motor vehicle accident, call the Noll Law Office for help. Their experienced car accident lawyers in Springfield, Illinois offer free consultations, pay the upfront costs and expenses of litigation, and only get their legal bills paid after you make a recovery. To learn more about how to hire them to present you and your family, contact them today.