Hawk Law Group | May 24, 2023 | Personal Injury
The cost of suing someone for a personal injury is a concern that prevents many people from contacting an Augusta personal injury lawyer. However, the truth is that it might not cost you any money to sue someone in Georgia. Additionally, the court might make the person you sue pay your court costs for filing a personal injury lawsuit.
While it is true that filing a lawsuit can be costly and time-consuming, many personal injury victims do not pay any attorney’s fees or other charges during the process. Instead, the at-fault party who caused their injury or their insurance provider pays the costs of the lawsuit as part of a personal injury settlement or a jury verdict. It all depends on the circumstances and facts of your case.
What Is the Cost of a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Georgia?
Before we discuss how you can hire an Augusta personal injury lawyer without paying any money upfront for attorney’s fees, it helps to understand more about the costs of suing someone in Georgia for an accident or personal injury.
The typical costs of filing a personal injury lawsuit in Georgia include, but are not limited to:
- The fees for legal services provided by a personal injury lawyer.
- The court’s filing fee for filing a complaint. Personal injury lawsuits are filed with the Superior Court.
- Fees for service of the complaint on the opposing parties.
- The costs of discovery, which could include fees for subpoenas, depositions, records, expert witnesses, investigators, and more.
- Trial preparation costs, including preparing exhibits to present to the court.
Additional costs might arise during the case. For example, there could be costs for transportation and lodging for witnesses. In addition, your attorney might also incur travel costs.
How Do You Pay the Costs of Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Georgia?
First and foremost, it does not cost you anything to meet with a personal injury lawyer in Augusta to discuss your case. Most attorneys in the field offer a free consultation. Therefore, you can get answers to your questions and learn about the process of pursuing a personal injury claim without paying anything for our legal advice.
Second, most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. Therefore, hiring a personal injury lawyer does not cost you any upfront fees.
How Do Contingency Fees Work in an Augusta Personal Injury Case?
Contingency fees are a standard method of billing clients for personal injury cases. Instead of charging a retainer fee and billing the client by the hour, the attorney agrees to payment based on a percentage of the personal injury recovery. Therefore, you do not pay any upfront attorney’s fees and pay nothing for legal services if your attorney does not recover money for your case.
Contingency fees place the burden of getting paid on the personal injury attorney. They do not get paid if they do not win the case. Therefore, attorneys usually take cases they believe they can win.
When you hire the law firm, you agree to pay the attorney a percentage of your award. The percentage change based on whether the lawyer settles the case before or after filing a lawsuit. At the end of the case, your attorney deducts the agreed-upon fee from the settlement proceeds before issuing you a net settlement check.
Who Pays the Costs of a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Georgia?
The costs of the case must be paid as they are incurred. Therefore, most personal injury law firms agree to pay these costs throughout the case. You agree to reimburse the lawyers for these costs from the settlement proceeds.
In some situations, the costs of the case might be recovered as damages in a lawsuit. Economic damages are the expenses related to the accident or injury.
Your lawyer might argue that filing the lawsuit was necessary because the other party refused to agree to a reasonable settlement. Therefore, the court should award you an amount equal to the costs so that you do not bear the burden of paying the costs to file a lawsuit when you were the injured party.
Is Suing Someone In Georgia for a Personal Injury Worth the Cost?
The actual cost of suing someone varies significantly depending on the facts of the case. An experienced Augusta personal injury lawyer advises you on the pros and cons of filing a personal injury lawsuit to help you decide what to do.
An attorney often settles a personal injury case without filing a lawsuit. Even if you file a lawsuit, you might not go to trial. Many lawsuits settle after the parties complete the discovery phase of the lawsuit process.
The best way to know how much it would cost to sue someone for an accident or injury is to talk with a personal injury lawyer in Georgia.
Contact the Personal Injury Lawyers In the Central Savannah River Area at Hawk Law Group for Legal Assistance Today
For more information, please contact the personal injury lawyers at Hawk Law Group at our nearest location to schedule a free consultation today.
We serve throughout the Central Savannah River Area and its surrounding areas:
Hawk Law Group – Augusta, GA
338 Telfair St, Augusta, GA 30901, United States
(706) 722 3500
Hawk Law Group – Evans, GA
4384 River Watch Pkwy, Evans, GA 30809, United States
(706) 863 6500
Hawk Law Group – Thomson, GA
146 Railroad St A, Thomson, GA 30824, United States
(706) 361 0350
Hawk Law Group – Waynesboro, GA
827 Liberty St, Waynesboro, GA 30830, United States
(706) 437 9122
Hawk Law Group – Aiken County, SC
156 Laurens St NW, Aiken, SC 29801, United States
(803) 226 9089
We also serve in Edgefield County, SC.
