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Nothing can be as traumatic as whatever leads to your need to sue for a personal injury suit. Whether you got into a car accident or someone damaged something of yours, you want it all over as quickly as possible. The court is a must in many cases, and with it comes an incredibly high number of costs and fees that have to take their part.
If you win your case, fantastic! Here are the fees you now have to pay, unfortunately.
Lawyer Fees
The highest and most significant cost of a court case is your lawyer fees. Often ranging from thirty to forty percent of how much you’re trying to win in your court case, this is no small amount of money. Although you can try to make it so that the defendant has to pay this amount, it often comes out of your pocket. If you’re unsure if you can take on this much, you should ask about their fees when interviewing a car accident attorney in St Louis.
Court Costs
The court costs for any case can range between a hundred and four hundred dollars. On top of that, there’s the daily stipend if the patient needs a jury, which can add up quickly. Although the jury fee only pops up if the defendant requests a jury, and wins putting the cost on you. There’s the cost of filing, of postage, and a dozen other little costs that all lump on top of that. No court case is cheap, and if you don’t win, that could be a significant burden on your shoulders.
Administrative expenses
These costs are small but add up over time. Ranging from copying to transportation and hiring a court reporter: it’s a lot of expenses that can pull you under. There’s no one high cost that overwhelms these; they just pile up quickly when added together.
Investigation and information gathering
No work comes for free, unfortunately, and that includes gathering information for the case. You will be responsible for the hours and work accrued to collect information for your topic and could have to pay for a personal investigator if the need comes up. These aren’t small costs and are a big reason why many people agree to settle out of court so that they don’t have to stare these charges down when they’re already trying to sue to cover their medical costs.
Expert witnesses
Nearly every personal injury lawsuit calls for an expert witness. Whether they’re a medical doctor or someone who’s worked in a body shop for thirty years, these professionals will be able to go over the details of the case and work to prove the point that you deserve the money you’re asking for.
However, their excellent work isn’t free, so you’ll have to remember to budget for them. The average expert witness can cost anywhere from two hundred to six hundred dollars for every hour that they’re in court. You should ask about costs ahead of time so that these fees do not blindside you.
