Why do most accident attorneys in hawaii take cases on "contingency"?

You get seriously injured in a car accident.  Insurance agents are calling for statements.  You are in the hospital and the medical bills are adding up.  You decide to call a personal injury attorney (perhaps not one of the ones that is yelling on TV... maybe someone a bit more human).   But, how are you going to pay for an attorney when you just got involved in an accident, your medical bills are piling up, and you can't work because of your injuries?

That's where the concept of a contingency fee arrangement comes in.  Most personal injury attorneys in Hawaii take new clients and cases on a "contingency fee" basis.  Taking a case on contingency means that the attorney will agree to represent the injured person in exchange for a portion of the settlement that the attorney helps recover on behalf of the injured person. Typically, that portion is 1/3 (33%).  [Note: before you actually hire the attorney, the contingency fee percentage should be agreed upon in writing to protect both the client and the attorney.]

Why are contingency fee arrangements beneficial to an injured claimant?  Well, oftentimes, an injured person does not have the financial ability to hire an attorney on an hourly rate.  Most attorneys bill out at hourly rates of $200.00 or more.  Can you imagine after getting in a horrific accident, while you're struggling to make ends meet, paying an attorney for some unknown amount of hours at a very high rate to pursue your claims (and with no guarantee that you will recover more than your attorney will make)?  That would simply not work and in many cases, result in a grave injustice to the client.  An hourly fee arrangement under such circumstances would probably deter many people from bringing their valid injury claims.

Enter, the contingency fee arrangement.  The contingency fee arrangement, as described above, shifts a lot of the risk of bringing a claim to the attorney.  The client does not pay an hourly rate, and typically does not pay anything up front to hire the attorney.  The client and attorney simply sign an agreement reciting the contingency fee arrangement and the terms of representation, and the attorney gets to work.  The attorney commits to working an unknown number of hours (sometimes in the hundreds of hours, if the matter goes to trial), for a set percentage fee.  And the attorney's and client's interests are aligned: the attorney will only recover a fee for their time, if the client recovers a settlement (otherwise, 33% of zero is still zero!).