How does the contingency fee work in Pennsylvania personal injury cases?

Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys typically take cases on a contingency basis — no upfront cost, and they’re paid a percentage of the recovery only if they win. Typical fees range from 33% to 40% depending on whether the case settles or goes to trial. Case expenses are normally advanced by the firm.

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Pennsylvania Personal Injury Attorneys

At DearLegal, we connect you with experienced Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys who understand the state’s 51% comparative fault bar, the limited-tort vs. full-tort auto choice, and the Sovereign Immunity Act and Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act caps.

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Free Pennsylvania personal injury case review

A Pennsylvania attorney will take a look. Or call 1-833-WELEGAL.

How we match your Pennsylvania personal injury case

When you submit a Pennsylvania personal injury matter, we route it through a national network of independent partner firms and put it in front of the one that fits best — based on the kind of case it is, what it is likely to involve, where it has to be handled, and who has capacity to take it on now.

Case type

A personal injury matter needs someone who handles personal injury work day to day, not a generalist. Practice area is the first filter.

Size and complexity

Some firms are built for catastrophic injury and multi-party litigation; others resolve straightforward claims quickly. We weigh what your matter is likely to involve against how each firm actually works.

Jurisdiction and licensing

Your matter is decided under Pennsylvania law, so it goes to an attorney licensed in Pennsylvania who regularly appears where your case would be heard.

Capacity and fit

Availability, conflicts of interest and language all matter. If the best-fit firm cannot take your case, we route it to the next one that can — or tell you plainly when no one in the network is the right answer.

Every partner reviews your case for free. Injury and workers’ compensation matters are handled on contingency — no fee unless you win. Other matters are quoted upfront, before you commit to anything.

Get started How DearLegal works

DearLegal provides marketing and matching services and is not a law firm. Submitting a case does not create an attorney-client relationship. Matches depend on case type, jurisdiction and firm availability.

Exhibit A

What happens with a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania

Day 0
It happens.
Get medical care and keep every record — photos, names, the report number. In Pennsylvania, what you document now is what your claim is built on.
Within 24 hours
Tell us what happened.
Two minutes on this page. A Pennsylvania personal injury attorney reviews it for free and, if it’s a fit, you’re matched within 24 hours.
Weeks 1–4
Your attorney builds the file.
Reports, medical records, witnesses, camera footage, insurance policies. This is the part insurers hope you skip.
Months 1–6
Demand and negotiation.
Your attorney sends a demand and negotiates with the insurer. Pennsylvania’s fault rule matters here — Modified comparative fault, 51% bar (42 Pa. C.S. § 7102) — no recovery if your fault is greater than the combined fault of all defendants.
Before the 2-year deadline
Suit is filed if it has to be.
Pennsylvania gives 2 years from the date it happened. Filing keeps your leverage; missing it ends the claim.
Resolution
Settlement or verdict.
You pay nothing along the way. The fee — typically 33% — comes only out of what’s recovered. If nothing is recovered, you owe nothing.

Statute of Limitations: 2 years
2 years from the date of injury (42 Pa. C.S. § 5524)
Fault Rule: 51%
Modified comparative fault, 51% bar (42 Pa. C.S. § 7102) — no recovery if your fault is greater than the combined fault of all defendants
Damages Cap: No cap
No general cap on compensatory damages in standard PI. Sovereign Immunity Act caps at $250,000/$1M (42 Pa. C.S. § 8528). Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act caps at $500,000 (§ 8553). Medical malpractice non-economic capped indirectly through MCARE allocations.
Government-Claim Notice: 6 months
Notice of Claim within 6 months under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5522(a) for both state and local government claims; subject to immunity waivers under §§ 8522, 8542.
Joint and Several Liability: 60%
Modified — defendants 60% or more at fault are jointly liable; less than 60% are severally liable (Fair Share Act, 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102(a.1)).
Typical attorney fee: 33%
33%–40% contingency — no fee unless you win

Pennsylvania applies modified comparative fault with a 51% bar under 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102 — recovery is barred if your fault is greater than the combined fault of all defendants. The standard PI SOL is two years under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5524. Pennsylvania is a choice no-fault auto state — drivers select either limited tort or full tort under 75 Pa. C.S. § 1705. The Sovereign Immunity Act (42 Pa. C.S. § 8521 et seq.) caps damages against the Commonwealth at $250,000 per plaintiff / $1M aggregate (with statutory waivers), and the Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act (42 Pa. C.S. § 8541 et seq.) caps political subdivision damages at $500,000 aggregate per occurrence. Philadelphia juries are among the most active PI venues in the country.

Exhibit B

When to call a personal injury attorney in Pennsylvania

Does any of this sound like you? Tap what applies.

Exhibit C

Personal Injury cases we take in Pennsylvania

Which one is closest to yours?

Slip and fall on premises

Pennsylvania premises liability turns on actual or constructive notice. The hills-and-ridges doctrine applies to natural ice and snow accumulation, requiring proof of unreasonable danger.

Sound like yours? A Pennsylvania attorney reviews it free — no fee unless they win.

Start my free review

Exhibit D

How much do Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys cost?

Sample settlement statement

Pennsylvania · Personal Injury

Recovery$100,000

Attorney fee · 33%− $33,000

Case costs (advanced by firm)repaid at the end

To you$67,000

Due today$0

Try a different recovery$100,000

$5,000$3,000,000

Illustrative only. Your fee terms are set in a written agreement with your attorney and may include costs and expenses regardless of outcome.

Most Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys work on contingency: the fee is a share of what they recover, and nothing if they don’t.

Personal injury attorneys in Pennsylvania work on a contingency fee basis — typically 33% to 40% of the total recovery. Pennsylvania’s limited/full tort elections, immunity statutes, and Fair Share Act make case planning intricate. Case expenses are typically advanced by the firm and deducted from the final recovery.

A good attorney walks through every number at your free consultation — before you sign anything.

Get startedTakes about two minutes. No obligation.

Exhibit E

What your Pennsylvania personal injury compensation can include

A Pennsylvania personal injury recovery is built from several parts. Tap one to see what it covers.

Economic Damages (No Cap in standard PI)

Past and future medical bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and out-of-pocket costs — uncapped in standard PI cases. State and local government claims subject to immunity-act caps.

DearLegal is a legal referral service, not a law firm. We connect individuals with licensed attorneys who can evaluate their case. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice. Results vary based on individual circumstances.

Exhibit F

Pennsylvania personal injury questions, answered

Still unsure? Tell us what happened and a Pennsylvania attorney will review it for free.

Start free review

Two years from the date of injury under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5524. Wrongful death is also two years under § 5524. Notice of claim against State and local government must be served within 6 months under 42 Pa. C.S. § 5522(a).

Under 42 Pa. C.S. § 7102, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, but if your fault is greater than the combined fault of all defendants you recover nothing. Fair Share Act modifies joint and several at the 60% threshold.

Pennsylvania drivers choose between limited tort (lower premium, no pain-and-suffering recovery for non-serious injuries) and full tort (higher premium, full recovery) under 75 Pa. C.S. § 1705. The election controls your auto-case recovery — though serious-injury, intoxicated-driver, out-of-state-vehicle, and certain other exceptions can break the limitation.

Auto, truck, motorcycle, and rideshare crashes (with limited/full tort election); slip-and-falls; dog bites (strict liability for medical costs under 3 P.S. § 459-502-A); defective products; medical malpractice (under MCARE Act); nursing home neglect; premises liability; negligent security; workplace third-party claims; SEPTA, PATCO, and public-transit incidents; and wrongful death.

You look at your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, homeowner’s or commercial policies, and any vicarious-liability defendants. Pennsylvania requires UM/UIM offerings with written rejection rules under 75 Pa. C.S. § 1731.

Most settle, but Philadelphia juries return some of the largest verdicts in the country, and Allegheny and Lehigh county juries are also active venues. Defense insurers know which firms try cases.

Sovereign Immunity Act applies for State claims and Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act for local claims. Both impose immunity defenses with limited statutory waivers, damage caps, and 6-month notice requirements.

Personal Injury attorneys by city in Pennsylvania

Same Pennsylvania rules and the same attorneys — with what’s local to each city.

Other case types in Pennsylvania

All Pennsylvania practice areas →

Animal Incident attorneysPennsylvania's dog-bite law splits the baby: medical bills are strict liability, but everything beyond them requires proving the owner knew the dog was trouble.

Business Dispute attorneysPA courts will enforce a reasonable non-compete — but only if you got something real for signing it, and continued employment alone doesn't count here.

Car Accident attorneysIf you picked limited tort to shave your premium, you may have signed away pain-and-suffering damages — unless your injury clears the "serious injury" bar.

Consumer Protection attorneysPennsylvania's consumer-protection law is one of the state's sharpest tools — triple damages plus attorney fees for deceptive business conduct.

Criminal Defense attorneysPennsylvania sentencing runs on a guideline matrix where your prior record score is fixed early — what happens before the plea often matters more than the plea itself.

Defective Product attorneysSince a 2014 state Supreme Court ruling, PA product cases can be argued two ways — consumer expectations or risk-utility — and choosing the right theory shapes everything that follows.

Employment attorneysThe Pennsylvania Human Relations Act reaches employers with just four workers — small shops federal law never touches.

Family Law attorneysPA divorce courts divide property equitably, not equally, weighing eleven statutory factors — and fault in the marriage mostly stays out of the math.

Immigration attorneysPennsylvania removal cases are heard in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and ICE-cooperation policy flips county by county — where you live changes the playbook.

Lemon Law attorneysBuy a defective new car in PA and the Lemon Law gives you 12 months or 12,000 miles to act — with the manufacturer footing your attorney's bill if you win.

Medical Malpractice attorneysPennsylvania gives you 60 days to produce a certificate of merit in a med-mal case — and since the venue rule changed in 2023, Philadelphia is back on the table for many plaintiffs.

Slip and Fall attorneysPennsylvania's "hills and ridges" doctrine means fresh snow and ice usually isn't actionable — your lawyer has to show it sat long enough to ridge up.

Social Security Disability attorneysPennsylvania disability appeals land in the Third Circuit, whose caselaw gives claimants a fairer shake than most — hearing offices sit in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg.

Workers’ Compensation attorneysPA comp is one of the rare systems where a legal fee cap — 20% — keeps lawyer costs predictable, with wage-loss benefits at two-thirds of your average weekly wage.

Pennsylvania Personal Injury Attorneys

How we match your Pennsylvania personal injury case

Case type

Size and complexity

Jurisdiction and licensing

Capacity and fit

What happens with a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania

It happens.

Tell us what happened.

Your attorney builds the file.

Demand and negotiation.

Suit is filed if it has to be.

Settlement or verdict.

When to call a personal injury attorney in Pennsylvania

Personal Injury cases we take in Pennsylvania

Slip and fall on premises

Dog bites

Medical malpractice (MCARE)

Product liability

Premises negligence at retailers

Workplace injuries (third-party claims)

School and daycare injuries

Recreational injuries (Pocono ski, hiking, lakes)

Negligent security / assault on premises

Nursing home neglect and abuse

SEPTA, PATCO, and public-transit incidents

Wrongful death and survival actions

How much do Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys cost?

What your Pennsylvania personal injury compensation can include

Economic Damages (No Cap in standard PI)

Non-Economic Damages (No Cap in standard PI)

Punitive Damages (No Statutory Cap)

Loss of Consortium

Wrongful Death and Survival

Sovereign / Political Subdivision Caps

Pennsylvania personal injury questions, answered

Personal Injury attorneys by city in Pennsylvania

Other case types in Pennsylvania

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