What a Contingency Fee Actually Costs You in Arizona

Every Arizona personal injury firm advertises some version of "no fee unless we win." The phrase is accurate — and it tells you almost nothing about what you'll actually receive when your case resolves. Three numbers determine that.

1. The percentage. Arizona doesn't cap contingency fees in ordinary injury cases; one-third is common, with higher tiers if a lawsuit is filed or the case goes to trial. The percentage should be in your written fee agreement before you sign — and whether a firm publishes its structure openly is itself a signal.

2. Case costs — and who fronts them. Filing fees, medical records, expert witnesses, depositions: someone advances these, and they're typically repaid from your recovery. The questions that matter: are costs deducted before or after the fee percentage is calculated, and do you owe costs if the case is lost? Firms answer these differently, and the difference is real money.

3. Medical liens. Health insurers, AHCCCS, and lien-based medical providers often hold claims against your settlement. How aggressively your attorney negotiates those liens down is one of the least-visible, highest-impact skills in the practice — two identical settlements can produce very different client checks.

The one-line test. Ask any firm: "On a hypothetical $100,000 settlement with $8,000 in costs and $20,000 in medical liens, walk me through the math to my check." A firm that answers clearly and in writing is showing you its fee transparency — the same factor our methodology weights at 25%. See how the firms in your city score on it in our rankings.