These hourly rates will increase with the experience and specialization of the practice area. If you change counsel or decide to represent yourself, your original attorney will have a lien for the fees and expenses incurred in the case prior to the change, and you may be able to sue both you (the former client) and the defendant for personal injury for failing to protect and enforce the attorney's lien. Most lawyer-client disputes are about money specifically, how much money the client owes the lawyer. The lawyer you meet with may charge a flat or hourly rate for your first meeting, at which both of you will determine if the lawyer can help you.
The lawyer will contact you when you receive the settlement check and must provide you with an itemized list of what you deduct from your settlement check to cover the attorney's fees, costs, and expenses. A lawyer who refers you to another lawyer may request a portion of the total fees you pay for the case. Although no lawyer is cheap, you can probably find lawyers across the price spectrum who can meet your needs. In most personal injury cases, the services of an attorney are offered on a contingency fee basis, meaning that the attorney's fees for representing the client will be deducted from the final personal injury settlement in the client's case or from the compensation for damages after a favorable verdict, in the rare case that the client's case reaches the trial in court.
Contrary to rumors, a lawyer who collects an advance is not necessarily better than a lawyer without an advance.
