A personal-injury fee discussion needs more than a percentage from an advertisement. The agreement’s calculation method, treatment of case expenses and work covered all affect the financial picture. Ask the lawyer to explain these items with a written illustration using hypothetical figures. This guide does not value an injury claim, predict recovery or state which fee arrangement is appropriate.
Ask for the calculation in a worked illustration
Request an explanation of the proposed fee basis and how it would be applied at the stages relevant to the engagement. Ask the lawyer to show how the fee and outside costs would appear in a hypothetical accounting. This should come from the professional’s actual proposed agreement, not a generic online percentage. The Bar’s fee resource describes arrangements, but the applicable agreement and professional guidance must resolve your questions.
Identify case expenses and responsibility for them
Ask which investigation, record, expert, filing, deposition or other charges may be incurred and how approval is obtained. Clarify when those expenses are paid, whether they are separate from the professional fee and what the agreement says if there is no recovery or the engagement ends. Do not assume that a phrase about no initial fee answers every question about costs.
Define the assignment through later stages
Request a statement covering negotiations, litigation, trial, appeal or other work, as applicable to the proposed engagement. Ask whether another lawyer or firm may participate and how that would be explained. Before relying on a possible net amount, ask who will explain any deductions and provide the final accounting. Questions about reimbursement claims or obligations to others require case-specific professional advice.
Your written-proposal checklist
| Item | Question or evidence to record |
|---|---|
| Calculation | Worked illustration based on the proposed fee terms |
| Case expenses | Authorization, timing and responsibility explained in writing |
| Stage coverage | Negotiation, litigation and later work included or excluded |
| Accounting | Who explains deductions and supplies the final statement? |
Record the firm, document version, quotation date, assignment and unresolved questions in your own private notes. Do not upload confidential legal documents to this website.
Next step for this decision
The general quote tool accepts a written scoped amount; it does not calculate a personal-injury settlement or select a contingency arrangement. If no comparable total is available, keep the illustration and agreement as your comparison record instead of inventing a case price. Ask a qualified attorney to explain the financial and legal consequences.