In Illinois you have two (2) years from the date of injury to file a personal injury action against the Defendant. This is called the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations varies by state and subject matter. Between the time of incident and date the statute of limitations expires all injured parties should act quickly in securing an attorney to properly assert their claims. During this two year  period your attorney may attempt to work out a settlement with the Defendant’s insurance company. Settling a case is much quicker than actually binging the case to trial. As far as cost of retaining counsel, most personal injury attorneys will work on a contingency fee when representing an injured party. This means that the lawyer does not get paid unless they are successful in recovering money for the injured claimant. Typically, the attorney will take a certain percentage of the proceeds recovered. This fee is established and agreed to before the attorney begins work on the case.