How Much Does A Lawyer Get From A Car Accident Settlement?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions, and it is also the reason some people are hesitant to reach out to a lawyer after getting into a car accident. Many people think that hiring a lawyer will cost them more money in legal fees than they would pay if they just worked directly with the insurance company on their own.

It’s like if you hire a florist for a wedding. The flowers will be more beautiful with the help of a professional than if you handled them on your own, of course, but you can save a lot of money by enlisting the help of some family and friends and making fake floral arrangements from a craft store. Hiring a car accident lawyer is probably like that, right? Not super necessary, but could be nice?

It’s NOT! 

A car accident is not a wedding – it is not a matter of aesthetics or opinions, but of your health and financial security. Really, it’s a matter of money! If you’re injured in a car crash, and the costs are significant, trust us when we tell you (and you don’t just have to trust us – the research shows) that the odds of you getting monetary compensation for damages increases dramatically when you have a lawyer on your side. 

Now, lawyers do get paid, and they do make a lot of money. There is good news and “bad” news about how much a lawyer gets from a car accident settlement. 

First, the good news. 

The good news is that the vast majority of car accident lawyers don’t charge you anything upfront. 

They offer free, no-obligation consultations – so it doesn’t cost anything to meet with them to talk about whether or not you have a case and how much they think they may be able to get you in terms of compensation. They structure their fees on a contingency fee basis; this means that their fee is contingent, or dependent, upon them recovering monetary damages for you. You may hear some firms advertising things like “No Win, No Fee”, “We Don’t Get Paid Unless You Do”, or “No Recovery? Nothing Owed!” – something along those lines – and that’s essentially true! 

For you, this is a great thing! It means that no matter how wealthy you are, if you are injured in a car accident, you can still afford legal representation (because it’s free to start). It also means you can trust the attorney you work with. If they charge on contingency, they are financially incentivized to win you the highest amount possible – if they don’t do a good job for you, they don’t get paid!

Now for the “bad” news – which isn’t really bad!

Car accident lawyers don’t charge legal fees upfront, so how do they make such a good living? They take a percentage of the recovery amount, if and when they achieve a settlement. For most attorneys, this is somewhere around the 33% mark. 

This may seem like a steep cut at a first glance, but there are no realistic alternatives! Trying to deal with the insurance company on your own is going to be a hassle. You’ll spend hours on hold and talking to different adjusters, who ultimately all have the goal of denying or devaluing your claim – yes, really – because they are trying to protect their bottom line. You’ll have to spend your valuable time filling out complicated paperwork. When they don’t offer you compensation, citing a loophole in your policy or a mistake in documentation, or when they offer you much less than your medical bills, you will be stuck with no next steps to take but to hire an attorney. 

Imagine you are able to get $2,000 on your own. An attorney, with all of their knowledge and experience, may be able to get you $25,000; even if they get 33% of that, that’s still $16,750 in your pocket – almost 8 times the amount you would have gotten otherwise! 

Many people are worried about paying for a car accident attorney not realizing that the settlement itself will pay for the attorney! You don’t have to pay them out of your own pocket, and the amount you will pocket in comparison is much greater than what you could get on your own. 

So if you hired a lawyer, how much would they get paid?

It depends! Again, remember that you are not necessarily paying them directly – they are paid as a percentage of the winnings of your case. So how much you will have to pay depends on how much your case is worth (and how successful they are at recovering damages!). 

Some of the factors that could influence how much your case is worth include:

• How much you incurred in medical bills 
  • Surgery
  • Hospitalization
  • Medications
  • Physical therapy
  • Chiropractic care 
  • Imaging tests
  • Mental health counseling
  • Emergency dental work 
  • And more

• The permanence of your injuries
  • If your injuries will heal fairly quickly (whiplash, lacerations, or even in some cases broken limbs), then your settlement may not be as high 
  • If your injuries will never heal, or will affect your life for years, then that will increase the value of your case.

• The amount of lost wages you incurred
  • Paid sick leave you took to recover
  • Overtime you would have otherwise worked
  • Unpaid time off you were forced to take 
  • Losing your job or switching careers due to your injuries

• How much your injuries impacted your quality of life 
  • Pain and suffering damages
  • Loss of enjoyment damages
  • (and more like this)

• Whether or not punitive damages are awarded
  • If the defendant in your case exhibited gross negligence or is being charged criminally – say they were extremely intoxicated, for example – the judge or jury may award additional compensation meant to set an example and deter other would-be offenders. 

Depending on these factors, your case could range anywhere from a few thousands dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. We have recovered million and multi-million dollar settlements for single clients in the past, and to date, have recovered over $1 billion for all of our clients! 

Call The Florida Law Group!

Don’t be afraid of the cost of legal representation – what you will gain in return will be much greater (even monetarily!). At The Florida Law Group, we believe that every injured car accident victim deserves justice, regardless of socioeconomic status or ability to pay. We offer free consults and charge on contingency; call us today to schedule your free consultation and find out how much you stand to gain in a settlement!