Have you heard of the word ‘Litigation?” It’s essentially a fancy term for going to court with your personal injury case. The process tends to be expensive and time-consuming. If you and the defense can’t agree on a settlement out of court, you’ll have to go through the expensive and time-consuming process of taking your personal injury case to court. There are many different costs involved. Some of these are:
Lawyer’s fees: You’ll have to pay a lawyer to represent you in court. They generally only get paid if and when you win a settlement. They tend to take 33% of the settlement in fees.
The defense’s legal fees: The defense will probably be defended by a personal injury lawyer in London that his or her insurance company hires. They tend to be salaried and they are very expensive.
Expert witness fees: You will probably need at least a few expert witnesses to solidify your case and arguments in court. These experts are very expensive (as a general rule.) You also may need several expert witnesses to support the merits of your case and to provide extra evidence to the judge and jury that will help you win your case.
Admin fees: There are admin fees that you’ll have to pay. These include transcription, messaging, copying, and delivery costs. You’ll also need to hire a court reporter to take detailed and accurate records and do the right documentation of everything that happened during court.
Court filing fees: The personal injury lawyer will tell you that you’ll have to pay court fees. You’ll also have to pay fees for filing your case in court. These can add up to be tens of thousands of dollars depending on how complex and extensive the personal injury case is.
Miscellaneous expenses: These include the cost of flying witnesses out, renting cars, and other miscellaneous costs that are related to the case.
Cost of a typical court case
This tends to vary as all court cases are different. However, a typical personal injury case that goes to court can easily cost at least $100,000.
Cost in time
Personal injury cases can drag on for years. Therefore, it can be a long while before you see your settlement money.
Personal injury lawyers are on your side and they will represent your rights with an insurance adjuster. Now that you know what you should and should not be saying to an insurance adjuster, it’s time to work with your lawyer so that you can get the settlement that you deserve. A good lawyer is on your side. He or she will help you navigate through the deposition process.