You pay nothing up front and nothing if we lose. Here is how it works, in plain words.
By Ibrahim J. Awad, The Karate Attorney • November 9, 2026
Can you afford me? Let me answer with a question back to you: can you afford a lawyer who costs zero dollars today?
Because that is what it takes to hire my firm. If you are lying awake wondering whether you can afford a personal injury lawyer in Georgia after a crash, I want to take that worry off the table in the first minute of our conversation. You do not need savings. You do not need a credit card. You do not need to borrow from your cousin.
I know that fear well, because I see it on faces every week.
Most people who ask me this are not really asking about legal fees. They are asking something heavier. They are asking, “Can I survive the next few months?” The car is in the shop or totaled. The paycheck is smaller because they missed shifts. The hospital bill arrived before the bruises faded. And now someone is telling them they might need a lawyer, which sounds like one more bill on a pile that is already too tall.
I understand that. When money is tight, every decision feels like a risk. So let me show you why this one is not.
My firm is paid only out of what we recover for you. That is called a contingency fee, and it means our payment is tied to your result. If there is no recovery, there is no fee.
You will never write us a check to get started. You will never get a monthly invoice. We also front the money it takes to build your case: medical records, reports, experts, court costs. You do not reach into your wallet for any of it.
Here is the part that surprises people most. If your case goes all the way to a lawsuit and we lose, you owe us nothing. No fee, and every dollar we advanced in expenses is waived. We carry that risk so you do not have to.
In fairness, your doctors and hospitals are separate from us. If a case is lost, those providers could still bill you for your care, although many of them choose to write those balances off when there is no recovery. I would rather tell you that now than have you hear it later.
This is the real affordability question. Not “what does it cost to start,” but “what will be left for me at the end?”
Our fee is 35 percent when a case resolves before a lawsuit and 45 percent if we have to file suit. And for every case that settles without a lawsuit, we make a commitment to our clients: the money in your pocket at the end will be more than our legal fee, after case expenses and medical bills are paid.
That is our fee commitment, not a prediction about the size of your case. No one can promise a specific settlement. What I can promise is that we will not let the final numbers leave you with less than us. Our Disbursement Coordinators fight to reduce your medical balances at the end so that more of the recovery stays with you.
Cases take time. Insurance companies are patient, because they are hoping you are not.
While you wait, look at your own auto policy. Georgia drivers may have MedPay coverage, which can help pay medical bills no matter who caused the wreck. Many people have it and never know. Your declarations page will tell you. We help clients find coverage like this all the time.
I also want to say something that is not legal advice. In my TEDx talk, I spoke about beautiful patience: the idea that everything in life is either a gift or a test, and that even the test can be a gift. I have watched clients carry enormous financial stress with grace while their case moved forward. The reward for that patience does not come on our schedule. But I have seen it come.
Luna S., a client from Lawrenceville, came to us after her very first accident. She was overwhelmed and under real emotional stress. Our team stayed quick to respond and kept her updated, and I walked her through the process from beginning to end. We prepared her case for court, and it settled.
She never had to worry about paying us along the way. That freed her to focus on healing. That is the point.
In karate, a beginner who is afraid to spar keeps their guard so high they cannot see. Fear about money does the same thing. It makes people sign the first offer, skip the doctor, and go it alone. Lowering that fear lets you see clearly.
You can afford this conversation, because it is free. My team in Marietta, Dalton, and Lawrenceville answers 24/7 by phone or text, and we speak Spanish. Call or text us at (706) 890-0000. We will listen first, explain your options honestly, and tell you plainly whether we can help.
A real person answers 24/7 by phone or text. Se habla español.