In a case involving an injury, hiring a lawyer should cost you no fees up front. Concentrating on hiring the right injury attorney Portland should be where your time is focused as opposed to coming up with the money to obtain representation. If you have been injured you will need time to recover while a competent lawyer represents you in getting full compensation for the accident and any further damage or losses that were incurred as a result.
Injury attorneys work on what is called a contingency agreement. That means that there are no up front costs or retainers that have to be paid. A lawyer will hear your case and view the evidence and then charge a contingency fee of anywhere from 25% to 40% depending on the nature of your case. The likelihood of winning a trial means that you have more negotiating power on this final percentage rate.
Additional fees that can be charged in an injury accident case should also be approached like a contingency fee scenario, meaning that you have no expenses up front. In addition, the client should not be responsible for these expenses should you lose the case. Confirm in writing what a maximum expense package may look like in your type of case and have it in writing that if your case does not win, the client is not responsible for payment of any kind.
With these two compensation questions negotiated up front, you will be able to determine the competency of your attorney. The more experience they have with your specific type of case, the less negotiating you will have to do on these two points. An experienced lawyer will know how to win your case and will not be worried about the contingency or expense costs when the trial is over.
Lastly, determine up front when you interview an injury attorney Portland what they think your case is worth. While it may be a broad stroke to summarize discovery, liability and medical issues, an experienced lawyer will be able to explain their experience with unknowns and the variables involved. Unfortunately, injury accidents are mostly about compensation so an experienced lawyer should be able to give you a ballpark figure.
