One of the first questions we are always asked at our St. Louis personal injury and workers compensation law firm is:
“How much does it cost to hire a workers compensation lawyer or personal injury lawyer?”
The answer is simple – it will cost you nothing out of pocket to hire a personal injury lawyer or workers compensation lawyer at our St. Louis firm.
Lawyers who practice in personal injury or workers compensation arenas typically are paid on a “contingent fee basis.” What is a contingent fee basis, you ask? You will hire your personal injury lawyer or workers compensation lawyer on the basis that their fee will be paid only when you collect money on your case. This also means the personal injury lawyer will not make any money if you do not collect anything.
Most lawyers in the St. Louis area charge 1/3 or 33.33333% on what you collect from your settlement or award. Some cases may be charged a higher contingency fee if the attorney believes the case may be more difficult to win.
A St. Louis area workers compensation lawyer will charge a different set of fees than that of a St. Louis personal injury lawyer. In Missouri and Illinois, workers compensation divisions have put a cap in place on the percentage of fees a workers compensation lawyer can collect from your settlement or award. The State of Missouri has placed a cap of 25% on the amount a workers compensation lawyer can collect from your case, where the State of Illinois has imposed a 20% cap on attorney fees.
What other costs will I have to pay a personal injury lawyer?
Some law firms will charge an administrative fee on your case. This is usually somewhere around $100 and covers expenses the personal injury lawyer or workers compensation lawyer has to pay for office supplies, postage and shipping. This is usually reimbursed to the personal injury lawyer at the time of settlement.
A personal injury lawyer or workers compensation lawyer typically advances the expenses necessary to pursue your case. Advanced costs are for things like police reports and your medical records. If a lawsuit is filed, there are additional costs for filing fees and depositions. The advanced costs are reimbursed to your personal injury lawyer and his firm at the conclusion of your case from the settlement, award or judgment.
Now that you know there are no up front or out of pocket costs to you when hiring a personal injury lawyer, call our firm today at 314-862-7222 to discuss your legal rights!
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