What Fees are Involved in a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
April 25, 2022 | Personal Injury
In the event you or somebody you care about sustains an injury caused by the actions of someone else in Washington, you may need to file a personal injury lawsuit in civil court in order to recover compensation for your losses. However, these claims can be complex, and we strongly encourage you to work with a skilled attorney who can help you every step of the way. Here, we want to examine what fees are involved in a Seattle personal injury lawsuit.
The Costs and Fees Associated With a Personal Injury Lawsuit
There are various costs and fees associated with that personal injury lawsuit. In general, most people lump “costs” and “fees” into the same bundle, but they do not mean the same thing, at least not in the legal profession.
When examining the term “fee” in the context of a legal claim, we see that this typically refers to what an attorney will charge for handling the claim. For example, you may hear a personal injury attorney taking a case on a contingency “fee” basis. This means that the attorney will recover a set percentage of the total compensation awarded to the plaintiff as payment for working on the case.
When we discuss “costs” associated with a personal injury claim, this includes just about every other expense that is involved in the litigation. For a personal injury claim in Washington, some of the most common costs you will encounter include:
- Court costs and filing fees
- Costs to pay for expert witnesses
- Administrative expenses
- Deposition costs
- Investigating and information gathering costs
- Costs associated with copying paperwork
- The costs of obtaining records from other agencies
The total costs involved in a personal injury lawsuit can add up quickly. When you are beginning your personal injury claim, we encourage you to ask an attorney (during your free initial consultation) about the total fees and costs expected for your lawsuit. Your attorney will not be able to give you a definitive answer about how much your case will cost overall, but they should be able to give you a ballpark estimate so you have an idea of what to expect moving forward.
Work With an Attorney After an Injury
If you or somebody you care about has been injured due to the careless or negligent actions of another individual or entity in Washington, you need to reach out to an attorney immediately. A personal injury lawyer will be able to use their resources to handle every aspect of your claim. They will help you understand the fees involved with your personal injury lawsuit, but better than that, they will likely be able to cover all of the fees. Most attorneys will take personal injury claims on a contingency fee basis, which means victims owe nothing until after they receive the compensation they need for their losses.
You should never move forward with an attorney who is unable to help you understand the fees and costs associated with your personal injury lawsuit. You need to turn to someone you trust and who can help you get through this process in the smoothest way possible.