Today's topic is contingency fees and how do you afford to pay your attorney if you have been involved in a serious accident?

So many people who contact our Florida personal injury law firm have just been involved in a serious accident, whether it's a car accident, motorcycle accident or a slip and fall accident, and they are dealing with medical and health issues, and are usually worried and concerned.   So how do you afford an attorney after a serious accident or injury?

How Can I Afford to Hire an Attorney for My Accident?
One of the biggest concerns people have is, how can I afford to pay for an attorney when I have to worry about paying my next bills, healthcare expenses, rent or mortgage, etc.   The answer is the Contingency Fee Agreement, so you do not pay anything up front and only pay if your attorney recovers money for you.  
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What Is A Contingency Fee Agreement?
You may have seen or heard advertisements where attorneys describe that they don't get paid unless you win your case, sometimes described as No Win, No Fee or You Pay Us Nothing Unless We Recover Money For You or otherwise refer to a contingency fee agreement. What they're all talking about is really the same thing, a contingency fee agreement, which means that you do not pay your attorney any fees unless they recover money for you at the conclusion of your case.  It is actually really that simple.  

With a traditional attorney contract, an attorney would typically get paid by the hour, and many attorneys in Florida charge hundreds of dollars per hour for their services.   With an hourly rate, the client pays for all the time spent on the file, including every call, or email, and anytime the attorney or staff work on your file.  The client is also billed as the case progresses.   A contingency fee agreement with a Florida personal injury attorney is completely different than a traditional lawyer contract.  

What Is Covered In A Florida Contingency Fee Agreement?
In our Florida personal injury law firm, you will not get any bills from us while your case is proceeding.  That means you will not receive bills for phone calls, meetings, letters, or any of the time that your attorney spends on advancing your case. You never have to be concerned with getting a bill for the many hours that we work for you. 

Also, our personal injury law firm will advance all of the expenses to necessary to succeed in your case. These expenses can include the cost of retrieving medical records, filing fees at the courthouse, process servers for serving documents, transcript costs, among other things.   Your attorney can describe the types of expenses that will usually be necessary in claims like yours.  At the end of the case, these expenses will be paid from the settlement money.  

You never need to worry about how much time your attorney and their staff have spent on your case.  You never have to fear that your attorney's bill is going to exceed the value of your case because your bill will be very clear.  The fees to your personal injury attorney at our Florida firm are based on a percentage that you and your attorney agreed upon at the beginning when you hired your attorney.  At that very first meeting or whenever you decide to hire your attorney, the percentage will be explained to you.  So at the end of the case, you will only be paying attorney's fees based on the percentage that you've already agreed upon. 

Contingency Fees Are Regulated in Florida
It's also important to note that in Florida, the contingency fee agreement is regulated by the state bar association. This helps to protect the client, and makes the contingency fee agreement clear and understandable.
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Equal Access To Justice
With a contingency fee agreement, you don't have to worry about whether or not you can afford to hire the best Florida personal injury attorney for you.  You can hire the best lawyer for you right now without having to worry about paying a retainer or fees up front.  

Have Questions? Contact us today for a Free Consultation!
If you've recently been involved in a Florida accident, and you're wondering whether you should speak to an attorney, call us for a Free Consultation.  Learn more about the contingency fee agreement and how we can help you.  Our Florida injury law firm serves all of Florida and we are available 24/7 at 1-866-234-6093.  
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In our latest video, Florida personal injury attorney Andrew Iacobelli discusses important steps to take following an auto accident.  You can read the transcript of the video here, or watch the video below or on our YouTube page to learn more.  Of course, if you have more questions following an auto accident in Florida, contact our office to request a Free Consultation so that you can make informed decisions for your future.  


What You Need to Do After An Auto Accident
In this episode, we're going to be talking about motor vehicle accidents and specifically the five most important things you can do for yourself following an accident. By doing these things, you can protect yourself in the event that you have to bring your claim later.

Hi, I'm Andrew Iacobelli. I'm a personal injury lawyer with Iacobelli Law Firm.
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On this show, we're going to be talking about your rights after a serious accident or injury so that you can be informed to make better decisions for yourself and your family, for now and in the future. 

Call emergency services
So the first thing you want to do following a motor vehicle accident is call emergency services. Dial 911 so the accident's reported immediately. If you need an ambulance, let them know if somebody is hurt.

Get a police report
The second thing to do after an accident is make sure you get a police report. Insurance companies will fight if the accident is not reported to the police and people can change their stories later. So you definitely want the police there and you want the accident reported at the time of the collision. The police officers will come out to the scene. They will observe the location of the vehicles, the property damage. They will have the opportunity to interview each of the involved parties, the other driver or drivers. And if there are any witnesses, the police will speak to the witnesses and record their versions of events. There are situations where someone gets in an accident and they might feel it's not necessary to call the police. The other driver comes out of the car very apologetic, sincere, saying, "I'm sorry for causing the accident. We don't need to call police. Let's just exchange information." That's a really common scenario. The problem with that is that this nice person later on, in the absence of a police report, has an opportunity to change their story. And we've seen that happen time and time again. If a claim happens later against their insurance company, suddenly these people will change their version of events. And without the benefit of the police report, it becomes your word against theirs, and it will really complicate your ability to recover and succeed in your claim. So it's vitally important to report the accident to the police as soon as possible, even if the other driver seems like a really nice person.
 
Identify witnesses
Number three, identify witnesses. So if people come to you after the accident and identify themselves as having seen the accident and tell you they saw it and they know you're not at fault, make sure you get their information. You obviously want to thank those people for sticking around. But get their contact information so their name, a telephone number, if possible, an address. Because although we want the police to interview all these people, sometimes they don't. Or sometimes the interview is not fulsome enough. So later on, if there's any dispute as to how the accident happened, these witnesses can have a really strong effect on the success of your claim.

Take photographs
Number four, if you're able to at the scene of the accident, stand back and take photographs of the cars or the vehicles involved so that the photographs capture the location of the vehicles relative to intersections and lane-ways and things like that. You want to photograph the property damage. If the impact was to the rear of your car, to the side of your car, to the front. You want to photograph your vehicle and the damage to the vehicle, as well as the damage to the other involved vehicles. Later on, if there's ever a claim and there's ever an argument or a dispute about who's at fault or how the events unfolded that resulted in this crash, the images of the accident scene are going to be vitally important. They can be utilized by engineers for accident reconstruction, and sometimes just seeing the photographs is enough to eliminate all doubt with respect to who is at fault. Again, going back to even if the other driver is really sincere at the scene about accepting responsibility, things change over time. Sadly, sometimes people's view and version of events change. And that could be because of memory, or it could be because they're just not being truthful. So having those photographs will protect you in the event you ever need to establish how the accident happened. 

Seek medical attention
Number five, this is critically important after an accident. Seek medical attention as soon as you can. Do not delay. Now, this is important even if you might not feel that injured. You might be feeling that you're just going to get better. No matter how minor the injuries might appear at that time, go and seek medical attention. Injuries can sometimes worsen over time. Sometimes serious injuries aren't immediately noticeable. And so it's really important that if you're feeling any symptoms, go and get checked out. Go to a hospital or an urgent care clinic as soon as you can to get checked out. After an accident, people's adrenaline is high. Emotions are high. And sometimes even really serious injuries are not readily apparent. So, number one, it's for your health. That's priority. But also, if injuries emerge and symptoms emerge days or weeks following the accident, failure to seek medical attention will be used against you by the insurance company. The insurance company will look at this as proof that your injuries were either not significant or that they didn't exist at all because if you had injuries, they would expect you to have gone to see a doctor. Take stock of all of your symptoms and all of your injuries and make sure that those are all reported to your health care providers as soon as you can.

Closing remarks
I would encourage you to follow these five steps because they're very important if you ever have to make any claims. So following a motor vehicle accident, you will have the right in most instances to make a claim. Sometimes those are with your own insurance, and sometimes it involves an insurance company for the at-fault party. But either way, these insurance companies, they'll use every opportunity to minimize and sometimes even defeat the claim entirely. So to wipe out the claim.

Don't put yourself in a situation where you're fighting with insurance companies unnecessarily. Take these steps and you'll have a much more straightforward, I'm not going to say necessarily easier, but a much more straightforward ability to advance your claims should you need to.

If you've been recently involved in a car accident, you probably have even more questions. Feel free to give us a call at any time.

We're available 24-7. We offer free consultations. We'll answer your questions. You can find our contact information in the show notes below.`

Yes, under Florida law, you can still bring a claim and recover damages (money) even if you are partially at fault for the accident.  Florida is a comparative negligence jurisdiction, which means that everyone's fault for the accident can be assessed.  This means, if you bring a claim for your injuries following a Florida car accident, the defendant and/or their insurance company may be able to get a discount if you are also partially responsible for causing the accident.  For instance, consider a situation where someone  turned left at an intersection on a stale yellow or red light and the other car in the crash ran through the red light and t-boned your vehicle. This is a situation where a court may determine that both driver's share some responsibility for the crash. If the injured person is found to be 40% at fault for the crash, then the injured person can only recover 60% of their claim against the the other vehicle and driver.  They will lose out on the 40% for which they are also responsible.  

In serious car crashes, it is worth investigating whether you still have a viable claim for your loses even where you may share some responsibility or fault.  Get a consultation from an experienced Florida car accident attorney.  Where fault is in dispute, early preservation of evidence may be important to the ultimate success of your case.

To learn more about your rights and to see if you have a case, call us day or night at 1-866-234-6093 or complete our online contact form here to get started.  Our consultations with prospective clients are Free and confidential.  If we accept your case, you pay us nothing unless we are successful in recovering money for you.

Andrew Iacobelli is an experienced personal injury lawyer who established Iacobelli Law Firm with offices in South Florida. Andrew restricts his practice to the representation of personal injury victims in claims involving serious injuries and wrongful death. 

Should you call an attorney after a Florida car accident?  Well, that depends on the circumstances of your accident and your injuries.  In a relatively minor accident, with no injuries, you probably do not need an attorney.  Also, if your injuries are minor and you recover without the need for medical treatment, again you may not need the assistance of an attorney.  In the event that your injuries persist and require medical attention, including chiropractor, physiotherapy and/or massage, then you should really consider consulting with a personal injury attorney.  Even soft tissue injuries can result in health care expenses, and longer term consequences, that can negatively impact your recreation, employment and household activities.  If your injuries are very serious, then you should absolutely consult with an attorney as soon as possible.   When in doubt, it is better to consult with an attorney, because there is no risk and most often, no cost.  

In Florida, you can claim for compensation when you have been injured in an accident caused by someone else.  These cases are defended by insurance companies, and they have virtually limitless resources to defend and minimize your claim.  Do not let the insurance company defeat your claim, call an attorney experienced in personal injury law for a consultation.  With our firm, there is no obligation to hire us, and our consultations are always free so that you can ask all of your questions and make an informed decision for your future.  If we accept your case, you pay us nothing unless we recover money for you.  

Andrew Iacobelli is an experienced personal injury lawyer who established Iacobelli Law Firm with offices in South Florida. Andrew restricts his practice to the representation of personal injury victims in claims involving serious injuries and wrongful death. ​

During season in Florida, it is common to see many cars and trucks with out of state license plates, including vehicles with Ontario or Quebec tags.  If an accident occurs with a car from Ontario or Quebec, Canada, you may be wondering about your rights to recover for your injuries and losses.  Fortunately, your rights are governed by the place where the accident occurred - Florida.  As such, when an out of state vehicle is operated in the State of Florida, it will have the same rights and responsibilities required of all Florida drivers.  This also means that Canadian drives can bring a claim under Florida law if they are injured by another driver. 

If you are injured because of an accident caused by an out of state vehicle, including a vehicle from Canada, you can still advance claims to recover money for your injuries.  It is also noteworthy that many Canadian vehicles have comprehensive insurance coverage that includes liability coverage in the event that you are injured.  Filing a lawsuit against an Ontario or Quebec vehicle can bring some challenges when it comes to serving the pleadings.  Our law firm has handled many cross-border accident claims, and as such, we can assist if you have a claim against a person or company that resides in Canada. 

If you have questions about your Florida car accident, call Attorney Andrew Iacobelli for a free consultation.  The consultation is strictly confidential, and there is no obligation on your part to retain our services.  Get your questions answered, call us 24 hours /7 days per week at 1-866-234-6093 or complete our online contact form to request a call from an injury attorney.  

Andrew Iacobelli is an experienced personal injury lawyer who established Iacobelli Law Firm with offices in South Florida. Andrew restricts his practice to the representation of personal injury victims in claims involving serious injuries and wrongful death.  

Florida Motorcycles, scooters and bicycles have the same right of way that cars do. Although many motorcycle riders apply defensive riding techniques, sometimes they fall victim to inattentive drivers of cars and trucks.  Florida motorcycle accidents often occur when a car or truck driver fails to observe the motorcycle and does not yield the right of way.  Left turning cars and trucks or vehicles changing lanes are a major source of serious motorcycle crash injuries and fatalities.   After the fact, the car and truck drivers try to blame the motorcyclist by claiming that the bike was speeding and came out of nowhere.  The truth is often that the motorcycle was there to be seen the whole time, but the driver was not paying attention or misjudged the distance.  

An experienced Florida motorcycle injury lawyer can help you following a motorcycle crash caused by another driver's failure to yield to the right of way.  While each motorcycle accident will have a unique set of facts and circumstances, there are some common and recurring elements in fail to yield motorcycle crashes. 

How Can Florida Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Help
Our Florida motorcycle accident law firm has experience handling serious motorcycle accident claims.   We work hard to achieve justice on behalf of families that have lost a loved one due to negligence.

In Florida,  when a motorcyclist is killed as a result of the actions or negligence of another person,  the surviving members of the deceased’s family can pursue a claim for wrongful death.  These are claims against another party for negligence.  As long as the other vehicle had insurance at the time of the accident, the claims will typically be investigated, defended and paid by the insurance company.

If you or a loved one has been injured or killed as a result of a Florida motorcycle accident, speak with an experienced Palm Beach motorcycle accident lawyer.  Motorcycle crashes are not the same as car accidents, and you require a lawyer that understands the issues that will need to be addressed early.  For a free and confidential consultation with a motorcycle accident attorney, call us toll free at 1-866-234-6093 or at 561-625-6133.  Consultations are free and confidential, with no obligation to hire us.  Learn about your rights.

Attorney Andrew Iacobelli is an experienced personal injury lawyer who established Iacobelli Law Firm. Andrew restricts his practice to the representation of personal injury victims in claims involving serious injuries and wrongful death.  Andrew is the author of "Are You a Canadian Injured in the United States? Claim the Damages and Insurance Coverage the Right Way". 

If you have been involved in a Florida car accident, you should report the accident to the police and obtain a police report.  This is particularly important where another driver has caused the car accident, even if it is a minor collision.   You should report the car accident to the police even if the at-fault driver admits fault and is apologetic,and pleads with you not to call the police.  This is a common scenario that sometimes results in problems for the victim later on.  Without a police report, it will be your word against that of the other driver.  If you decide to make a claim for your injuries, the other driver's insurance company and their lawyers can take advantage of the fact that there is no police report.  Stories can change with respect to how the accident happened, and you can suddenly find that that very nice and apologetic other driver is suddenly blaming you for the accident. 

Protect your rights by calling the police and filing a police report of your accident.  If you were hurt in the accident, seek medical attention immediately and then call an experienced Florida personal injury attorney to help you get compensation for your injuries and losses. 

To learn more about your rights or to request a FREE, no obligation consultation with an experienced Florida injury attorney, call us 24/7 at 561-625-6133 or complete our online contact form here.  

Andrew Iacobelli is an experienced Florida personal injury attorney who established Iacobelli Law Firm with offices located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  Andrew restricts his practice to the representation of personal injury victims in claims involving serious injuries and wrongful death.