Fees and costs

Understand the fee before you decide about the lawyer.

“No attorney fee without a recovery” answers only one question. The percentage, case costs, responsibilities, and what happens if representation ends should all be clear in the written agreement.

Direct answer

Accepted injury matters are handled on a contingent-fee basis. The attorney fee is a percentage of the recovery under a written agreement. If there is no recovery, no attorney fee is charged. The written agreement separately explains the percentage and responsibility for case costs and expenses before representation begins.

What “contingent fee” means here

The attorney fee depends on a recovery and is calculated as the percentage stated in the written agreement. That is why the agreement matters more than a slogan: this page does not quote the percentage, replace the agreement, or decide whether a matter will be accepted.

Attorney fees and case costs are different

Attorney fees pay for legal services. Case costs and expenses can include separate amounts connected with investigating, developing, or pursuing a matter. The written agreement should explain what may be incurred, how those amounts are handled, and who is responsible for them.

Questions for the written agreement

  • What percentage applies, and when is it calculated?
  • Which case costs or expenses may be incurred?
  • How are fees, costs, liens, and other payments ordered?
  • What happens if representation ends before the matter concludes?
  • Who receives a complete signed copy and any later amendments?

A short first message is enough

A fee question should never keep you from asking what the agreement would mean.

Tell us the essential facts, what has changed, and the question you cannot answer from the paperwork in front of you.