Most injury lawyers charge contingency fees. When you hire a personal injury lawyer, you will be asked to sign a contingency fee agreement. You will likely have many questions. You have come to the right place.
My name is Joseph A. Nagy, and I am an experienced Edmonton injury lawyer. I have successfully resolved thousands of personal injury claims during my more than 20 years of personal injury law experience. My law firm, Joseph A. Nagy Injury Law, focuses on injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents.
In this article, I answer the common questions clients ask about personal injury lawyer contingency fees. I give specific information about Joseph A. Nagy Injury Law contingency fees. And I invite you to contact me with any questions I may not have answered.
You may also be interested in my article Personal Injury Lawyer Disbursements Explained.
A contingency fee is the fee a personal injury lawyer charges for their services. It has two parts:
When you hire a personal injury lawyer, you will be asked to sign a Contingency Fee Agreement. The percentage is set by the law firm. Compensation is typically paid by the at-fault party’s insurance. The agreement will specify that the injury lawyer will not be paid unless you receive compensation for your injury, which is why it is often called a no win, no fee agreement.
The Contingency Fee Agreement must specify whether the lawyer charges a flat contingency fee or a graduated contingency fee, the percentage charged, and how it is paid. If you are uncertain about any of the language covering fees, or any other aspect of the agreement, always ask the lawyer to explain.
A flat contingency fee means the percentage charged remains the same until your case is resolved. The percentage does not increase even if your case takes longer to resolve, requires more work, or goes all the way to trial.
A graduated contingency fee means the percentage increases based on the time and the steps taken to resolve your case. A case that takes a long time to settle with the insurance company can result in a higher percentage charge. So can a case that is not settled but goes all the way to trial. Such factors can drive the fee up by as much as 10% or more. Most Alberta personal injury lawyers charge a graduated contingency fee.
The percentage and the type of fee both vary, and both are set by the individual injury lawyer. In general, the fee will reflect the lawyer’s experience, success rate, and area of practice. Bargain hunting is not the way to find the best personal injury lawyer.
In Alberta, personal injury lawyers are also required to charge GST for services.
Joseph A. Nagy Injury Law charges a flat 33% contingency fee. See Our Contingency Fees for a stage-by-stage comparison of what graduated and flat fees actually cost.
A no win, no fee agreement means you pay the injury lawyer’s contingency fee only if the case is won. You do not pay the contingency fee if the case is lost.
That does not necessarily mean you will owe the injury lawyer nothing. Win or lose, you may be charged for some payments the injury lawyer makes to third parties on your behalf. These payments are called disbursements.
Before you sign a contingency fee agreement:
The injury lawyer should answer any questions you have. If you are not certain about the meaning of any wording in the contract, including legal costs, always ask.
Find out how I handle disbursements.
A personal injury lawyer contingency fee offers these important benefits to injury victims:
Injury lawyers are successful if they can correctly evaluate the risks. When I enter into a contingency fee agreement, I already know the facts and potential risks of taking the case. My knowledge and experience as an injury lawyer will tell me whether:
Ask these questions before you sign anything. My advice is, do not hire an injury lawyer who is unwilling to answer them in plain language.
Write the answers down. The Contingency Fee Agreement you sign should reflect what you were told. If something in the written agreement does not match, ask about it before you sign.
Our flat 33% contingency fee described on this page applies to claims against an at-fault driver. Alberta’s Care-First no-fault system is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2027. For accidents on or after that date, most claims will be handled as benefits disputes with your own insurer rather than as court claims against the driver who caused the crash, and disputes go to a tribunal rather than to a court. That is different work, and the fee arrangement for it will be explained to you at your free consultation.
For accidents before the changeover, nothing changes. Our flat 33% applies as it always has.
The Alberta government’s move to a no-fault system is not universally accepted by Albertans. Joseph A. Nagy Injury Law opposes the introduction of any cap, threshold, deductible or no-fault system that eliminates or erodes the right of injured Albertans to obtain fair compensation. Organizations including FAIR Alberta continue to campaign against the change, and Albertans who want the current system kept can still contact their MLA and add their voice. To learn more, read No-Fault Insurance in Alberta: What “Care-First” Means for Injured Albertans.
We guarantee a knowledgeable and experienced injury lawyer will handle your injury claim from your first meeting until it’s successfully resolved.
Joseph A. Nagy Injury Law’s contingency fee means more money in your pocket!
