Retaining a truck accident lawyer is one of the best things you can do after you seek medical treatment for your injuries. An Oklahoma motor vehicle accident lawyer will provide you with exceptional legal representation on a contingency fee basis. You will not be required to make any down payments to obtain legal representation, and you will only have to pay for an attorney’s services if a settlement or judgment is obtained on your behalf.
Contingency Fee Agreements and Truck Accident Cases
A contingency fee agreement is the standard mechanism used to help injured victims obtain legal representation in truck accident cases. In other areas of legal practice, attorneys may use hourly fees or retainer fees to obtain payment for their services. However, in personal injury cases, the attorney is only financially compensated if a settlement or judgment is obtained on the injured party’s behalf.
The Oklahoma truck accident attorney deducts their fee from the total settlement or judgment amount at the conclusion of the case. If your attorney does not obtain financial compensation in your case, then you do not have to pay any legal fees. This fee arrangement benefits both parties, and it motivates lawyers to do their best to obtain monetary compensation for clients.
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SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY TODAYHourly Fees and Retainer Fee Agreements
Attorneys may charge on an hourly basis for performing legal work on other types of cases. Also, some lawyers will charge retainer fees, particularly in the field of criminal defense, that cover all the legal work to be performed up until the point of the trial. However, in personal injury cases, the majority of attorneys use contingency fee agreements to receive monetary compensation for their services.
It is recommended that you read through any fee agreement that is applicable to your case. You need to make sure that you ask your attorney any questions you have about specific provisions contained in the contingency fee agreement. Also, if you want to have a different attorney review the contingency fee agreement, this can also help you make the best decision regarding your legal representation.
The Work Performed by a Truck Accident Lawyer
Truck accident lawyers perform a wide array of tasks during the course of a personal injury case. It is impossible for any attorney to know at the outset of a case how much work will be required to take the case to settlement or trial. Every legal case is unique, and no two cases have the same set of facts, so some injured victims may need to take specific steps after a truck accident.
Truck accident lawyers will have to draft a complaint and file it with the correct court to initiate the civil lawsuit. But before this happens, the lawyer will need to conduct preliminary research about the case and similar cases that have been settled or gone to trial in the past. The discovery phase of the case will take up months of time because this is when both parties learn the essential facts of the case.
Interrogatories, Requests for Production, Depositions, and Other Discovery Tools
The discovery phase entails the exchange of information and documents between parties. The various discovery tools are used to make sure that both parties do not destroy evidence or attempt to hide important facts that relate to liability. Depositions may last hours, and the deponent is questioned under oath by an attorney.
The deponent’s lawyer will object to specific questions and protect the deponent’s legal interests. It may seem confusing to you to understand everything about the discovery process, but it is essentially a fact-gathering process whereby both parties request information from each other. The discovery phase can take up a considerable amount of time and resources.
Legal Research and Writing
Truck accident cases often involve complex insurance policies, safety guidelines, and state regulations. A large majority of an attorney’s time is taken up with reading and writing complex documents. Attorneys need to conduct legal research and writing almost constantly throughout the entirety of a truck accident case.
Oftentimes, associates and law clerks conduct a large amount of rudimentary legal research. The attorney has more time to prepare for depositions and other important tasks that require hours of preparation. The costs of legal research and writing can add up quickly during a truck accident case.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Alternative dispute resolution is an important element of any truck accident case. The majority of civil lawsuits settle before trial, and this is primarily due to the effectiveness of alternative dispute resolution. It is important to understand the differences between settlement negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.
The discovery phase will gradually fade into the pre-trial phase of the case. A civil lawsuit may settle at any time, even on the eve of trial. Therefore, the parties may participate in mediation or arbitration to settle the case before trial.
Retaining Expert Witnesses
One of the most expensive aspects of a civil lawsuit is paying for expert witnesses to produce reports that can be used at trial. Each expert may require an initial retainer and then hourly fees based on the time it takes each expert to produce their reports. These costs may add up quickly, and this can make complex truck accident cases extremely expensive to litigate.
If a truck accident case goes to trial, it is essential that your attorney retain expert witnesses. Defense counsel will hire their own expert witnesses, and it can be difficult to succeed if the plaintiff’s lawyer does not have their expert witnesses lined up early on in the case. Many personal injury lawyers have to spend a considerable amount of time and money on expert witnesses.
Contact BDIW Law Today to Schedule a Free Consultation
Truck accident cases often involve multiple defendants. Our attorneys have experience representing clients in truck accident cases. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation during which we can discuss the facts of your case.
The costs of a truck accident case may be extensive depending on the nature of the accident. We will be there for you every step of the way throughout the whole of your truck accident case. Reach out today so we can help you understand the legal options available to you.
