No. Clients with injury or death claims can choose at the beginning of the case to hire Heller & Darvas and either pay them by the hour, or on a "contingent fee" basis. Most choose the contingent fee. If you hire us on a contingent fee, then we will receive the agreed-upon percentage of the gross settlement or judgment in your case. Since any percentage of nothing is nothing, if the case is lost you would not owe any attorney fee. We do have to charge you for our out-of-pocket expenses of pursuing your case, because all lawyers in the State of Washington are required to pass along their out-of-pocket expenses to their clients, and the clients must remain ultimately responsible for those expenses, even if the client loses the case. Normally, if you win the case, the expenses are paid out of your share of the recovery. The contingent fee allows middle-class people to hire the best attorneys, who can compete with insurance companies that can afford to hire excellent defense attorneys.

If you choose to hire us on an hourly basis, then you would be billed for the attorney and paralegal time spent working on your case, plus the expenses, and you would be expected to keep current on these bills regardless of the outcome of your case. You would owe the hourly fee whether the case was won or lost.

We are available to meet with you to discuss your case in a free initial consultation. Please call for an appointment.