If you’ve recently been in a car accident, you may have started looking for a lawyer to help with your claim. Along the way, you’ve probably seen ads promising to handle your case for something as low as a 25% lawyer fee.
On the surface, that sounds like a good deal. Less money to the lawyer means more for you, right?
Not necessarily.
The truth is that a lower fee doesn’t mean better value. In fact, in many cases, it can end up costing you more in the form of a lower recovery, missed opportunities, or critical errors that hurt your case. Below are a few things to consider before you hire a lawyer based on fee percentage alone.
The Lowest Fee Doesn’t Always Mean the Best Result
Personal injury cases are not all created equal. Some involve minimal treatment and are quickly resolved. Others require months of follow-up, negotiations, or even litigation. When a firm advertises a 25% fee, it’s often for “quick settle” cases. These are claims that are rushed through with little work or attention.
These firms may prioritize volume over results, aiming to resolve as many cases as possible with the least amount of effort. That often means:
- Fewer updates
- Less involvement in your medical treatment
- No meaningful pushback against lowball offers
- Minimal preparation if the case doesn’t settle
The outcome? A smaller settlement than you could have received with a more engaged advocate. In the end, that can wipe out whatever savings the lower fee promised.
Hidden Vendor Costs Can Eat Into Your Recovery
Many low-fee law firms rely on outside vendors to do the real legwork: ordering medical records, tracking bills, or gathering documents. Rather than handling this work in-house, they pass it off to third-party services that charge fees, sometimes well above standard rates.
And here’s the catch: those vendor fees are usually billed to you, not covered by the lawyer’s percentage.
So even if they only take a 25% lawyer fee of your settlement, you may still be on the hook for hundreds or even thousands of dollars in added costs for:
- Medical record retrieval
- Billing summaries
- Case management services
By the time those are deducted from your share, the “discounted” fee doesn’t look like much of a discount at all.
A fairer approach (and the one we follow) is to handle essential casework in-house whenever possible. We believe routine parts of case management should be part of the fee you’re already paying, not hidden behind extra charges that shrink your final recovery.
Some Firms Rely on You Doing the Heavy Lifting
Low-fee firms often shift the burden of case-building onto the client. You may be expected to chase down your own records, manage your own care, or accept whatever offer the insurance company makes, regardless of whether it reflects the true value of your claim.
A good attorney adds value to the process: by gathering evidence, negotiating effectively, monitoring your treatment, and preparing your case as if it may go to court. Those are the things that increase what you ultimately recover—not just taking a smaller cut.
The Fee Means Nothing Without the Right Advice
Every decision in a personal injury case matters. Should you use your health insurance? Should you treat with a lien-based doctor? Is that settlement offer reasonable or is the insurer lowballing you?
When your attorney is focused on minimizing their time and maximizing their caseload, you may never get the advice that makes the difference between a fair recovery and a poor one.
Worse, some firms use low fees as a way to draw you in, only to change their approach when the case turns out to be more complex than expected. You might feel pressured to accept an early offer that doesn’t reflect the seriousness of your injuries because the firm isn’t willing to put in the work it takes to get more.
You Get What You Pay For
A law firm that offers a 25% fee but doesn’t move the needle on your recovery isn’t saving you anything. On the other hand, a lawyer who charges a standard fee but adds tens of thousands of dollars of value through better strategy, better evidence, and better negotiations more than earns their share.
The fee only matters in the context of the result.
Our firm takes pride in doing things differently. We don’t promise the lowest percentage. We promise the right balance of effort, strategy, and experience to get you the best outcome possible. We’re selective about the cases we take on, not because we want to settle quickly, but because we intend to do it right.
Final Thought
If you’re shopping for a lawyer after a car accident, it’s natural to pay attention to the numbers. But don’t let a percentage fool you into thinking that every lawyer offers the same level of work or commitment.
Ask questions. Look past the advertising. And make sure that whoever represents you is actually prepared to fight for what your case is worth.
If you want to talk through your case with someone who will give you a straightforward opinion without pressure, give us a call.
