Contingency Fees, Explained Plainly
"No fees and no costs unless we recover" is a real promise — but you deserve to understand exactly how it works before you sign anything.
The Basics
- Nothing upfront. No retainer, no hourly bills, no charge for the consultation.
- The fee is a percentage of the recovery. If we recover nothing, you owe no attorney fee — and no costs. We advance case costs, and if there is no recovery, you do not repay them. The exact percentage is set out in a written fee agreement you review and sign before we begin — and we walk through it with you in plain English (or Vietnamese).
- We advance case costs. Filing fees, records, experts, investigators — we front them so the strength of your case never depends on your bank balance.
- Some fees are set by law. In certain case types, California law caps or scales attorney fees — for example, court approval is required for a minor's settlement and for the fee taken from it, and professional negligence claims have statutory fee schedules. We follow them and tell you when they apply.
What "Aligned Incentives" Actually Means
Under a contingency fee, we are paid only from what we recover for you — so we have every incentive to maximize your recovery and no incentive to run up hours. It also means we're selective and honest: if a claim isn't worth pursuing, or you'd net more handling a small claim yourself, we'll say so at the free consultation.
The Closing Statement: Where Trust Is Earned
At the end of every case, before any money moves, you receive a complete written breakdown: the gross settlement, the attorney fee, each case cost, each medical lien (and what we negotiated it down from), and the exact amount payable to you. You approve it before disbursement. No surprises — this is how every case at our firm closes.
Questions Worth Asking Any Injury Lawyer
- Who pays case costs if there's no recovery? At our firm the answer is simple: if there is no recovery, you owe no costs — and yes, it's also in our written fee agreement.
- Does the percentage change if the case goes into litigation? (Many agreements step up at filing; ours spells out exactly when and why.)
- Will you negotiate my medical liens, and does that work cost extra? (We do, and it doesn't — lien work is part of the representation.)
- Will I see a full accounting before funds are disbursed? (Always, here.)
The Decision Is Always Yours
We advise; you decide. Whether to accept a settlement, reject it, or push into litigation is your call, made with our candid assessment of the trade-offs. And where circumstances have warranted it, we have voluntarily reduced our own fee so a client's net recovery was fair — because the long-term relationship matters more to us than the last percentage point.