About Attorney Fees

Our law firm charge a contingent attorney fee (a percentage of your money recovery) to handle auto accident cases. If there is no recovery, there are no attorney fees.

The bottom line is to find an experienced lawyer with reasonable attorney fees. After all, you, the accident victim, deserve the lion's share of the settlement, not the lawyers.

What Are the Costs Involved in Auto Accident Claims?

All law firms pass on charges to accident victims for court costs and costs to obtain the client's medical records and reports. For example, in order to settle your claim, we will need to obtain a copy of your hospital and doctor records. This typically costs $15 to $30 per medical provider. Also, a doctor's report is needed to determine if you will have any continuing disabilities. The cost for doctors' reports varies, but are generally between $75 - $150.

Most claims settle out of court, but if a lawsuit is necessary, there is usually a filing fee of approximately $100 to $200. Other court costs may include the cost to serve the court papers on the defendant, deposition fees and expert witness fees. If the claim goes through trial, the total costs average $2,000 to $3,000 for a simple case with the testimony of one doctor, and can be much higher. Some law firms ask the client to pay a retainer (money paid in advance) to cover these costs. Other firms ask the client to pay these costs as they occur, and still others allow the client to wait to pay the costs until the settlement is received. At Howe & Associates, we normally will advance these costs.

Some law firms also charge you for investigator fees, long distance phone calls, fax copies, postage, photocopy and other office expenses. Our law firm does not charge you for these items. Before you sign a fee agreement with an attorney, be sure you clearly understand what costs and expenses will be your responsibility, what the total amount is estimated to be, and when those are to be paid.