Contingency Fees Explained
A contingency fee is a type of payment arrangement where your attorney’s fees are contingent upon the outcome of your case. In plain terms: You pay nothing upfront. Your attorney only gets paid if they recover compensation for you. Instead of charging by the hour or requiring a large retainer, we take a percentage of the compensation we recover on your behalf. This percentage is agreed upon at the beginning of your case, so there are no surprises later on.
How Contingency Fees Help Injury Victims
Contingency fees level the playing field. When you’re up against an insurance company or a large corporation, they often have entire legal teams whose sole job is to protect their bottom line. Most people can’t afford to go toe-to-toe with that kind of firepower, especially when they’re already dealing with the aftermath of a serious injury.
Contingency fees solve that problem by:
- Eliminating financial risk: You don’t have to pay your attorney anything if your case isn’t successful, meaning there’s no risk for you.
- Providing access to top-tier legal help: You get representation from experienced, trial-tested trial lawyers without paying out of pocket.
- Ensuring your lawyer is motivated to win: If your attorney doesn’t win your case, they don’t get paid. That means your success is their success.
At Arnold & Itkin, we invest our own time, resources, and money into preparing every case for trial. We front the costs for investigations, expert witnesses, depositions, and more—because we believe in our clients, and we believe in getting the results they need to heal and rebuild.
What Percentage Do Personal Injury Lawyers Take?
While attorney fee percentages can vary, the typical contingency fee in a personal injury case ranges from 33% to 40% of the final recovery.
Factors that can influence contingency fee percentages include:
- The complexity of the case
- Whether a settlement is reached
- If the case goes to trial
- State laws that cap or regulate attorney fees
At Arnold & Itkin, we are transparent about our fee structure from day one. You’ll know exactly what to expect, and there are no hidden costs or surprise deductions.
What Other Costs Are There?
In many contingency fee arrangements, there are also case expenses. These are costs associated with building and pursuing your case.
They can include:
- Filing fees
- Medical record retrieval
- Expert witness fees
- Investigative services
- Court reporters and deposition transcripts
- Trial exhibits or accident reconstructions
At Arnold & Itkin, we cover these costs upfront. If we win your case, they are reimbursed out of the final recovery. If we don’t win, you don’t owe us anything.
Call Our Personal Injury Attorneys Today for a Free Consultation
If you’ve been seriously injured or have lost a loved one, you should be allowed to spend this time focusing on healing, not on legal bills. At Arnold & Itkin, we remove the financial burden so you can move forward with confidence. When you call us, you won’t get a sales pitch—you’ll get answers. We’ll explain your rights, your options, and whether you have a case. If we take your case, it’s because we’re ready to fight for you. We won’t charge you a cent unless we win.
Injured? Unsure whether you can afford a lawyer? Call Arnold & Itkin today at (888) 493-1629 for a free consultation.
