How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost in Boston?

Almost 30K people were fatally injured in car accidents across the country during the first 9 months of 2024. Although the stats show a 4% decrease in the overall death rate compared to the previous years, over 1.5 million crashes happen on a yearly basis. Most accidents leave the injured parties dealing with financial, physical, and mental problems. A professional car accident lawyer can take at least a fraction of these burdens off the victim’s shoulders.

However, additional costs in the form of personal injury attorney’s fees may intensify the pressure. Today, we’ll answer the question: How much does car accident lawyer cost?

What Is a Contingency Fee in a Car Accident Case?

Professional auto accident attorneys like Michael Kelly Injury Lawyers believe that expert legal assistance should be available to anyone. That is why they’ve come up with a special payment arrangement referred to as a contingency fee.

While other legal assistants prefer more palpable and upfront payments, a contingency fee basis ensures that an expert gets paid only if the case turns out to be a success. Many car accident clients prefer working with a law firm on this basis since it does not inflict additional expenses on them.

After a car accident lawyer helps to close the case, they can claim within 25% to 40% of the settlement sum. Although the American Bar Association approves a 40% standard for contingency fee arrangements, the exact percentage depends on the following factors:

State regulations
Length of the process
Complexity of the case
Trial

A personal injury lawsuit that requires mediation, arbitration, or any other third-party interference will cost more than a single-negotiation claim settled amicably.

All in all, working on a contingency fee not only eliminates any upfront payments but also such a formula is beneficial in terms of increasing the final reimbursement. An experienced car accident lawyer can evaluate the past and future losses to the letter, maximizing the outcome of your compensation claim.

Example of a Contingency Fee in a Car Accident Case

To make matters a little clearer, let’s discuss a potential car accident contingency fee amount. After you’ve been in a car crash, a trained Boston personal injury lawyer will assess your medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and the emotional trauma caused by the incident.

Suppose your average car accident settlement makes $100K, and you’ve agreed on a 35% contingency fee. In that case, the legal expert will get $25K paid for their services, while the remaining $75K will be sent to you to cover your financial losses.

Usually, personal injury attorneys start with the claim evaluation, and based on preliminary case estimation, they will tell you the precise contingency fee percentage for which they are ready to work.

Other Types of Car Accident Lawyer Fee Arrangements

A contingency fee isn’t the single option that Boston car accident lawyers can offer these days. There are various types of payment arrangements to choose from so that every victim’s personal needs are taken into account. Most personal injury law firms try to stay as flexible as possible. Aside from the already mentioned contingency fee option, there are also retainer fees, hourly fees, flat fees, and hybrid fees.

If you don’t know which option suits your case best, it is always a good idea to consult a reliable legal representative. Michael Kelly Injury Lawyers have a free consultation option available. All it takes is to reach out to one of the legal representatives and share the details of your claim. After the experts evaluate the case, they will tell you the most beneficial variant to opt for. Keep in mind the evaluation process does not force you into mandatory cooperation.

To give you a better understanding of your options, we’ll outline the major payment arrangements to ask for so that you can make an informed decision if you or your loved ones end up in such a situation.

Retainer Fee

Unlike a contingency fee, a retainer payment means that you have to pay for legal assistance upfront. A retainer fee is a form of secured deposit sent to a trust account held by the firm. As a car accident lawyer continues to work on your case, the funds will be deducted from the account to cover various services that the lawyer performs.

The retainer fee depends on the attorney’s experience, hourly rate, complexity of the case, and other subsequent details. Sometimes, the client needs to make additional payments if the account runs dry and the case isn’t over yet.

Hourly Fee

Some car accident lawsuits work at an hourly rate. It means that they get paid for every minute spent working on the personal injury case. If a car accident lawyer costs $100 per hour and they spend 12 hours on your car accident case, they will receive $1200 in payment.

While this is a popular payment arrangement that ensures fair compensation for provided services, it is hard to determine how much you will have to spend on legal representation in general. A minor car accident claim may not be worth the expenses.

Flat or Fixed Fee

Sometimes legal work is priced in flat or fixed fees. A flat fee means that there is a precise cost assigned to a specific service. Usually, this type of legal charge is applied to simple claims or routine tasks such as wills, contracts, tickets, etc.

A fixed fee may also cover general legal advice that an attorney can provide. However, most car accident cases require an individual approach, so the chances that an accident lawyer will come up with a precise cost of their services reflected in a fixed fee are slim.

Hybrid Fee

As the name suggests, a hybrid fee is a combination of two or more legal fees in one. Such a fee is often associated with potential legal complexities that even an experienced car accident attorney can’t predict.

To give you a better idea of what a hybrid fee is, let’s say that your legal advisor works on an hourly fee, but they agree to reduce it, topping it with a certain percentage of a contingency fee, usually a smaller one. The combinations will vary from firm to firm. You should always inquire about the possibility and ask the car accident lawyer to explain in detail how their variations work.

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Main Costs and Expenses in an Average Car Accident Case

Aside from the attorney’s fees, other expenses arise during the settlement of a Boston car accident case. While legal representatives cover these costs on their own, they will be deducted from the final compensation that the car accident victim recovers. These expenses include, but are not limited to, the following:

Filing fees: The costs of filing the paperwork necessary to initiate or proceed with a personal injury case.
Expert fees: Any additional expert testimony on the causes of the accident, reliability of existing medical records, or other professional evaluations.
Evidence fees: Acquisition of valuable proof, such as police reports, surveillance footage, and other critical document preparation costs.

Sometimes, a car accident attorney can even negotiate medical expenses for the injured party. This is called a medical lien. Since a victim can’t hold the at-fault party accountable until the case is over, their legal representative can ask local medical providers to deduct the full cost of their medical bills after the case is successfully resolved. In case the claim is denied, all medical treatment costs will be covered by the injured victim’s health insurance over a pre-set period.

Additional Costs and Expenses That Could Appear in Car Accident Case

In case any additional expenses arise during the process, the car accident lawyer will pay them upfront. Such an approach ensures that there’s no additional financial pressure inflicted on the victim trying to heal and recover from their car accident injuries.

Additional personal injury claim expenses may cover the following costs:

Postal services while exchanging official offers and reports
Mediation costs when the parties can’t reach an agreement
Mock trial expenses associated with different strategy testing when it comes to the trial process
Telephone charges while negotiating with the other driver’s insurance company
Appeal costs if the case can’t be resolved during the trial
Out-of-pocket expenses initiated by car accident victims

There may be other charges depending on the complexity of the case. Usually, a trained car accident lawyer can predict at least some of them during the case evaluation stage.

Can You Settle a Case Without a Car Accident Lawyer?

Short answer: yes, you can settle your case without a lawyer, but only if it is a minor incident and it seems more cost-efficient to try and resolve it on your own. However, even seemingly straightforward claims may contain potential threats and affect the compensation amount you recover. For instance:

Lowball offers: Some insurance companies manipulate car accident victims into accepting minimal reimbursements by taking the first step. They offer an initial compensation to ‘ease’ your life and avoid the ‘negotiation’ hassle. If you are working on the case alone and have little legal background, you may unknowingly accept a payment that is a lot lower than you deserve.
Out-of-the-context statements: Not everyone knows what to do after a car accident. Sometimes, people make minor comments or remarks, especially when communicating with a car insurance company for the first time. These remarks can be used against you to reduce or reject your claim.
Shared liability: To decrease the settlement, the at-fault parties may try to inflict a portion of liability onto the victim. A committed car accident lawyer will help you build a solid case that deflects the accusations and ensures that you recover the compensation you deserve.

Is It Worth to Hire a Boston Car Accident Lawyer?

Working with a skilled personal injury lawyer is beneficial on multiple levels. Not only do they possess the legal expertise necessary to win the case, but they also take off the burden of dealing with the negotiations and other stages of the settlement process while you recover from the injuries sustained:

Damage assessment

A good legal advisor knows how to calculate all the damages sustained in an accident. They will assess past and future costs of your physical injuries, emotional traumas such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and loss of joy in life, along with other material losses.
Evidence acquisition

Most lawyers have extended access to all sorts of documents and other proof that supports your innocence in the eyes of the court of law. They will investigate the accident scene, request official reports, gather witness statements, and attain digital evidence to build a strong case and recover maximum compensation.
Deadline maintaining

Every state has an official timeframe for filing the claim and reimbursing your damages and losses in full. A skilled attorney will ensure that all the deadlines are preserved so that your claim does not get rejected.
Settlement review

Once the insurer sends the settlement offer, a legal representative will assess it to determine how fair it is. They will deny lowball offers working in their client’s best interests.

Contact Our Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation Today!

The stressful aftermath of the crash makes you want to get over the whole deal as soon as possible. A well-versed Boston car accident lawyer will help you defend your rights and settle for the fairest reimbursement you deserve with as little of your involvement as possible.

Our expert legal team cares for a plausible outcome for every case that we take on, and our proven track record reflects our efforts. We care about every client’s comfort and well-being.

Contact us for a free case review today, and Michael Kelly Injury Lawyers will point you toward justice and go every step of the way with you!