Frequently Asked Questions

At Wigington Rumley Dunn & Blair LLP, our lawyer fees are conditioned (“contingent”) on victory. You don’t pay a dime in attorneys’ fees to Wigington Rumley Dunn & Blair LLP unless the case is won by trial or settlement.

If the case does not settle and we don’t win at trial, then we will not ask you to pay us a dime in lawyer fees.

The fees that a lawyer charges for his work are just one aspect of pursuing an injury claim. There will be other expenses, too. Wigington Rumley Dunn & Blair LLP does not bill its accident victim clients for these expenses as they are incurred. It is our position that victims should be concerned with healing and dealing with life’s realities after a serious accident, and not be asked to cover these costs as the case proceeds.

Instead, when the settlement or jury award is disbursed, the expenses will be deducted from your proceeds to cover things like filing fees, investigative costs, and litigation expenses.

Fees and expenses are detailed in our “Contingent Fee Agreement.”

When we mutually agree to work together in an attorney-client relationship, we’ll document our agreement in a written contract signed by both lawyer and client. This legal representation agreement will outline how fees and expenses will be handled in the case.

In most contingent fee contracts, lawyers’ fees range from 33% to 40% of the total award, depending on the case. The agreement may provide for the contingent percentage to change as the litigation proceeds (settlement before filing the lawsuit may be a lower percentage than the contingent fee if the case proceeds through to a jury verdict).

State law and federal statutes define the specific kinds of harm and damages that can be demanded from those who are found legally responsible for the accident. Not only do these laws vary from state to state, but different kinds of accidents may mean different kinds of things are legally covered as damages. Different injuries may mean different kinds of recognizable claims, too.

For instance, someone injured in a toxic, environmental event may have federal statutes providing specific kinds of damages. Wrongful death laws vary from state to state not only in what they provide, but which family members may file claims for wrongful death damages.

In the State of Texas, as an example, a serious motor vehicle accident or car crash due to the negligence of the other driver can include damages of:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages (past and future)
• Mental anguish
• Physical Impairment
• Pain and Suffering.

There are claims based upon actual expenses or costs that can be delineated by things like invoices, pay stubs, and medical records. In some cases, the wrongdoer has committed a serious and shocking act, something that is shown to have been done with “malice.” In these situations both state and federal law may allow for “exemplary damages” or “punitive damages” to be paid to the victim, which can be awarded by the jury as punishment for the defendant.