Personal injuries from car accidents leave people injured, unable to work, faced with expensive medical costs, and facing tight-fisted insurance companies. Getting your financial compensation for your losses and injuries after a car accident can be daunting. You need to hire an experienced car accident attorney to represent your case in settlement talks with an insurance company.
Your car accident lawsuit attorney is someone who will work with you and assure you are getting maximum compensation. You can comfortably discuss everything that happened at the scene of accident and should consider him/her a trusted advisor.
But, before hiring any attorney, asking some questions will help you get more about their qualifications and experience to handle your case. This will also help you identify if you can work with your lawyer, and if you feel that he/she will settle your case the best way possible.
These are the questions that you should ask your personal injury lawyer:
1: How Much Is the Contingency Fee?
Many personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis, which means you will not be charged a fee unless your lawyer wins your case, in which case, the lawyer’s fee will be a percent of the compensation award you receive. Ask them what that portion is and if there are any additional costs with the legal fee.
Some attorneys say “no legal fees,” but in reality, you may be paying for costs like postage and copying documents. On the other side, some lawyers do not charge costs for these things, some consume the cost and do not charge, and others shall send you monthly statements that you are expected to pay. So it is very important to ask your attorney every aspect when it comes to the fees for no confusion in the future.
2: What Is Your Success Rate At Trial?
Be careful of any lawyers who just say that your case is going to settle. Instead, he or she should expect each case to go to trial and prepare your case as if tried before a jury. This way, you can enter car accident settlement negotiations with the litigant armed with as much evidence as possible.
And, if your case goes to trial, you should ensure that your lawyer has won cases before a jury. Further, this will make sure that you receive the favorable settlement possible.
3: Have Many Years Of Experience You Have?
Experience is something that plays a crucial role when indulged with anything legal. For instance, you would not hire a plumber to fix an electrical fault, and likewise, you would not hire a real estate lawyer who immerses in personal injury law to take your car accident case. Your attorney should have good experience in the area he works in.
Besides, you must ensure your attorney has a good success rate. Winning cases is not only a good indicator, but a strong winning rate can indicate their knowledge, dedicated that can prosecute your case.
4: Do You Primarily Specialize In Vehicle Accident Cases?
After a car accident, you should hire a lawyer who specializes in personal injury law. They should know some common defense tactics by employers and insurance companies, how to negotiate in a way specific to your needs. They should know how to navigate other litigation procedures. The bottom line is you need someone familiar with the law.
5: How Long Will The Process Take?
While no lawyer can assure you a definite amount of time, an experienced attorney knows the legalities and understands individual cases well enough that they can provide you a general time frame. This will also help you get an indirect idea of his/her experience. However, you should also remember that the timeline your lawyer provides you might change significantly.
An attorney with thorough experience and understanding of each case type will know the legal system and specifics well enough and will give you a much more informed idea about everything than someone who is yet learning how things work!
