Personal Injury Lawyer Fees and Costs Explained
Start a cost discussion with three separate totals: the lawyer’s compensation, expenses incurred to handle the case and medical or benefit repayment claims. One percentage cannot explain all three. Identify which arrangement the firm proposes and what work it includes before comparing the financial effect of two offers.
Hurt Advice editorial guide. Source review: . This guide does not state that the attorney authored, reviewed or approved it. Visit the profile for public licensing and background records.
Review the attorney’s public background, then confirm experience and availability directly.
Raffi Naljian
Founder, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney
Raffi Garabed Naljian is the founder of Naljian Law Offices and an active California attorney under State Bar #238919. A Los Angeles Times profile says he founded the firm in 2008 after beginning his legal career in 1997, and the State Bar lists personal injury, litigation, criminal law, and business law among his self-reported practice areas.
View Raffi Naljian's full verified profilePrimary identity record
Learn more about Raffi Naljian
This is a focused supporting page. Use Raffi Naljian's full sourced attorney profile as the primary identity record for biography, role, languages, office information, and public-record links. Review that profile alongside the issue-specific preparation and public sources below.
The State Bar record lists Raffi Garabed Naljian as an active California attorney, State Bar #238919. Hurt Advice is a separate referral and legal information service, not the attorney's law firm.
How to Evaluate Attorney Fit for This Issue
Ask for the proposed written scope and billing basis. This overview helps sort the questions; the linked contingency, expense-inventory and repayment guides address the details without assuming that one arrangement applies to every matter.
Consultation worksheet
Three-part cost comparison
Use categories to prevent double counting. Unknown amounts are questions, not zeroes.
There is no submit or save action. Copy your notes before leaving this page.
What triggers payment to the lawyer and how is the fee calculated?
Which stages and related matters are included or excluded from this proposal?
Which supplier charges may be incurred and where are estimates and approvals recorded?
Which medical or benefit claims still need itemization or legal review before a net amount can be estimated?
What unanswered term prevents a fair comparison with another proposal?
Sources for this guide
- State Bar of California: Fees and billing
Explains fee arrangements and the separate expense questions a client should resolve before signing an agreement with a lawyer.
- California Business and Professions Code section 6147
Contingency agreement requirements, including written terms, the agreed rate, cost treatment, related work and the applicable negotiability statement.
- California Rules of Professional Conduct: Lawyer-client relationship
Rules 1.2, 1.4 and 1.5 address client decisions, communication and fees; these are professional duties, not proof of any particular lawyer’s performance.
Check the Cost Decision
- 1Identify the proposed compensation arrangement and covered work.
- 2Separate case expenses from the attorney-fee calculation.
- 3List medical balances, liens or reimbursements as a separate unresolved category.
- 4Use the matching worksheet below and ask for written answers before signing.
Records for the Cost Review
- Proposed scope and fee arrangement
- Expense estimate or ledger
- Known medical or benefit-repayment notices
- Questions about excluded work or changed circumstances
Keep your unanswered questions handy when comparing the attorney’s public profile with your needs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Comparing only a headline percentage
- Assuming the quoted scope includes appeals or separate proceedings
- Treating all settlement deductions as attorney fees
Use the attorney’s public background as a starting point for a direct conversation about fit.
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Important Disclosures
Attorney Advertising. Hurt Advice is a lawyer-referral and legal-information service, not a law firm. This website provides general information, not legal advice. Viewing a page or submitting a form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Independent participating attorneys decide whether to accept a matter, and representation begins only under a separate written agreement. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome; results depend on the facts and circumstances of each matter.