Greenberg & Bederman, LLC in Baltimore: Personal Injury on a Contingency Fee

Greenberg & Bederman, LLC is a personal injury law firm handling auto accidents, premises liability, and negligence claims in Baltimore on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless they recover money for you.

What Greenberg & Bederman actually handles

The firm focuses on cases where negligence caused injury: car and truck accidents, falls on someone else's property, defective products, and medical malpractice. They represent clients in settlement negotiations and civil litigation. The contingency model inverts the usual lawyer-client financial relationship. Instead of an hourly rate or retainer, the firm takes a percentage of the final settlement or judgment—typically 33 percent if settled before trial, up to 40 percent if the case goes to trial. You cover costs (filing fees, expert reports, medical records) either out-of-pocket as you go or the firm advances them and recovers them from any settlement. If you lose, you owe nothing to the attorney, though you may still owe costs depending on the engagement agreement.

How contingency differs from hourly and flat-fee options

Contingency works only when a viable defendant exists and has money or insurance. If someone hits your car and carries adequate liability coverage, a contingency case makes sense. It does not work for disputes between you and your own insurance company (coverage questions, policy denials) or for claims against uninsured defendants with no assets. For those situations, Baltimore personal injury attorneys like Dmitriy Feldman's practice and firms such as Schmitz & Associates often work on hourly rates ($200 to $400 per hour for experienced lawyers) or hybrid models where you pay hourly for coverage disputes but contingency for third-party claims. Flat-fee arrangements (common for simple workers' compensation cases) charge a set amount up front, usually $1,500 to $5,000, and suit straightforward claims. Contingency, by contrast, aligns the lawyer's incentive with yours: they win only if you do, and the larger your recovery, the larger their fee. This makes contingency the standard model for serious injury cases where settlement or judgment will be substantial enough to justify the firm's investment in depositions, expert witnesses, and trial preparation.

What a first consultation typically covers

Greenberg & Bederman, like most Baltimore personal injury practices, will ask for a chronology of the injury (date, location, what happened), the names and contact details of parties at fault, your medical treatment history to date, any available insurance information, and photographs or documents from the incident. They will explain Maryland's negligence standards (the defendant owed you a duty of care, breached it, and that breach caused your injury and damages). They will also outline the statute of limitations: three years from injury date for most personal injury cases in Maryland, though you should not wait that long. If the firm decides not to take your case, it is usually because liability is unclear, injuries are minor, or the at-fault party carries no insurance and has no way to pay a judgment.

Who should pursue a personal injury claim and who should not

Pursue a claim if someone else's clear negligence caused your injury, you received medical treatment, and the at-fault party or their insurer can pay. Claims work best when medical bills and lost wages are documented and substantial, and when the defendant's fault is defensible. Do not pursue if your own actions contributed significantly to the injury (Maryland follows comparative negligence but courts may reduce your award by your percentage of fault), if you delayed treatment significantly (insurers use that gap to argue pre-existing conditions), or if the injury is minor and healing expenses are low. A settlement offer of $3,000 after a $500 medical bill is routine; a settlement offer equal to or less than your documented costs suggests you should negotiate further or walk away.

Hours and logistics

Greenberg & Bederman maintains a Baltimore office; call or visit their website to confirm current hours and schedule a consultation. Initial consultations are usually free or low-cost. Many personal injury firms offer evening and weekend appointments to accommodate working clients. There is no fee to discuss your case if you do not hire them.

Greenberg & Bederman's contingency model removes the upfront financial barrier, making it accessible for injured people who cannot afford to pay an attorney hourly while waiting months or years for recovery. That alignment of incentives is why contingency dominates the personal injury landscape in Baltimore.