Contingency Lawyers in Denver
Most people are fortunate enough to go through life without ever needing to hire an attorney. When a situation arises where legal representation becomes necessary, such as after a car accident, you might be a bit overwhelmed. You may also be unsure of how exactly to go about choosing the right law firm…or how you’ll be able to pay for a lawyer to represent you.
In personal injury cases, most law firms use a special type of fee arrangement known as a contingency fee. This type of fee structure allows you to move forward with your claim without paying by the hour or paying any up-front costs. Instead, your lawyer will only get paid if they recover compensation for you through a settlement or a verdict at trial. Their fee will be calculated as a percentage of the total recovery and deducted directly from the check issued by the insurance company.
Genco Injury Attorneys represents accident victims throughout the greater Denver area and the state of Colorado. Our skilled and dedicated Denver personal injury lawyers work tirelessly to help clients get maximum compensation for their injuries. Contact our law firm today to schedule a free initial consultation with a member of our legal team.
What Is a Contingency Fee Attorney?
Like many personal injury law firms, Genco Injury Attorneys represents clients using a contingency fee structure. With this type of fee agreement, your lawyer will only be compensated if you obtain a financial recovery in your personal injury case.
In the legal industry, attorneys use several different types of fee agreements. The most common types include:
- Hourly fee: With an hourly arrangement, the attorney charges a set hourly rate for the work performed on a case. Most lawyers track their time in six-minute increments (1/10th of an hour). Clients usually pay a retainer up front, and the firm deducts its fees from that amount. When the retainer is exhausted, the client may need to replenish it or pay monthly invoices for additional work.
- Flat fee: Flat fee arrangements are usually offered for legal matters that are routine or that involve a high volume of similar work, such as DUI defense or immigration filings. Under a flat fee agreement, the client pays an agreed-upon amount for a defined scope of services. Many flat fee contracts include terms for additional charges if further work becomes necessary, such as filing an appeal.
- Contingency fee: A contingency fee agreement requires no up-front payment from the client. Instead, the attorney’s compensation depends on the successful resolution of the case. If a lawyer recovers money for a client through a settlement or trial verdict, they will receive a percentage of the total recovery. Typically, the percentage is between 33% and 40%, based on the complexity of the case and whether it goes to trial. In Colorado, contingency fee arrangements must be reasonable and cannot require an unconscionably high percentage of the award.
Contingency fees are more often used in certain types of cases, such as personal injury claims. For other types of cases, such as divorce or criminal defense, an hourly rate is more common.
The way that contingency fee arrangements work is pretty straightforward. For example, consider a situation where you are hurt in a pedestrian accident and sign a contingency fee agreement for 30%. If the case settles for $25,000, the attorney would deduct $7,500 from the settlement check from the insurance company.
When you sign a contingency fee agreement, the percentage will remain the same regardless of how much time the attorney invests in your case. This means that you don’t have to worry that sending an email or making a quick call to ask a question about your case will lead to a huge bill. Whether your lawyer spends 100 hours or 500 hours on your case, the fee will be the agreed-upon percentage of your recovery.
Contingency fee agreements also typically require clients to reimburse the firm for case-related expenses. This can include the costs associated with obtaining medical records, filing fees, investigator charges, expert witness fees, and deposition expenses. The law firm advances the costs as the case proceeds and keeps a record of what is spent. Once your claim settles, these expenses will be deducted from your recovery to reimburse the firm.
Under Colorado’s ethical rules, a contingency fee agreement must be in writing. You should review the agreement carefully and ask questions to make sure that you understand its terms.
When you hire a Denver contingency fee lawyer, you only pay for legal services if your attorney recovers compensation for you. If your case is not successful, you will not owe attorney’s fees. This means that there is no risk to hiring an attorney for your personal injury case.
Advantages of a Contingency Fee Arrangement
If you’ve never hired a personal injury attorney before, you may wonder whether a contingency fee agreement is the right choice. While it’s possible to retain a Denver injury lawyer on an hourly or flat-fee basis, contingency fee arrangements offer several important benefits – especially in personal injury cases.
First, a contingency fee agreement eliminates the financial barrier to hiring an attorney. You don’t have to save thousands of dollars to pay a retainer or worry about receiving a large monthly invoice. This is particularly important when you may already be out of work after an accident and dealing with medical bills, lost wages, and other financial challenges.
Second, contingency fee arrangements eliminate the risk of pursuing legal action. You can consult with a Denver personal injury attorney at no cost and with no obligation. If the lawyer does not win your case or secure compensation, then you will owe nothing for their services. This means that you can seek justice for your injuries without worrying about wasting money on an unsuccessful claim.
Third, because personal injury law firms only get paid if you do, they are highly motivated to exclusively take cases that have strong merit. This ensures that your lawyer believes in your claim and feels confident about your chances of obtaining a recovery.
Fourth, contingency fee arrangements align your interests with your lawyer’s interests. Both you and your attorney benefit from a successful outcome, and you both want the case resolved for the highest amount possible. Since your lawyer’s fee is tied directly to your recovery, they are incentivized to secure the best possible result.
Finally, with a contingency fee attorney, you can level the playing field. The at-fault party will almost always be backed by an insurance company with significant resources, including adjusters and defense lawyers. When you have skilled legal representation of your own, you greatly improve your chances of obtaining a fair and meaningful settlement.
Genco Injury Attorneys handles a wide range of personal injury matters on a contingency fee basis, including:
- ATV accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Car accidents
- Dog bites
- Emergency vehicle accidents
- Golf cart accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slips and falls (premises liability)
- Rideshare accidents
- Truck accidents
- Wrongful death
If you have suffered injustice in any type of accident, our team is here to help. Reach out to our law offices today to schedule a free consultation with a Denver contingency fee lawyer.
What Will My Contingency Fee Lawyer Do to Advocate for Me?
A Denver contingency fee attorney is no different than any other type of lawyer. They are still obligated to zealously represent you and advocate for your best interests. The only difference is in how they are paid for their services.
When you hire our law firm, we will get to work right away to build the strongest possible case for compensation. As part of our work, we will:
- Evaluate the strength of your case and offer you an estimate of the rough value of your claim
- Investigate your case to prove liability. This typically includes:
- Interviewing witnesses
- Collecting medical records from your providers
- Requesting accident and police reports
- Gathering photos and videos of the accident scene
- Analyzing insurance policies
- Consulting with experts in the field
- Drafting a demand letter and filing a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company
- Handling all communications with the insurance company
- Negotiating with the insurance adjuster to try to reach a fair settlement
- Advising you on any settlement offers
- Preparing and filing a lawsuit to protect your legal rights
- Conducting discovery to gather additional evidence to support your case
- Presenting your case to a jury and asking it to return a verdict in your favor
These services are all part of our standard contingency fee agreement. We will work diligently to help you get the best possible outcome for your claim.
In most cases, a personal injury claim will be resolved outside of court. If the insurance company won’t offer you a fair settlement, then we will prepare your case for trial. Throughout the process, we will keep you updated on the status of your case and communicate with you about how you want to move forward.
Being hurt in an accident can be scary and overwhelming. Our law firm is here to help. We will fight to get you maximum compensation for your injuries, allowing you to focus on your health and well-being. With our contingency fee arrangements, you won’t have to worry about how you’ll pay for a lawyer. Contact us at any time for a free consultation.
How Our Law Firm Can Help
Contingency fee arrangements make top-tier legal representation accessible to everyone, regardless of financial circumstances. With this fee structure, you will pay nothing up front and will only pay a fee if your lawyer recovers money for you. You can also avoid the stress of high hourly attorney fees, allowing you to focus on healing and rebuilding your life after an accident.
With offices in Denver, Aurora, and Colorado Springs, Genco Injury Lawyers represent clients throughout Denver, Arapahoe, Adams, Douglas, and El Paso Counties. Every personal injury case we handle is taken on a contingency fee basis, which means that you will never pay a fee unless we recover money for you. To learn more or to schedule a free initial consultation with a Denver contingency fee lawyer, call our law offices at 303-500-1376 or fill out our online contact form.