How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?

Nothing up front. Personal injury lawyers in Phoenix work on a contingency fee, which means the fee is a percentage of what you recover and you owe no fee at all if there is no recovery. Hirsch & Lyon charges a discounted contingency fee of 25%, rising to 30% if the case goes into litigation, plus costs.* Case reviews are free.

What "Contingency Fee" Actually Means

You pay no hourly rate, no retainer and no consultation fee. The firm carries the case financially and is paid a percentage of the settlement or verdict at the end. If the case does not produce a recovery, there is no fee. That structure exists so that a person who has just lost income to an injury can still hire an experienced lawyer against an insurance company with unlimited resources.

Fees Versus Costs — They Are Not the Same Thing

This distinction is where a lot of confusion (and some unpleasant surprises at other firms) comes from.

• The fee is what the firm is paid for its work — the percentage described above.
• Costs are money spent moving the case forward: filing fees, medical record charges, deposition transcripts, accident reconstruction, expert witness fees, postage and copying.

Ask any firm you interview one specific question: is the percentage calculated before or after costs are deducted? The same headline percentage produces a different number in your pocket depending on the answer. At Hirsch & Lyon the fee is computed before costs are deducted.*

Why 25% Matters

A contingency percentage is not a small detail — it is applied to the entire recovery. On the same settlement, every percentage point stays with you rather than the firm. Hirsch & Lyon offers a discounted rate specifically so that a greater share of the proceeds reaches the injured person, and the firm has recovered over $100 million for clients on that basis.

What You Are Actually Buying

A lawyer's value in an injury case is mostly invisible from the outside. It shows up as:

• Liability investigation — police reports, scene evidence, witness statements and, where needed, accident reconstruction, gathered before it disappears.
• Damages development — the difference between handing an adjuster a stack of bills and presenting a documented case for future treatment, wage loss and permanent impairment.
• Insurance handling — dealing with the adjuster, the recorded statement request, and the medical authorization that would otherwise let them go fishing through your history.
• Credible litigation risk — an insurer prices a claim partly on who is holding it. A file held by a lawyer who has taken roughly 3,000 cases to arbitration or verdict is priced differently to one that will never see a courtroom.

Lawyer Fees: Questions

Do I pay anything up front to hire a personal injury lawyer?

No. There is no retainer, no hourly billing and no charge for the case review. The firm is paid out of the recovery at the end of the case, and only if there is one.

What happens if I lose — do I still owe money?

You owe no attorney's fee if there is no recovery. Discuss case costs specifically with any firm you speak to, including this one, so you know in writing how they are handled if the case does not succeed. Get the fee agreement and read it before you sign.

Is the fee negotiable?

Contingency percentages do vary between firms, which is precisely why it is worth asking. Hirsch & Lyon's rate is already discounted at 25%, rising to 30% once a case moves into litigation, because litigation is substantially more work.*

Why does the percentage go up if the case goes to litigation?

Filing suit changes the workload: written discovery, depositions, expert disclosures, motions and trial preparation. The higher rate reflects that. Many cases resolve before that point and settle at the lower rate.

Can I just handle the claim myself and keep 100%?

You can, and for a minor property-damage-only claim it may make sense. Where there are real injuries, the question is not what percentage you keep but what the claim is ultimately valued at — see whether you need a lawyer for an honest look at both sides.

Talk to a Certified Specialist Before You Decide

Ask us what your case involves and what it would cost — before you commit to anything. A free case review costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Call 602-535-1900 — we answer 24/7 — or contact us online. Cases are handled by Jack Hirsch, one of only 93 attorneys in Arizona certified by the State Bar as a specialist in injury and wrongful death litigation.

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Deadlines and outcomes depend on the specific facts of your case — confirm both with a lawyer.

* Fee is computed before costs are deducted.