You would be surprised how many NY car accident victims turn their back on legal help because they fear the charge for the services. It is a huge mistake, of course, because working with a car accident lawyer in Buffalo NY brings about numerous benefits. It also tends to pay for itself.
Experienced Buffalo car accident lawyers always find a way to get their clients more money than they could obtain by themselves. They also take over all the car accident claim hassles, allowing their clients to focus on their recovery or return to work.
If you were the victim of a car accident, the least you can do is consult an attorney. Find out what they can do for you and how much their services would cost, and then decide if they are worth hiring or not. You may discover that legal fees are lower than you thought. The payment agreement could be so beneficial and risk-free that you will find it impossible to refuse.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to assess legal fees in an accident case without knowing all case details. Fees are usually influenced by several factors, such as:
- How the accident occurred
- The amount of evidence available
- Available insurance coverage
- Contributory negligence
- Available evidence and possibilities of obtaining more
- Claim value
- Defendant profile (government agency, insurance company, individual, etc.)
- Time left to file the compensation claim or until the statute of limitations expires
- The payment model the attorney uses.
This last factor is often the most important when it comes to the overall value of the legal fees, so it is worth discussing in more details.
Main Pricing Models Buffalo Car Accident Lawyers Use
1. Hourly Rates
Many car accident attorneys in Buffalo charge their clients on the number of hours they spend working on the case. The model may seem fair but the fees often pile up. Moreover, this pricing model often requires payments before results and does not guarantee winning.
Depending on complexity and context, a single case could require from tens to hundreds of hours of legal work. Other expenses add up as well. This makes estimating costs pretty challenging. Generally, accident victims should avoid attorneys employing this payment model or negotiate different agreements.
2. Standard Case Fee
Some Buffalo car accident lawyers prefer to look at case details before setting a rate. Once they do, they give their client a number. It is usually in the range of thousands of dollars and does not guarantee results. Moreover, the amount does not include expenses like filing fees, expert fees, etc. Accident victims will have to pay those out of their own pocket, before even recovering their losses.
3. Contingency Fee
This pricing model implies that the attorney only gets paid if they win, when they do. Their fee is a percentage of the overall compensation they obtain for their client. The percentage varies according to the above factors and is established on a case-to-case basis. It can range from 20% for simple insurance claims to 40, even 50% for difficult cases that reach court.
It is important to note that, as part of the contingency fee agreement, many attorneys commit to cover all case-related expenses themselves. Their clients do not have to pay anything out of pocket. If the lawyer loses the case, they do not get paid. The more money they obtain for their client, the more they get paid themselves.
This payment model makes legal services accessible to anyone, affordable, and risk free. It is the type of agreement that you should try to obtain for your own case. Even if things do not eventually work out the way you want them to, consulting a car accident attorney cannot hurt.
This is especially true with car accident attorneys who provide free preliminary consultations. They enable car accident victims to find out how much their case is worth, what the compensation claim would entail, and how much it would all cost without paying. Also, once they have all the details, accident victims are free to decide if they want to hire legal representation or not.
Schedule Your Free Consultation with a Buffalo Car Accident Lawyer Now!
At Buffalo Car Accident Lawyers, we too provide free consultations. Depending on your case specifics, we may also be able to offer you a contingency fee agreement. All you have to do is call our office at (716) 261-2614 or drop us a message to make the appointment. You have nothing to lose, but the benefits could be considerable!
