A contingency fee arrangement allows you to retain the Arnold Law firm at no cost. People who are injured through the fault of others often face a loss of income and accumulating medical bills. Anyone in this situation should have access to top-tier legal representation regardless of ability to pay, which is why the contingency fee is the standard in the personal injury field of law. Under this arrangement, The Arnold Law Firm advances the legal costs associated with your case, and we do not get paid and do not recover our costs until you have received an award or settlement.
When and how much we are paid are based upon the results we obtain for you. When we succeed in obtaining your compensation by jury verdict, arbitration award, or settlement, we take a set percentage, known as the “contingency”, from the amount recovered as payment for our attorney fees. If we do not recover compensation for you, the Arnold Law Firm does not seek reimbursement of the costs advanced on your behalf, and you owe nothing in return.
Since no money is charged up front, contingency fees allow more people access to the legal process without taking a financial risk they may not be able to afford.
Insurance companies have significant financial resources and will go to great lengths to pay as little on a claim as possible. Charging no money up front gives you a fighting chance for justice against these big corporations.
This meeting is your opportunity to discuss your claim with a licensed attorney without obligation. We also use this time to explain the costs, including our percentage, and how and when our fees are charged.
At the end of this meeting you can choose to walk away. However, if you hire our firm, both you and your attorney will need to sign a contract before any work can begin. This document lays out our fees and services, and your attorney will carefully go through each item and answer any questions you may have.
The legal process concludes when your attorney successfully negotiates a settlement or wins a verdict through a trial. At that time, our firm will give you a final statement detailing the total compensation and our fees, which are defined by the contract signed at the beginning of your case.
Your attorney will review the closing statement with you and help you resolve any outstanding debts that get paid from your compensation. After all fees and other debts are paid, you will receive the remaining compensation.
No money is paid out until you and your attorney sign the closing statement.
Some types of attorneys do not advance costs and fees until the end of the legal process. They use a payment schedule that requires a significant retainer before accepting your case, typically an amount in the thousands of dollars. After that, the attorney charges a fixed hourly fee on an ongoing basis as work is performed, often at hundreds of dollars per hour.
When you are considering your legal options, we understand that you may have many questions. To get the answers you need, we recommend scheduling a free consultation with one of our licensed personal injury attorneys.
At the Arnold Law Firm, we have decades of legal experience. We have obtained more than $250,000,000 in compensation for injured clients throughout Sacramento. Contact our office to learn more.
Schedule your free, no-obligation consultation by phone or simply complete our online contact form to get started.
A 20-year-old man who had been married for just 12 days left home on his way to work. He was driving on Pleasant Grove Road in Sutter County in the early morning when he came upon a slow-moving truck. As he pulled out to pass the truck, the truck driver turned left in front of him. The young man attempted to steer back into his lane but his vehicle struck an un-flagged piece of metal extending from the back of the truck. He died in the resulting crash.
Expert witnesses brought in by the Arnold Law Firm proved that the truck, owned and operated by a hauling firm, should never have been on the highway that morning. Specifically, the rear and side turn signals did not work and the rear-view mirror was in a poor state of adjustment at the time of the collision. As a result, the driver, who had failed to properly inspect the vehicle before setting out that morning, couldn’t see the young man’s vehicle as it attempted to pass.
The poor condition of the truck, its lack of maintenance and the manner in which it was operated were found to be substantial factors in causing the collision that killed the young man. The testimony also established that the man had been making a lawful pass at the lawful speed limit and acted reasonably when he attempted to avoid the collision.
The man’s 20-year-old widow was awarded $3,767,000.77, his parents were awarded $185,131 and the family was reimbursed $11,899 in funeral expenses. Though money is a poor substitute for a young man’s life, this verdict demonstrates that drivers who endanger the lives of others will be held accountable for their actions.