• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Morgantown, WV Personal Injury Lawyers

Hamstead, Williams & Shook

  • About the Firm
  • Attorneys
  • Practice Areas
    • Personal Injury
      • Negligence
      • Toxic Torts
      • Personal Injury Damages
      • Factors Affecting Damages Awards
    • Auto Accidents
      • Accident Law Overview
      • Auto Accident Causes
      • Automobile Damage FAQ
      • Auto Insurance Coverage
      • Auto Accident Injury Data
      • Passenger Injuries
      • Pedestrian Injuries
      • What To Do After An Auto Accident
      • Morgantown Attorney for Seatbelt Issues
      • Auto Accident Fatality Charts
    • Truck Accidents
      • Large Truck Accident Data
    • Brain Injury
      • TBI Data
      • Experts Involved In Treating And Proving TBI
      • Indications of TBI
      • Proving Traumatic Brain Injury
    • Spinal Cord Injury
      • Damages In SCI Cases
      • Effects of Spinal Chord Injury
      • Preventing Spinal Cord Injuries
    • Insurance Bad Faith
      • Bad Faith: Insurance Adjusters
    • Nursing Home Abuse
      • Nursing Home Checklist
      • Government Regulation of Nursing Homes
      • Jury Verdicts / Settlements in Nursing Home Cases Around the Country
    • Dog Bite Injury
      • Dog Bites
      • Dog Bite Injury Data
      • Preventing Dog Bites
    • Drunk Drivers
      • Drunk Driving Data
      • Drunk Driving FAQ
      • Blood Alcohol Levels
    • Bus Accidents
      • School Bus Accidents
      • Bus Accident Charts
    • Slip & Fall
      • Property Owner’s Duty
      • What To Do If You Slip And Fall
    • Wrongful Death
      • Damages For Wrongful Death
      • Defenses In A Wrongful Death Suit
      • Death In The Workplace
    • Medical Malpractice
      • Causation
      • Types of Damages
      • Delayed Cancer Diagnosis
      • Establishing A Duty of Medical Care
      • Hospital Liability
      • Informed Consent
      • Types of Malpractice
      • Surgical Complications Indicating Possible Malpractice
    • Workplace Injuries
      • Deliberate Intention
    • Labor and Employment
    • Defective Products
      • What Is Product Liability?
      • Types of Product Defects
      • Defenses to Products Liability Claims
      • Our Strategy in Product Liability Cases
      • Statute of Limitations for Product Liability
    • Social Security Disability
    • Insurance Claims
    • Litigation
    • Motorcycle and Bicycle Accidents
      • Motorcycle Accidents
      • Motorcycle Accident Charts
      • Tips For Preventing Motorcycle Injuries
  • Cases
    • Personal Injury – Motor Vehicle
    • Personal Injury – MOTORCYCLE
    • Personal Injury – PREMISES LIABILITY
    • Personal Injury – DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS
    • Wrongful Death – MOTOR VEHICLE
    • Wrongful Death – DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS
    • Medical Malpractice
    • Employment Termination
  • Legal FAQ
  • Contact
  • Blog

Contingency Fees

Hamstead, Williams & Shook P.L.L.C. accepts most personal injury cases on a contingent fee basis. The contingent fee is the most common form of payment arrangement for plaintiffs seeking representation in personal injury litigation. Instead of billing the plaintiff on an hourly basis, a contingency fee means we are entitled to a percentage of the settlement or trial award, usually one-third. If you do not receive any compensation for damages, our firm is entitled to nothing. The contingent fee is perhaps the one device in law that gives injured people, no matter what their financial means, an even break in the courtroom against giant corporations and insurance companies. Were it not for the contingent fee, people of the middle class or of low economic means would not be able to have their day in court, a constitutional right which corporations and insurance companies fight hard to eliminate.

The “contingent” aspect of the fee means that if there is no recovery, there is no attorney fee owed. There are a number of advantages to this type of fee arrangement, the most obvious of which is the absence of a risk of owing our firm a fee when there has been no recovery. Another important advantage of this type of fee arrangement is the security the client should feel at knowing that Hamstead, Williams & Shook P.L.L.C. has the same incentive as that of the client. The fact that we are willing to handle a client’s case on a contingent fee basis is a reflection of the confidence in our ability to obtain a recovery in the case.

The percentage of the award charged on a contingency fee basis depends upon the type of case. Our attorneys advise our clients up front of all applicable fees and openly address any questions our clients may have. Although one case may demand a higher percentage fee than another, all contingency fees are paid only when there is a monetary recovery on behalf of the client.

Payment of Costs

In connection with handling your case, it is virtually certain that Hamstead, Williams & Shook P.L.L.C. will expend funds on your behalf in order to position the case for settlement and/or trial. Expenses run from fees to copy medical records, fees to file a lawsuit, transcript fees, court reporter fees, expert witness fees, and many others. In complex cases, out of pocket costs to prepare the case for trial can run into tens of thousands or dollars. In most cases, we will advance all fees for you so as to enable you to continue with your case through trial.

Hiring a Lawyer

Before you sign any fee agreement, take time to consider whether you would be comfortable working with this person as your lawyer. Ask yourself whether or not he or she gave you clear and direct information. Will they be available in an emergency? Consider if the attorney spoke knowledgeably and with a minimum of legal terms. Think about whether this lawyer understood and shared your goals. As a client will you be a co-participant or will the lawyer be making all the decisions? Did the attorney give you a phone number in case you have an emergency?

The importance of creating a comfortable working relationship with your lawyer cannot be underestimated. The road to obtaining the results you are seeking may take a long time, and it will require a considerable amount of teamwork to get there. If you make the commitment to find an experienced lawyer with whom you can work jointly under a clearly understandable written fee agreement, you will be well on your way to the best possible result in your case.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Don’t Worry About Your Case Right Now
  • Daylight Savings Time Creates Increased Risk To Drivers
  • Qui Tam Relators and the False Claims Act

Contact Hamstead, Williams & Shook

  • Buckle Your Baby For Life
  • Auto Accident App
  • Video Library
  • Intentional Torts
  • Contingency Fees
  • Terms and Conditions of Use
  • Statute of Limitations
  • State Resources

Copyright © 2021 · Infinity Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in