Car accidents can be terrifying, and the injury sustained can range from minor to catastrophic. Victims of such accidents are allowed to sue the negligent party for the monetary value of their losses. This insurance claim takes the victim’s losses into account and aims to make them whole. However, personal injury claims aren’t always as easy as they sound. Hiring a Beach Injury Lawyer Car accident lawyer can improve your chances of going through the claims process unscathed and get the best possible outcome.
But how do you hire the best attorney for your car accident case? Follow the tips below.
Research and recommendations
There are often a lot of dos and don’ts in the aftermath of an auto accident injury. Getting an auto injury lawyer as quickly as possible can clear the confusion and set you on the right path. As with most things, seeking recommendations from family, friends, colleagues, and even your existing attorney is the fastest way to get an injury lawyer. Your loved ones are more likely to recommend injury lawyers whom they’ve vetted due to past positive experiences.
While recommendations are a great way to start, they shouldn’t be the final stop. You can add the recommendations you’ve received to a developing list of potential hires. A simple internet search for the best auto accident lawyer near me can also prove helpful. Search engines will spit out some options based on proximity, relevance, quality of service, etc.
Add some more names from your internet search to the developing list of potential hires. Once done, read reviews from each lawyer and eliminate lawyers with many negative reviews from past clients.
Schedule a free consultation
Most injury lawyers offer a free initial consultation meeting to get to know the client and their specific legal concerns. Take advantage of this meeting to know the law firm and lawyer handling your case. Pay attention to the lawyers attending to you and their interest in your case. Also, focus on asking the important questions, including who will be handling your case, who your direct line of contact will be, what communication channel is best to reach your attorney on, whether a junior lawyer or associate will handle your case, and more.
The answers to these questions can help you further thin the list of potential lawyers to handle your case. Please note that you are better off with a local lawyer equipped with the resources needed to pursue your case.
You are also better off hiring an injury lawyer with extensive experience representing and winning auto accident claims.
Discuss legal costs and fees
Legal costs and fees are two important considerations for hiring the right lawyer for your case. Although most injury lawyers offer a contingency fee arrangement, some may demand upfront payment for their services. Consider the lawyer’s payment structure and the percentage to pay for a contingency plan.
For contingency payment plans, you can rest assured that you won’t pay a dime until your case has been won. However, some lawyers may charge as much as 33% of the recovered amount as their legal fees.
While confirming the fees charged, ask questions about the legal costs and fees and how they intend to charge both. You’ll get more money if the lawyer’s fee is charged as a percentage of the recovered amount after the legal costs are deducted.
Consider experience and case results
After reducing the potential lawyers to a few, you can then consider the extent of each lawyer’s experience and their track record representing clients in similar situations. More experienced attorneys are expected to have seen the different variations of auto accidents and how insurance companies respond. They are also expected to have what it takes, resource-wise, to push your case to a considerable extent.
Consider experience versus the number of cases handled and wins recorded. The more cases your attorney has won, the more confidence you have in their ability to represent you and push for a favorable outcome.
Select an attorney you’re most comfortable with
After vetting your potential hires carefully, you should be left with the strongest contenders in terms of skills, experience, resources, commitment, and fee structure. Now is the best time to choose the attorney you feel the most comfortable with.
Choosing an attorney you can relate with increases the ease of communication and also improves your overall confidence in their ability. Contact the selected attorney and discuss the next steps in your case. Usually, your attorney will want to hit the ground running by investigating your case, gathering evidence, and calculating your losses and the case’s worth.
Your attorney should also be willing to go the extra mile, making sure that you are ably represented during negotiations and trial.
