Throughout the United States, most attorneys who practice in the area of personal injury law charge a contingency fee of 1/3 of the gross settlement amount. In fact, in some states, the attorney cannot charge more than this. Normally, an attorney who settles a case without having to file a lawsuit, will charge 1/3 of the gross settlement amount as his attorney fee. If the attorney does not settle the case at all, then he should not charge the client anything for his time. Only, if the contingency is met (which is getting a recovery for the injured client) will the attorney get paid for his work.
If the insurance company fails to offer a settlement or denies the claim for some reason, then the attorney can file a lawsuit in the District Court in the County in which the accident happened or where the defendant resides. After a lawsuit is filed, then most attorneys charge 40% of the gross recovery as an attorney will have to work more and has more at risk in costs of litigation. Personal injury attorneys normally will advance all the costs in bringing a case to settlement or to a jury trial. So, normally the client is not asked to pay costs up front and the attorney will recover his costs out of the eventual settlement.
Some attorneys in Colorado charge more than 1/3 of the gross settlement and may try to charge you 35% or more. I personally believe this is too high of a percentage and would recommend that all injured clients stick with an experienced personal injury attorney who charges only 1/3 pre-suit and 40% after a lawsuit is filed. Do not let an attorney charge you more than these “normal” fees. If an attorney tries to charge you more in fees, then I believe this attorney is overcharging and this is bad for the lawyer profession. Please do not hire an attorney who tries to overcharge you from the very start.
There will be some cases that are very small in nature and will not be financially worthwhile to pursue at the Court house. We understand that every injury case is extremely important to the injured client and we will work as hard as we can to get you the best recovery. However, some cases must be settled prior to entering the courthouse just based on costs and the time consuming process of litigation which could take 1-2 years or more. Also, we have to look at the particular county where a case is to be filed. Some counties are notorious for very low personal injury verdicts while other counties are more favorable to personal injury victims. We can search the jury verdicts in each county and see where your injury and liability situation would stand if we mutually decided to take the case to Trial. Again, you cannot file a case in any County of your choosing and the court must have proper venue and jurisdiction for your particular accident.
Why choose Ryan Malnar as your personal injury attorney?
- Talk to an experienced lawyer, not a paralegal or junior lawyer.
- I pledge to you that I will personally handle your case from start to finish.
- I promise to always fight for you and your family.
- I care about my clients just like family and you can always personally talk to me anytime day or night.
- I can come to your home, office or hospital with no obligations.
- I don’t get paid unless I recover money for you. If I don’t win your case, you don’t owe me a dime.
- I promise to listen to your story and stand by you.
Testimonials for Malnar Law, P.C., the Colorado Springs personal injury attorney
Includes reviews for the Allen Law Firm, now part of Malnar Law, P.C. Doug Allen is an “of counsel” attorney for Malnar Law, P.C. as of 2018.
