Will there be costs in addition to what my attorney charges?
Yes, there are always out-of-pocket expenses associated with injury claims. These can include the cost of getting medical records, investigator fees, court filing fees, deposition expenses, fees charged by doctors to confer with your lawyer, witness fees, and other expenses.
We usually assess a one-time charge of $150 for all expenses within the confines of our office. We have found over the years that the total of all such expenses comes to $150 or more in most cases. Rather than having to itemize every postage stamp, photocopy, long distance call, and car mileage, we find it much more workable simply to have a set fee and not worry about whether the end amount is a few dollars high or low. (In most cases, the $150 assessment is lower than our actual cost.)
Any expenses outside the office, such as charges for medical records, private investigators, and police reports, will be charged dollar for dollar. These are all expenses you would end up incurring if you were to handle your own claim without an attorney.
In most cases we advance all these expenses (including the $150 charge for in-office expenses) and wait for the cases to settle before being reimbursed.
Personal Injury Claims
- What is “negligence”
- How do I know if something that injured me was “negligence”?
- Should I talk with an insurance adjuster?
- When should I talk with a lawyer?
- How do I know which lawyer to hire?
- How much will the attorney fees be?
- Will there be costs in addition to what my attorney charges?
- Will I be given individual attention, or will I be just another file?
- Will my attorney work with my doctor?
- Will my case settle, or will I have to go to trial?
- How do we determine what a fair settlement is?
- How do I know my attorney will have the skill and experience to take my case to trial if we are not able to settle my case to my satisfaction?
- Will my medical bills be paid?
- What about the income I lose because of my injury?
- Can my lawyer loan me money to get by until my case settles?
- What if the person who caused the collision did not have insurance?
- How can I help my recovery from my injuries?