It is hard for many people to find the right lawyer for their case right away. Different people have different preferences. An attorney and their client must have a relationship of mutual trust. Without trust and a good rapport, a case can quickly fall apart.
When looking for a lawyer, one of the things you should ask about is fees. Legal services aren’t cheap, after all. It’s important to understand what you are getting into before signing any sort of service agreement.
During your search, you may have come across some California lawyers claiming “no win, no fee.” This sounds tempting, but how exactly do no win, no fee lawyers work? Without fees, how do they make their money?
As a contingency-based firm, our team at Wells Call Injury Lawyers would like to help dispel some of the misunderstandings surrounding no win, no fee lawyers in California.
How Do No Win, No Fee Attorneys Get Paid?
As you might gather from the name, a no-win, no-fee attorney only collects payment if they win your case. Winning a case can happen in one of two ways: successfully negotiating a settlement out of court, or winning at trial.
Absent a settlement or verdict in your favor, your no win, no fee attorney costs nothing. So how do they get paid? The answer is simple: a contingency fee.
What Is a Contingency Fee?
A contingency fee is a fee that someone collects that is contingent on certain results. With no win, no fee attorneys, payment of their contingency fee is dependent upon the lawyer winning or otherwise successfully settling the case.
The fee is typically a pre-negotiated sum or a fixed percentage of the final award. Bar associations often place certain restrictions on contingency fees that cap them at certain amounts.
Why Work with a No Win, No Fee Attorney?
Working based on a contingency fee offers several advantages for both lawyers and their clients. The most notable of these advantages is the enhancement of trust between lawyers and their clients. The reasoning is simple: working on a contingency fee helps clients know that their attorney is doing their best to win the case.
They do their best to win the case because otherwise they don’t get paid. If you are working with a no-win, no-fee attorney, you can rest easy knowing that your attorney is doing everything in their power to win your case. Their livelihood depends on it.
Another advantage that no win, no fee attorneys offer is difficult to quantify. Attorneys that operate on a contingency fee basis help to ensure the accessibility of legal help to people of all economic backgrounds. Many people are afraid to even consider hiring a lawyer because of the cost.
Many people think of lawyers as very expensive service providers that only the wealthy can afford. But thanks to contingency fees, that perception is not always true.
Certain types of lawyers cannot use contingency fees — criminal lawyers, for example, cannot charge based on contingency fees because there is usually no monetary settlement at the end of a criminal case. But many other types of lawyers can and do operate this way. In doing so, they help make the legal system accessible to everyone.
Come to Wells Call Injury Lawyers for a Risk-Free Consultation
At Wells Call Injury Lawyers, we offer no win, no fee attorney services to all of our clients. Doing so helps us build trust with our clients and makes our services accessible to everyone who needs our help. That is also why our consultations are free.
Over four decades of experience, we have recovered more than $500 million for our clients. We invite you to come and tell us your story today, and we’ll see how we can help!