Common Questions / Fees & Costs
What does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?
Nothing upfront. Personal injury cases run on contingency fees: the lawyer is paid a percentage of the recovery, commonly one-third before suit and forty percent after, and if there is no recovery, you owe no attorney's fee. Case expenses are separate and are typically advanced by the firm.
How a contingency fee works
A contingency fee ties the lawyer's payment to the result. Instead of hourly bills, the firm receives an agreed percentage of whatever it recovers for you, commonly one-third if the case resolves before a lawsuit is filed and forty percent after filing, when the work multiplies. The percentage, and when each rate applies, is stated in a written contract you sign at the start, as Texas requires. If the case recovers nothing, you owe no attorney's fee. The arrangement exists for a simple reason: it lets an injured person with no money hire the same caliber of lawyer the insurance company has, and it means your lawyer profits only when you do.
Fees versus expenses
The fee is the lawyer's percentage. Expenses are the out-of-pocket costs of building the case: court filing fees, medical records charges, deposition transcripts, expert witnesses, exhibits. Firms typically advance these so the case never stalls for lack of funds, and they are reimbursed from the recovery. Ask any lawyer you interview two questions: are expenses deducted before or after the fee percentage is calculated, and what happens to advanced expenses if the case is lost. The answers belong in the written contract, not in a hallway assurance.
The settlement statement: where it all becomes visible
At resolution, before any money moves, you receive a settlement statement itemizing the gross recovery, the fee, each advanced expense, each medical bill and lien and what it was negotiated down to, and the net amount to you. You approve it before disbursement. A firm confident in its numbers welcomes questions about that document; treat reluctance to explain any line as the warning it is.
Is the percentage worth it?
The honest measure is not the fee, it is the net. Insurance industry studies and everyday experience point the same direction: represented claimants recover substantially more than unrepresented ones, usually by far more than the fee, because carriers price files based on the consequences of saying no. The consultation that starts the analysis is free, and so is walking away from it.
Injured in Arizona? Some rules on this page are Texas-specific. Arizona differs on points that change outcomes, including pure comparative fault and government-claim deadlines. See our Arizona answers or call (888) 508-6967.
Related: What Is My Case Worth? · About Silver Key Law · Submit Your Case · All Common Questions
This page is general information about Texas law, not legal advice about your specific situation. Deadlines and outcomes depend on facts; talk to a lawyer about yours.
Free Consultation
Injured in a crash? Tell us what happened.
Call now or send us a short description of the collision. We will listen, explain your options under the law, and give you a straight answer about whether we can help.
Submit Your Case