How Much Does a Tampa Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?

November 25, 2022 | Winters & Yonker, P.A. | Personal Injury

People often wonder if they need a Tampa personal injury lawyer to represent them after an accident or personal injury. In most cases, it is in a person’s best interest to have legal counsel.

The insurance company has a team of lawyers, claims adjusters, investigators, and other professionals protecting it from liability. Likewise, accident victims deserve to have a team of lawyers and legal staff fighting to ensure they receive fair compensation for their injuries and damages.

The good news is that you can find out if you need a personal injury lawyer at no cost during a free consultation. Keep reading to find out more.

It Does Not Cost Anything To Meet With a Tampa Personal Injury Lawyer for an Initial Consultation

Most accident attorneys offer free consultations. Therefore, it does not cost you anything to meet with a lawyer to discuss your case.

During a free consultation, you can expect to:

Describe what happened to you and provide details of your injuries
Get answers to your questions about personal injury claims and your specific case
Learn about your legal rights and the laws governing your injury claim
Discuss the options for recovering compensation for your damages
Learn how much your personal injury claim is worth
Discuss how much it costs to hire a Tampa personal injury lawyer for your case

Initial consultations are confidential. You have no obligation to hire a lawyer after the meeting. If the attorney believes they can help you with your case, they’ll explain their legal fees.

How Do Tampa Personal Injury Lawyers Charge for Their Services?

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers states that attorneys must charge reasonable amounts for attorneys’ fees. Whether an attorney’s fee is reasonable depends on the facts and circumstances of the case.

Factors that impact the reasonableness for a lawyer’s fee include:

The complexity and type of personal injury case
The attorney’s experience, skills, education, and certifications
A lawyer’s reputation and track record
The average legal fees charged by lawyers in the area for similar cases
The results obtained for the claim, including the amount recovered
Whether the case settles through negotiations or at trial

Different lawyers use different methods for charging clients for legal services. Methods of charging for attorneys’ fees include:

Flat Fee

Some lawyers charge a flat fee to handle a legal matter. Flat fees are often used in real estate, estate planning, and uncontested divorces. Flat fees are usually associated with cases in which the lawyer knows how much time they expect to spend working on the case.

Hourly Fees

Other lawyers charge for their services based on an hourly fee. They often require the client to pay a retainer when they hire the law firm.

The attorney bills their time in increments of an hour against the retainer amount. When the retainer is depleted, the client may need to pay an additional lump sum, or the lawyer might send monthly bills to the client.

Hourly fees are typically used in litigation and other legal matters in which the lawyer might not know how much time they will spend resolving the matter.

Contingency Fees

Most personal injury lawyers in Florida use contingency fees. The attorney’s fee is based on the amount the lawyer recovers for the personal injury claim.

For example, suppose the attorney and client agreed to a 33% contingency fee for a car accident case. The lawyer recovers $750,000 for the client through a settlement agreement. The attorney’s fee would equal 33% of $750,000, totaling $247,500.

The attorney deducts the contingency fee from the settlement proceeds before the client receives their money. If the lawyer does not recover any money in the client’s case, the client does not owe the lawyer any money for their legal services.

Why Do Tampa Personal Injury Attorneys Use Contingency Fees?

Accident victims are often out of work while they recover from their injuries. Many people do not have the money to hire a lawyer while trying to make ends meet. Therefore, injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis to offer affordable legal services to injured victims and their families.

With a contingency fee, you know your lawyer is invested in recovering the maximum amount available for your case. The lawyer’s fees are directly impacted by the amount recovered in your case. Therefore, your personal injury attorney is incentivized to do everything possible to maximize recovery.

How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer in Tampa Cost?

Your cost for a personal injury lawyer in Tampa depends on your case. Florida has strict rules about contingency fees. The agreement must be in writing and specify the percentages charged for each stage of the case. The contingency fee can be negotiated with the lawyer, but the state sets maximum limits on contingency fees in most personal injury cases.

Before you sign a retainer agreement or contingency fee agreement, read the entire agreement. Ask questions about any terms or conditions that you do not understand. Specifically, pay close attention to who is responsible for paying for the costs of the case.

In addition to the attorneys’ fees, you might be responsible for paying certain expenses, such as:

Postage and copy fees
Deposition fees
Mileage and transportation costs
Fees to obtain medical records, crash reports, and other documentation
Expert witness fees
Trial preparation costs

Generally, the law firm pays the costs as they are incurred during the case. However, you are responsible for reimbursing the law firm for these costs from the settlement funds. If the lawyer does not win your case, ensure you know whether you are expected to reimburse the lawyer out of your pocket.

Don’t Let the Cost of a Tampa Personal Injury Lawyer Prevent You from Seeking Legal Advice

Insurance companies prefer you not to meet with or hire a personal injury lawyer. An insurance adjuster might tell you that you are wasting your money by hiring a lawyer to do something you can do for yourself. The insurance company only wants to take advantage of your lack of legal knowledge about claims to pay you less than your injury claim is worth.

Most people do not realize that their personal injury claim is worth more money than the insurance company offers to settle. Therefore, failing to consult a personal injury attorney about your case could cause you to receive much less than you would have recovered with the help of an accident attorney.

Contact the Tampa Personal Injury Law Firm of Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today

For more information, please contact Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Tampa today. We have five convenient locations in Florida, including Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, and Lakeland.

We proudly serve Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Pasco County, Polk County, and its surrounding areas:

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Tampa Office
601 W Swann Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
(813) 223-6200

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
600 Bypass Dr Suite 224-D, Clearwater, FL 33764
(727) 493-4418

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – St. Petersburg Office
111 2nd Ave NE Suite 350, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 314-5988

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – New Port Richey Office
5006 Trouble Creek Rd Unit #200, Port Richey, FL 34652
(727) 910-5060

Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers – Lakeland Office
1543 Lakeland Hills Blvd Suite 18, Lakeland, FL 33805
(863) 251-6196