Rochester Personal Injury: What Is A Retainer Agreement?

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Recognized as a Super Lawyer and an American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys 10 Best Attorneys, Has Spent His Entire Career Standing Up for The Victims of Negligence. If You Have Been Injured in a Rochester Accident That Was Not Your Fault, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. Could Help You File a Personal Injury Lawsuit Without Any Upfront Fees.

Any accident could have life-altering repercussions. Many victims find themselves struggling to overcome intense physical pain and immense financial pressure. Even with a no-fault insurance policy or private healthcare plan, recovery may not always seem attainable.

However, many accident victims have options beyond uncertainty and never-ending debt. Under New York state law, survivors have a legal right to file a claim for compensation against the person or party who caused their injuries. While you do not need an attorney to file a personal injury lawsuit, retaining legal counsel is often the most effective way to assert your rights and secure a fair settlement.

Every law office has policies, but most will ask clients to sign a retainer agreement. These agreements vary in their details but are, in effect, contracts outlining the nature of an attorney-client relationship. They may explain a lawyer’s fees, if any, and outline the accident victim’s expectations and interests.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. understands that choosing the proper representation can be challenging. That is why, instead of asking our clients to pay the costs of our counsel upfront, we operate exclusively on a contingency fee basis. In other words, we only accept payment as a percentage of your eventual settlement, and we never ask that you reimburse us for our routine legal fees.

If the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. cannot secure your compensation, we are not paid. Please send us a message online or call us at 585-939-3939 to speak to a Rochester personal injury lawyer and schedule your 100% free, no-cost consultation as soon as possible.

Every retainer agreement serves the same basic purpose, insofar as it details the terms of a client-attorney relationship. Most retainer agreements include the following types of provisions:

1. The expectations of the accident victim and their attorney;
2. The frequency of communication between the victim and their attorney; and
3. The terms of service-related payments.

While retainer agreements tend to have common characteristics, they are rarely identical. Different law firms tend to employ various types of retainer agreements, which are often tailored to an individual client’s wants and needs.

However, while different, most retainer agreements can be categorized as any one of the following:

1. General Retainer Agreement: A general retainer agreement contracts the services of an attorney or law firm for a prespecified timeframe. If an attorney works on a general retainer, they are effectively “on-call” and may be asked to provide counsel whenever needed.
2. Retaining Fee Agreement: A retaining fee agreement typically requires that the client deposit an agreed-upon fee into a trust account. If any funds are left over after a case has been resolved, the difference is returned to the client.
3. Special Retainer Agreement: Special retainer agreements usually entail hiring an attorney for a particular purpose, such as representation in a criminal defense case. The client may pay money to secure representation, but is often responsible for reimbursing other administrative and legal costs.

For Rochester accident victims, signing a retainer agreement helps set firm expectations early, even before a personal injury lawsuit is filed.

Far too many people believe that high-quality legal representation comes at an unaffordable price. While some attorneys may ask corporate clients or criminal defendants to pay for certain services upfront, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. knows that most accident victims are in a precarious position, which is why we work on a strict contingency fee basis.

Contingency fee arrangements are sometimes categorized as a type of retainer agreement. However, unlike general retainer agreements or retaining fee agreements, a contingency fee agreement broadly absolves clients of any immediate out-of-pocket financial responsibility.

Instead, a client-attorney relationship predicated on a contingency fee arrangement typically entails the following:

1. An expectation that an accident victim will work with a particular law firm or attorney, provided that the client remains satisfied with the attorney’s services;
2. An understanding that the client will bear no out-of-pocket responsibility for the attorney’s services and routine legal costs; and
3. An agreement that, if the client’s claim is successfully resolved, the attorney will receive payment as a set percentage of any award or settlement.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. always commits to success. If we cannot negotiate a fair settlement or secure a court-ordered award, we will bear all the costs of your representation. This provides several clear-cut advantages for everyone involved.

The advantages of contingency fee agreements include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Survivors are spared the immediate cost of securing counsel and may instead use their financial resources to ensure their health; and
2. Attorneys only accept cases that they are reasonably sure they can win; thus
3. Accident victims can typically be assured that their personal injury lawyer is personally invested in their case, considering they may lose significant amounts of time and money if the claim fails.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has spent decades fighting for the rights of accident victims across the region. We are committed to providing unparalleled personal injury service and have the results to prove it. A recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, we have helped our clients secure more than $250 million in damages. We could help you, too.

However, you must act fast. New York has a strict statute of limitations applicable to all personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death claims. If you wait too long to contact a Rochester accident attorney, the statute of limitations could lapse, forcing a court to dismiss your claim without giving you the chance to tell your side of the story.

Do not lose your opportunity to ascertain justice: please send the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. a message online, or call us at 585-939-3939 to speak to an attorney and schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.

Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 585-939-3939 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Rochester, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!