Aside the standardized charges and rates, the options available for the payment of fees, charges and compensation for the services of a Personal injury lawyers include; Hourly rates, Flat rates, Contingency fees, and Retainers. Several factors determine the typical fees chargeable by a personal injury lawyer and such factors most times include; the time and energy spent on the case, Difficulties of the personal injury claims, the outcome of the case, the efficiency,prominence or experience of the personal injury lawyer, and the amount of money spent on pursuing the case to its logical end.
Contingency fee is the initial payment that must be paid for the services of a Personal injury lawyer. It is the prior arrangement between the client and the personal injury lawyer in which a certain percentage of the amount of recovery awarded to the plaintiff after the success of the legal case are paid to the personal injury lawyer. The contingency fee is not a standard legal fee payable to the personal injury lawyer but it is paid only if the case is successful. It is ideal to note that most personal injury lawyers work on the contingency fee basis.
One of the commonest form of fees payable for the services of a personal injury lawyer is the Hourly rate charges or fees and this is a standard fee that does not depend on the outcome of the legal case. In some cases a personal injury lawyer may decide to charge a flat fee. This is a set or standardized amount as well. The retainer is a kind of fee which is paid even before the start of the legal representation. In some cases a personal injury lawyer may charge a combination of two or more of these charges depending on the agreement between the client and the personal injury lawyer.
In cases where a flat rate is paid for the services of a personal injury lawyer, some extra charges are also paid along especially if the lawyer had to spend some money on emergencies or some related expenses incurred during the legal battle. The contingency fee is also referred to as " No win fee". It is a conditional fee agreement in which normally the solicitor will take the case on the understanding that if he loses, then there will be no contingency fee payment. This does not mean the solicitor will not receive is standard flat rate of hourly charges, flat rat charges or the retainer charges.
The aggressive representation of injured parties by personal injury lawyers are now being subjected to various reviews in the United States in recent times especially as such litigation's are being linked to a tremendous increase in health cost. This has also led to many doctors leaving their practice or relocating because of cost-prohibitive medical malpractice insurance rates accruing from such legal battles. Many professional law practitioners also argued that a personal injury lawyer is not committing any crime by being aggressive while defending his or her clients.