What are the expenses of my personal injury case?

People seeking a personal injury lawyer must understand that pursuing a legal claim necessarily involves certain out-of-pocket costs. Litigation expenses include filing fees, deposition fees, fees for expert witnesses, consultants, investigators, graphic exhibits, medical records, etc. These fees can total anywhere from $2,000 – $100,000 in personal injury cases.

Do I have to pay some or all of these expenses up front?

This will depend upon whom you hire. Attorneys generally fall into three categories:

CATEGORY 1 – Some attorneys may require you to fund the expenses up front even though the attorney fee is contingent. This is somewhat rare.

CATEGORY 2 – Some attorneys will require you only to pay the cost of obtaining your medical records. This can cost between $100 – $1,500. With many of these attorneys, if they believe you have a strong case, they will front all of the remaining expenses of your case. This is somewhat more common.

CATEGORY 3 – Many attorneys will advance all costs and expenses of litigation on your behalf, including the initial review by experts. This is common.

In all three categories, the attorney will deduct all expenses he or she advanced on your behalf from the ultimate recovery in your case after the contingency fee has been deducted from the gross recovery (the term "gross recovery" means the total value of the complete recovery).

Ripper Law Firm PC will almost always fall into CATEGORY 3 – advancing the expenses of any case we accept.