Fees are – without a doubt – the biggest hesitation when people need to hire lemon law lawyers, or lawyers in general.
The law is full of different sectors, and fee structures vary pretty significantly. Fortunately, lemon law attorney fees are one of the most consumer-friendly. Dealing with lemon law means you were sold a vehicle that had manufacturer defects. This was through no fault of your own – and you should never be forced to pay for an automaker’s mistakes.
This is why California lemon lawyers manage their legal fees on a contingency fee agreement.
In this post, we explain what this means and how it impacts lemon law cases.
What is a Contingency Fee Agreement?
A contingency fee agreement is a cost agreement in which an attorney represents a client without requiring upfront payment to take the lemon law case.
Instead, California lemon lawyers collect their fees in the form of a percentage only if they win the case and secure a settlement. Under California lemon law, the auto manufacturer is required to pay all legal fees and attorney expenses if you win the case as part of lemon law protection. This is to ensure you retain the full compensation for the defective vehicle without deductions for legal expenses.
How Do Lemon Law Attorneys Get Paid?
Trustworthy California lemon law firms operate on a contingency fee agreement. This means it costs you nothing to hire them to manage your case. Once they secure a fair settlement for your lemon vehicle, their fees will be included in the final payout by the manufacturer.
Many consumers affected by lemon cars are worried that a lemon law attorney is going to be very expensive – and believe it’s smarter to represent themselves. This almost always results in the consumer getting short-changed by the manufacturer.
If you’ve got a lemon law claim, hiring a skilled attorney from a reputable law firm is the smartest decision you can make. They know all the tricks and tactics to hold the manufacturer accountable for every last dollar you lost. Most importantly, it costs you nothing to hire them.
Benefits of the Contingency Fee Agreement in CA Lemon Law
You Pay Nothing Out of Pocket
This is THE biggest benefit of hiring California lemon lawyers. When you have a consultation with the attorney, they will discuss your situation in detail. This includes reviewing the documentation to provide your vehicle is a lemon, communication with the manufacturer, and more.
After reviewing this information, the attorney will determine if your case is worth pursuing. If it is, you can hire them without ANY upfront costs for the lemon law attorney’s fees.
You Can Hire the Best California Lemon Lawyers
The contingency fee agreement is one of the factors that makes Lemon Law a unique sector.
When it comes to hiring a lawyer, the general paradigm is “whoever can afford the best lawyer wins”.
This is not the case when asking, “How do lemon law attorneys get paid.”
Consumers are not on the hook to pay legal fees and court costs, the manufacturers are.
That being said, you don’t have to weigh your options with cut-rate attorneys.
In other words, you don’t even need to think about lemon law attorney fees – you can hire the very best California lemon lawyer you can find to represent you.
No Fees Unless You Win
This is a big one. Most California lemon attorneys advertise their services as “no fees unless we win.”
This is consumer-friendly for several reasons. For one, you know the attorney is motivated to get the settlement done fast. They are financially motivated to earn the highest settlement as efficiently as possible.
Second, you know you’re not going to get stuck with attorney fees if you somehow lose the case.
Keep in mind: Since California lemon lawyers make nothing if they don’t secure a settlement from the manufacturer, they’ll only take your case if they think they can win.
Discussing Lemon Law Attorney Fees with the Lawyer
Chances are, you’ve never dealt with a lemon vehicle before. Discussing lemon attorney fees can feel intimidating.
As much as it pains me to say this, not all California lemon lawyers are straight shooters. Some take advantage of oblivious consumers when discussing their rates. Some demand upfront costs, filing fees, retainer fees, etc. as they manage lemon law claims.
That’s why we’re writing this piece.
Don’t fall for this trap. All of these costs will be covered by the manufacturer.
A trustworthy lawyer will be very open about lemon law attorney fees and the contingency fee agreement. To reiterate, they won’t even bother with your case if they’re not optimistic about it.
If a California lemon law attorney demands any out-of-pocket costs to hire them, head for the door.
Speak with Experience California Lemon Law Lawyers Today
Hiring an attorney – in any capacity – is a big decision. Some have more financial connotations than others. Fortunately, lemon law attorney fees make the process of hiring a skilled lawyer easy.
As a consumer with a lemon, you shouldn’t have to compromise when you hire a lawyer to represent you. The manufacturer made a big mistake in their factory, quality assurance process, and sales floor. They should be held accountable for all of it by a proven lemon attorney.
If you believe you have a lemon, our California lemon lawyers at Cline APC offer FREE consultations. We’ll analyze your situation, and your legal options, explain how lemon law attorneys get paid, discuss the contingency fee agreement, and more.
Call 888-982-6915, send an email to info@clineapc.com, or fill out a free case evaluation to get started.
