Skip to main content Why does Morgan & Morgan work on a contingency-fee basis?
When a personal injury lawyer works for a contingency fee, it means that the attorney will not accept any payment for their services until a case is won or a settlement is received. The lawyer will then take their fee from the compensation recovered.
Lawyers working on a contingency fee basis are motivated to take on cases they believe they can win, either in settlement or in court. This means that at the outset of each potential case, a lawyer will take his or her time to evaluate the facts of that case and to determine the likelihood of a positive outcome in the client's favor. This includes careful consideration of the resources and expenses that must go into pursuing the case, as well as the potential upside for the client at the end.
Lawyers who accept cases on a contingency fee basis, such as personal injury attorneys, rely on their experience and resources to determine when it makes sense to file a case. In some circumstances, relatively small claims amounts or cases in comparative fault states may be argued against by the other side that you are partially or fully responsible for the accident. Your lawyer can tell you more about some of the risks associated with moving forward in court. At Morgan & Morgan, rest assured that when we take on your case, we work as hard as possible to ensure that you have a good chance of recovering compensation.
We do not take the filing of legal cases lightly because a tremendous amount of work goes into the process of preparing a case, communicating with insurance companies or parties on the other side, and negotiating settlements or preparing for trial. Due to the extensive upfront work required by lawyers like those at Morgan & Morgan, we firmly believe in doing our due diligence at the outset of a case to confirm whether or not we believe the case is strong enough.
Will Outside Experts Evaluate My Case Before a Lawyer Decides to Take It?
There are many circumstances in which Morgan & Morgan lawyers might turn to qualified experts to review the facts of the case before deciding to move forward. A great example of this is medical malpractice cases. Although the lawyers at Morgan & Morgan have extensive experience in the field of medical malpractice, the standard of negligence associated with medical malpractice is whether or not another reasonable physician or health care professional would have acted the same in similar circumstances.
This means that getting outside insight, such as sharing your medical records and the facts of your case with a qualified specialist associated with your kind of claim, can give us powerful information about whether or not we are likely to succeed in settlement talks or in court. In these cases, we will request your approval to send these medical records for this independent medical evaluation or review by an outside expert. You can rest assured that this is our best effort to ensure that you have solid grounds on which to file your case.
There are other circumstances in which we may bring in outside experts, such as in a defective product case in which we need to verify whether or not the product was being used as intended or whether or not there may be other parties who have been similarly hurt by this product. In these circumstances, you need to be prepared to work with qualified and dedicated attorneys who have been down this path before and who are familiar with what to expect. The lawyers at Morgan & Morgan take each case seriously and understand how overwhelming it can be to pursue justice, even when you know you are in the right. We work as hard as possible to protect your rights and recover the compensation that you rightfully deserve.
If We Don't Win, Do I Owe My Lawyer Money?
As mentioned before, a contingency fee basis agreement means that you and your attorney work with the expectation that if you successfully recover compensation from your lawsuit or settlement, your attorney will recover a percentage of the outcome. Other expenses, such as filing and copying, may be handled separately by your lawyer's office. Always ask to read through any contract and to work directly with your Morgan & Morgan attorney to learn more about what to do in these circumstances and what you may be financially responsible for.
During your case, you get the confidence of knowing that your lawyer has the right experience and commitment to handle your case based on their years of experience. You know that when they work on a contingency fee basis that you don’t need to come up with funds for an expensive retainer or pay for hourly work they do on your case. Make sure you discuss the payment arrangement directly with your lawyer so that you’re all on the same page.
With Morgan & Morgan, our fee is always free until we win. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to learn more about how we can help your case.
