When you suffer an injury or illness that’s job-related in New Jersey, you have a right to seek benefits under the state’s workers’ compensation system. It may even be your exclusive remedy, which means that you can’t file a lawsuit in court to recover for your losses. But if you’ve never hired a lawyer before, or even if you have, you can have significant concerns about the costs of retaining counsel. Chances are pretty good that, because of your work injury, things are already pretty lean financially. That’s why it’s important to know just what it will cost you out-of-pocket to pursue a workers’ compensation claim.

As with most personal injury claims, workers’ compensation cases are typically handled on what is known as a contingency basis. This means that, instead of billing you on an hourly basis, your lawyer will usually take a percentage of any amount recovered on your behalf. There’s usually no requirement that you put any money down to initiate the process, either (known as a “retainer”). Because your attorney gets paid more if you get paid more, there’s the added incentive to maximize your recovery.

The final determination as to how much you will receive will be made by either the workers’ compensation judge or the Workers’ Compensation Board. As a general rule, the only out-of-pocket costs you’ll have will be filing fees or any costs associated with obtaining evidence, such as court reporter fees if depositions are required. But you won’t incur any fees for your attorney’s time.

Contact Our Office

At Taylor & Boguski, we bring more than 70 years of combined legal experience to injured workers throughout New Jersey. For a free initial consultation, contact our office online or call us at 856-200-8989.